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Friday features nine games, with four out-of-conference contest that everyone is bound to get riled up about. If you are looking for points, the Warriors-Wizards, Timberwolves-Celtics, and Pelicans-76ers are the top three games you should be looking at. Warriors-Wizards rightfully has the highest projected, and seeing how both the Celtics and 76ers have shown to slow the pace down at times, it's hard to really argue with Vegas' projections being skewed as of right now.
Golden State and Washington, generally, haven't dedicated much of their effort to defense this season and even if they have, neither team has shown real defensive proficiency regardless. Steve Kerr announced yesterday that Steph Curry would play both nights of the Warriors upcoming back-to-back, so tonight's game has no shortage high-scoring potential.
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 @ ORL
Caris Levert (IND) LESS 20.5 Points - Terrence Ross (ORL) MORE 17.5 Points
Caris LeVert's "normal" production is across-board stats with around 15-20 points. He'll rarely fall outside of that, but his versatility has always boosted his upside in games against bad defenses. The Magic haven't been nearly as bad as the internet suggests, but their lack of a superstar has enacted a rallying affect for the team. While they have shown they can score, they still aren't good, so LeVert won't be the only one scoring.
Orlando's offense however, is exactly where it should be with Terrence Ross as the most important contributor. Even off the bench, he is the core of the offense and his minutes aren't going to drop despite the Magic rotation not being set in stone. One of the few things you can count on is Ross getting the attempts as long as he is healthy.
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MIN @ BOS
Jayson Tatum (BOS) MORE 25.5 Points - Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN) MORE 24.5
The Timberwolves pack of hybrid forwards seems like a solid defensive presence on paper, but in this type of matchup, the learning curve is more noticeable than ever. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum will always have upside against any team, and hoping that the pace of this game stays on the higher end, Tatum and 26 points should be synonymous.
The Robert Williams project continues to attract attention across the league and for good reason. Williams has been a force in the paint, and now that he is getting more than a fair share of minutes, it's clear they made the right decision. The reason this is important is because Karl-Anthony Towns will still score on, around, and near him all night. The one-on-one matchups between these two will be solid entertainment, but that won't be the case all night so expect Towns to still get his spots.
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CHI @ ATL
Trae Young (ATL) MORE 25.5 Points - Zach LaVine (CHI) MORE 23.5
This should end up a high-scoring game even if the Hawks control the pace from the start. The new look Bulls have won their last three games and Chicago hasn't scored under 100 points since the Nikola Vucevic trade. Clint Capela and Vucevic are going to dominate the paint, and LaVine is playing the point guard role he was being denied earlier in the season. That might not lead to over 23 points tonight, but assuming LaVine doesn't have upside every game is ignorant to how well he has played despite being on a losing squad.
Trae Young on the other hand has seen every benefit you can get being a shooter on a winning team. His bad nights aren't bad nights because he still attracts so much attention from the defense. Specifically, with the Bulls defense not having key defensive playmakers that can isolate Young, it's lined up to be another big night for him.
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WAS @ GSW
Stephen Curry (GSW) MORE 32.5 Points - Bradley Beal (WAS) MORE 26.5
With Stephen Curry's point total being so high, it's easy to assume the bad game and the under, somewhat. Curry's upside remains as high as ever now that he is cleared to play in back-to-backs, so although the Wizards defense is going to do what they can to stop him, they are more likely to just try and keep up with him scoring wise. Curry has scored over 30-points in the last five of his seven games, only one time taking fewer than 20 shots.
Bradley Beal is on the opposite end of the scoring spectrum, however. With a probable tag and spotted game log, it's unclear what type of performance we will get from. His effort doesn't change really and with how he plays, it's hard for him to play any other way that being a bucket-getter. Now, if he is playing injured, there is no reason to take the over. His scoring has already taken a dip lately and playing on a potential hurt hip doesn't help with jumpshots.
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