So we are just a few weeks out of the NBA All-Star Break.
And one team already is broken after weekend action.
Gotta feel for Boogie Cousins. He’s a huge name in the NBA and to lose him for the season is a huge blow to the league, DFS and the Pelicans.
New Orleans better hope Brow can stay healthy long enough to perhaps become trade bait. That seems to be the talk of Twitter anyway, and it wouldn’t shock me if he was dealt. But I wouldn’t blame New Orleans for keeping him either.
As for tonight’s slate, we have just 6 games to kick off this full week of action. That’s fine by me, makes my job a little easier.
A note about the Value Index. It will not run next week as I have to be out of town for a conference for my full time job as an educator and I will be gone all week. So enjoy this week and I hope we help you score big!
| O/U | Spread | Pace | |
| Charlotte Hornets | 10 | ||
| Indiana Pacers | 215 | -3 | 19 |
Injury News
None
Charlotte: It’s hard to believe two teams from the East have yet to face each other this year, but that is the case we have here tonight. The Hornets are a team that is much better suited for the home environment, so my level of interest for them is slim, even on a 6 game slate. Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum have the worst matchups on the team, so if the Hornets are going to keep this close, it is going to be because of the wings and the frontcourt. Dwight Howard has the most impeccable matchup of all the players on his team. The Pacers are top-10 in points and rebounds allowed this season and attacking big men against them is a thing. Dwight has played great over his last 10 games with 8 straight double-doubles. His price reflects said change as it is more than $9K. That is going to be hard to pay up for tonight, but Dwight has the best matchup of all the centers on the slate. Marvin WIlliams, Frank the Tank and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist all have great matchups on paper as Indian is top 10 in points allowed and rebounds to SFs and PFs, too. Their reliability and minutes are what I question despite them being sources of value
Indiana: The Pacers are a team to target at home, but they draw a rather difficult matchup themselves. Batum is still a solid defender at SG and will likely cover Oladipo in this matchup. Most of the time that means we want to see where offense might funnel. But I am not going to rely on Darren Collison against Kemba Walker. Bojan Bogdanovic makes a lot of sense, but his minutes have been up and down lately. That leaves Thad Young, Myles Turner, Domantas Sabonis, Lance Stephenson and Cory Joseph has the only other guys we can use from this team. I don’t play Thad, but he’s been getting well over 30 minutes a night of late, so I understand the play against a weak Hornets frontcourt. Sabonis and Turner will split minutes as the Pacers work Turner back into the lineup from injury. They face Howard as well, which can be difficult when he turns up the heat. I can always see Lance having a big game if he’s playing well off the bench, but he’s hardly reliable without getting starters minutes.
Must Plays: Dwight Howard
Bubble Plays: Victor Oladipo, Thaddeus Young, Kemba Walker
Value Plays: None
| O/U | Spread | Pace | |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 215 | -5.5 | 24 |
| Atlanta Hawks | 13 |
Injury News
Questionable: Jeff Teague
Minnesota: Jeff Teague is the lone Timberwolf on the injury report the night before the slate. He has a sore ankle and is questionable to play. While this is a dream matchup for Teague and the rest of the T’Wolves against Atlanta, it wouldn’t shock me if Teague sat for extra rest because this should be a game Minnesota should take care of. Teague sitting would be disappointing considering the Hawks have been terrible against PGs this season (and all backcourt positions might I add), but this also is a revenge game for Teague. If he plays, I would certainly use him for #narrativestreet. Jimmy Butler returned over the weekend and his draw is superb, so are Andrew Wiggins and Taj Gibson’s. Karl Anthony-Towns has a tougher matchup on paper, but it’s Atlanta and they don’t have anyone that can guard or defend KAT in the paint. If Teague sits, Tyus Jones would become a solid value play while Jimmy Butler and KAT would see the biggest usage bumps. Teague’s absence or lack thereof, will be important for this slate. Hopefully we get the news before lock.
Atlanta: There isn’t one person I can trust on this team. Dennis Schroder has seemingly hit a wall, and with how bad the Hawks are overall this year and the ASB looming, Atlanta could be in full coast mode. Their rotation is Brooklyn-like as everyone but Schroder doesn’t seem to have reliable usage or minutes these days. Bazemore, Prince, Collins, Ilyasova, Dedmon and Muscala all share minutes these days. Marco Belinelli is the only value play worth considering because you at least know what you are getting when you roster him. The rest are like jets – they are all up in the air. Schroder is a maybe, but is a solid buy-low tournament option considering the T’Wolves woes against starting point guards – top 10 in points and assists allowed.
Must Plays: Jeff Teague (if he plays), Jimmy Butler
Bubble Plays: Karl Anthony-Towns, Dennis Schroder
Value Plays: Tyus Jones (IF Teague sits)
