This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
Slate Overview
Indiana Pacers at Cleveland Cavaliers (-5.5)
Atlanta Hawks at Dallas Mavericks (-2.5)
Boston Celtics (-7.5) at Orlando Magic (o/u 215)
New Orleans Pelicans (-3.5) at Houston Rockets (o/u 230.5)
Milwaukee Bucks (-5) at Los Angeles Clippers (o/u 226.5)
There are eight total games Sunday, though only five make it on the main slate. The Pelicans and Rockets stand out based on the over/under, which makes sense given Houston's pace and lack of defensive ability. As for those without totals, the Pacers are poor defensively but the game doesn't project to play at a quick pace. The Hawks also aren't strong defensively, but the pace of their matchup against Dallas also doesn't look to be particularly quick.
Injury Report
Malcolm Brogdon, IND (Achilles): Questionable
Brogdon has played only three times since Dec. 16 and has missed nine consecutive games. If he returns, expect his minutes to be limited. Duane Washington has received increased run in Brogdon's absence.
Domantas Sabonis, IND (COVID-19 protocols): Questionable
Sabonis has been absent for the last three due to protocols. It will be worth monitoring the Pacers' big men leading up as Isaiah Jackson is out and Goga Bitadze is questionable. If Sabonis and Bitadze remain sidelined, Terry Taylor ($5,500) should have the chance to remain a strong value play.
Goga Bitadze, IND (foot): Questionable
Bitadze has missed the last four games. As mentioned for Sabonis, monitor the rest of the Pacers frontcourt. Bitadze's $6,000 is fairly high, particularly if Sabonis is cleared to return.
Darius Garland, CLE (back): Questionable
Garland has missed three games due to a back injury. Brandon Goodwin has seen an increase in ball-handling duties in his absence and should be a decent value at $5,400 if Garland remains out.
Lou Williams, ATL (hamstring): Questionable
Williams returned from a back issue Friday, but is now bothered by a hamstring injury. Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kevin Huerter and Delon Wright should all have their roles solidified if Williams sits.
Danilo Gallinari, ATL (hamstring): Questionable
Gallinari missed Friday's game, which helped create extra playing from for Bogdanovic. If both Gallinari and John Collins are both out, Onyeka Okongwu could see some extra minutes at power forward.
John Collins, ATL (heel): Questionable
Collins played through the injury Friday. If Gallinari is back and Collins is out, Gallinari should receive extra playing time. If both are out, Okongwu could be the beneficiary.
Maxi Kleber, DAL (knee): Questionable
Kleber missed Friday's game. If he's sidelined again, Dwight Powell should see around 30 minutes and is only $3,700.
R.J. Hampton, ORL (knee): Questionable
Hampton isn't likely to take the floor, but he's reaching the early end of the two-to-four week timeline given by the team. There hasn't been any update on his status and he wasn't regularly exceeding minutes in the teens even when healthy.
Josh Hart, NOR (knee): Questionable
Hart missed Friday's game, though his minutes were primarily accounted for by Brandon Ingram and Herbert Jones. His absence would also likely benefit the recently surging Jaxson Hayes.
George Hill, MIL (neck)
Hill's status is ambiguous as the team hasn't provided a true timeline for his return. He doesn't appear particularly likely to play, which should allow Donte DiVincenzo to maintain minutes in the low 20s.
Norman Powell and Robert Covington, LAC (recently traded)
Powell and Covington were recently traded to the Clippers and didn't appear on the injury report for Sunday's game. Even so, confirm they're ready for their debut.
Ivica Zubac, LAC (calf): Questionable
Zubac has missed the last two games, which has allowed Serge Ibaka to log 22 and 34 minutes, respectively. At only $4,700, Ibaka should remain a strong play Sunday if Zubac remains sidelined.
Other Notable Injuries
Isaiah Jackson, IND (ankle): Out
Kristaps Porzingis, DAL (knee): Out
Sterling Brown, DAL (foot): Out
Garrett Temple, NOR (COVID-19 protocols): Out
Willy Hernangomez, NOR (COVID-19 protocols): Out
Elite Players
Giannis Antetokounmpo ($12,200) has shown plenty of ability to return value on this salary of late with over 60 DK points in five of his last 11 games. On the other hand, he's posted below 50 points three times during that span. The matchup doesn't stand out as an extreme in either direction, meaning I'd likely prefer to play Giannis in GPP contests rather than cash.
Contrarily, Luka Doncic ($12,200) has been consistently strong of late having topped 60 DK points in four consecutive games and should continue to have expanded usage with Porzingis sidelined. The Hawks also have the league's fourth-worst defensive rating, so the matchup isn't a concern. Doncic represents a cash game building block on the slate.
Jayson Tatum ($10,600) is valued over $10,000 for the eighth consecutive game. While he's produced some very strong performances over that stretch, he's generally failed to live up to that salary by posting under 50 DK points in four of the last five. The Magic are poor defensively and play quickly, but that's not enough to make Tatum reliable for cash games.
Trae Young ($10,100) is in a similar position to Tatum from a salary and value perspective. However, his matchup is poor from a pace and defensive perspective leaving him for GPP consideration only.
Expected Chalk
In addition to Giannis and Luka, other likely chalk plays include:
Terry Taylor ($5,500) has been one of the top punt plays on the last few slates. His value is on the rise as a result, but his role is also likely to stay intact as long as Sabonis doesn't return. Coach Rick Carlisle appears to prefer Taylor over Oshae Brissett, which means Taylor could surpass 30 minutes again.
One of Maxi Kleber ($4,200) or Dwight Powell ($3,700) will be popular. If Kleber is able to play, he should continue to have a secure role in the absence of Porzingis. If Kleber is sidelined, Powell will be one of the slate's top value plays as he managed 26.25 DK points in the absence of Kleber and Porzingis on Friday.
Jaxson Hayes ($5,000) appears to have solidified his role in New Orleans and has become a strong value play with Willy Hernangomez out and he's played 31, 26 and 33 minutes in his last three games. As a word of warning, Hayes has hit 21 of his 24 shots from the field during that span and that's not sustainable. Even so, his salary hasn't yet caught up to his role.
Reggie Bullock ($4,800) represents another beneficiary of the absence of Porzingis. He's attempted double-digit shots from the field in four consecutive games and has topped 24 DK points in each of his last five.
Value Plays
In addition to the expected chalk, these players should be in a position to provide strong value:
Brandon Ingram ($8,700) will get a very favorable matchup as the Rockets play at the fastest pace paired with the league's worst defensive rating. If Josh Hart is ruled out, Ingram could see some extra usage on top of the excellent game factors.
While the Pelicans aren't on the same level as the Rockets in terms of matchup, the total suggests this is still a game to target. Kevin Porter Jr.'s salary has dipped below $6,000 for the first time in eight games, yet he's topped 30 DK points six times. He missed the second half of Friday's game with an illness – accounting for one of the times he didn't hit 30 DK – but he's not currently on the injury report.
Norman Powell ($7,000) should immediately become one of the top scoring options for the Clippers. His salary is near its peak for the season, which isn't typically a time to target a player. However, it's completely reasonable to think Powell's value will only continue to rise thanks to his new role. There should be plenty of offense between the Clippers and Bucks based on the high projected total, so Powell remains an interesting play on the slate.
