This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We have a typically compact Thursday slate, with five games on tap. There's a fairly extensive injury report considering there's only 10 teams in action, but there's still a solid player pool to work with.
Slate Overview
For the latest spreads and over/unders, visit RotoWire's NBA Odds page. There, you can also find player props, futures, picks articles and sportsbook bonus codes.
Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Wednesday, 1/29 @ 11:30 p.m. EST:
Atlanta Hawks at Cleveland Cavaliers (-10.5) (O/U: 236.5)
Los Angeles Lakers (-6.5) at Washington Wizards (O/U: 225.5)
Minnesota Timberwolves (-7) at Utah Jazz (O/U: 221.5)
Houston Rockets at Memphis Grizzlies (-4.5) (O/U: 236.0)
Orlando Magic (-5.5) at Portland Trail Blazers (O/U: 213.0)
Point spreads are essentially all over the map Thursday, considering we have one double-digit favorite but three other contests with lines of 6.5 points or less. Projected totals are relatively encouraging as well, with the Hawks-Cavaliers and Rockets-Grizzlies game standing above the rest. The latter contest could well be the night's best to target for DFD production, considering it's complemented by a narrow spread.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Darius Garland, CLE (rest): GTD
In Garland's absence, Ty Jerome may draw a spot start at point guard, although Caris LeVert (wrist) could fill that role if he's able to play through his questionable tag.
Anthony Davis, LAL (abdomen): OUT
In Davis' absence, Jaxson Hayes is likely to draw a spot start at center, while LeBron James' (foot) usage should be even higher than usual if he's able to suit up.
LeBron James, LAL (foot): QUESTIONABLE
In James can't play, Jarred Vanderbilt could fill in as the starting power forward, and given that Anthony Davis will also be out, Austin Reaves' usage could go through the roof.
Alperen Sengun, HOU (calf): QUESTIONABLE
If Sengun can't suit up, Steven Adams (ankle) and Jock Landale will likely log the majority of minutes at center.
Other notable injuries:
Bogdan Bogdanovic, ATL (personal): OUT
Clint Capela, ATL (back): OUT
Walker Kessler, UTA (shoulder): OUT
Donte DiVincenzo, MIN (toe): OUT
Jabari Smith, HOU (hand): OUT
Naz Reid, MIN (illness): GTD
Caris LeVert, CLE (wrist): GTD
John Collins, UTA (illness): QUESTIONABLE
Jalen Suggs, ORL (quadriceps): QUESTIONABLE
Jerami Grant, POR (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
Dorian Finney-Smith, LAL (shoulder): QUESTIONABLE
Gabe Vincent, LAL (knee): QUESTIONABLE
Alex Sarr, WAS (ankle): GTD
Malcolm Brogdon, WAS (foot): GTD
Trae Young, ATL (hamstring): PROBABLE
Anthony Davis, LAL (calf): PROBABLE
LeBron James, LAL (foot): PROBABLE
Rui Hachimura, LAL (calf): PROBABLE
Elite Players
We have one player with a five-figure salary on Thursday's slate in LeBron James ($10,100).
Assuming James can play through his foot injury, he'll be in great position for a ceiling game considering his 34.2 percent usage rate and average of 54.1 FD points per 36 minutes without Anthony Davis on the floor. James also checks in having scored at least 49 FD points in five of the last seven games, and he faces a Wizards team that's been vulnerable defensively all season.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Anthony Edwards, MIN ($9,200)
Edwards typically carries a floor of around 40 FD points and has scored 41 or more in six of the last eight games.
Donovan Mitchell, CLE ($8,700)
Mitchell just put up 49.2 FD points against the Heat on Wednesday and has also scored over 56 FD points twice in his last four games.
Amen Thompson, HOU ($8,800)
Thompson has scored between 48.2 and 60.8 FD points in three of his last four games and will be a key part of the game with the best combination of spread and projected total of the night.
Jaren Jackson, MEM ($8,300)
Jackson has scored over 42 FD points in three of the past five games and will also be a key figure in the Rockets-Grizzlies clash that's expected to be very high scoring.
Austin Reaves, LAL ($7,800)
Reaves averages 38.9 FD points per 36 minutes without Anthony Davis on the floor and is averaging 36.5 FD points per contest in the last eight games while shooting 50.0 percent.
Key Values
Rudy Gobert, MIN at UTA ($6,400)
Gobert has been less productive this season than in years past, but the big man has still scored over 31 FD points in 25 of 46 games. Four of those have come within the last five games, with Gobert having scored 32.2 to a season-best 50.3 FD points in that span. Gobert's old Jazz squad makes for a good candidate to help continue his strong play, as Utah comes in ranked No. 27 in offensive efficiency rating allowed to centers (35.5) while also allowing a Western Conference-high 59.5 FD points per game to the position on the season. What's more, Utah is surrendering an NBA-high 6.4 blocks per game, which dovetails very well with Gobert's skill set.
Goga Bitadze, ORL at POR ($6,100)
Bitadze returned from a six-game absence due to a concussion against the Heat on Monday and quickly produced 26.8 FD points in just 22 minutes, and he could be due for an uptick in playing time Thursday after a couple of days of rest. The Trail Blazers have also allowed 59.1 FD points per contest in the last seven games, as well as the seventh-most blocks per game (5.7) on the season. Bitadze has already demonstrated ample upside by scoring 30.7 to 48.1 FD points in 21 games this season, so he makes for a very viable tournament play at his salary.
Jaxson Hayes, LAL at WAS ($4,500)
As mentioned earlier, Anthony Davis will sit out Wednesday's game, and Hayes should therefore have a good chance of drawing the spot start. Hayes is averaging 28.1 FD points per 36 minutes without Davis on the floor, and the Wizards have allowed an NBA-high 39.1 offensive efficiency rating to centers on the season, as well as 64 FD points per contest to fives in the last 15 games. Washington is also yielding 51.4 points in the paint per game, and Hayes has scored 77.4 percent of his points this season from that part of the floor.
ALSO CONSIDER: Anthony Black, ORL at POR ($5,600); Wendell Carter, ORL at POR ($5,500)
