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With only four games Thursday, Friday bounces back with a massive 11-game slate. There are very few teams playing at full-strength every night during this part of the season, meaning the games should stay competitive, much like they were Thursday. Jaylen Brown had another spectacular outing and even though he only hit one more three-pointer than Jayson Tatum, Brown finished with 26 more points than his superstar teammate.
As long as Tatum stays inconsistent, Jaylen Brown is going to see incredible upside nightly, but looking forward, the Wizards-Pelicans contest is going to pick up where Brown left off. The amount of resistance both rosters are going to see tonight is minimal. Every player is going to look for their own chunk of points, assuming there will be no defense. While they might be right in the lack of defense, those players still have to hit their shots.
MonkeyKnifeFight.com continues to be ahead of the curve with their canceling of contests amid postponements, so don't worry about wasting money on a player or game that might not play. As always, you can find me in the NBA Chat Room or @HalfCourtJester on Twitter with any questions, especially since lines and players are subject to change throughout the day.
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IND @ UTA
Donovan Mitchell (UTA) MORE 28.5 Points - Malcolm Brogdon (IND) LESS 19.5 Points
Neither of these lines have changed and if you can't tell from how these teams have played recently, the pace of this game will rank on the slower end. The Jazz haven't slowed down their three-point barrages each night, but the production is becoming more and more scarce as the season goes on. Donovan Mitchell is one of the few players the Jazz know they need to get going to win here, but don't expect the Pacers to just let it happen. Even though they'll target Mitchell, they won't be able to limit his shot attempts as much as the pace of the game will.
The Pacers like to feed the hot-hand, but not in the normal sense of giving streaking players the green light. Rather they throw usage at them and watch the rest of the team build off the already established momentum. Brogdon has been fairly demanding in his scoring lately, so assuming anything under 20 points is not entirely comforting even if his assists and rebounds pull from his scoring output.
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NOP @ WAS
Zion Williamson (NOP) MORE 30.5 Points - Bradley Beal (WAS) MORE 29.5
Zion Williamson's projected point total has risen one point since last night, but that's not indicative of what he is going to do to the Wizards frontcourt. If it was, it would have risen 2 points every hour until the game started. It's going to take a 34-point threshold to take the under against this defense. You could replace Zion's name with Bradley Beal and the earlier statements would still ring true for his situation. The Pelicans aren't any better at guarding scorers like Beal, than the Wizards are at guarding players like Williamson.
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DEN @ HOU
Nikola Jokic (DEN) MORE 24.5 Points - John Wall (HOU) MORE 22.5
The loss of Jamal Murray is still stinging most of the Nuggets players, but the extra usage won't be missed for long. Eventually someone is going to step-up and assume a more demanding role in the offense. So far, Michael Porter Jr. has been that player and Nikola Jokic hasn't missed a beat since the Murray injury. Jokic' points are all over the place in terms of consistency, like it has been all season, so don't expect a Murray-less Nuggets to just bring out the best in Jokic' scoring. He will still look for teammates first and his own shot second.
John Wall is similar, except he knows he doesn't have many options. If anything, he knows that he has a better chance getting his teammates going if he just gives them the ball and moves out of the way. That's not Wall's strong suit, but he's an adaptable point guard that has still been thriving in isolation. The Nuggets backcourt is going to have a tough time dealing with both Christian Wood and Wall if the rest of the Denver roster can't convert.
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NYK @ DAL
Luka Doncic (DAL) MORE 27.5 Points - Julius Randle (NYK) MORE 23.5
The Knicks defense continues to be the biggest factor every time they play. That and Julius Randle absolutely carrying the Knicks in-and-out of all their games. Tonight, both Randle and the Knicks defense is going to be tested by one of the league's top players coming off a game-winning shot. The stats aren't in front of me, but generational players one game after hitting a game-winner usually has at least some momentum to carry into the next game. The Knicks don't budge when a team comes to playing good teams, but we've seen it over and over, even with this defense. Some nights, good defense isn't enough.
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