This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We're set for a seven-game slate Friday night, one that's a bit smaller than usual for what's typically one of the biggest evenings in the NBA. But given the sheer volume of trades leading up to Thursday's deadline, there's still plenty of intrigue attached to a ledger that could feature the debuts of some of the big names moved over the course of the last few days.
Slate Overview
Charlotte Hornets (-6.5) at Detroit Pistons (O/U: TBD)
Cleveland Cavaliers (-5.5) at Indiana Pacers (O/U: TBD)
Oklahoma City Thunder at Philadelphia 76ers (-13) (O/U: TBD)
San Antonio Spurs at Atlanta Hawks (-8) (O/U: TBD)
Denver Nuggets at Boston Celtics (-4) (O/U: TBD)
Minnesota Timberwolves at Chicago Bulls (-4) (O/U: TBD)
Orlando Magic at Utah Jazz (-12) (O/U: TBD)
The spotlight will be on the city of Brotherly Love, with the possibility James Harden makes his debut in a 76ers uniform after Thursday's marquee trade. Meanwhile, the Celtics may also be able to roll out Derrick White for the first time.
The Nuggets-Celtics and Timberwolves-Bulls look like the two games most likely to be contested buzzer-to-buzzer and therefore offer some of the best individual performances from star players. However, Spurs-Hawks also offers the potential to light up the scoreboard given both sides' defensive issues throughout the season.
Injury Situations to Monitor
NOTE: Injury reporting is especially fluid in the NBA, where the status of multiple players can change during the course of a day. Therefore, although the following is a foundation for the latest injury report as of the time the article is written, check back throughout the course of the day with RotoWire for the latest news regarding the status of all players on that night's slate, including those carrying injury designations that aren't listed in this section.
James Harden, PHI (hamstring/trade acquisition): QUESTIONABLE
Harden could make his 76ers debut Friday, and it remains to be seen which backcourt role he'd slide into alongside Tyrese Maxey (hamstring).
Nikola Vucevic, CHI (hip): PROBABLE
Vucevic is expected to play through his hip injury, but Tyler Cook and Tony Bradley would be set for more minutes if he's limited in any way.
Rudy Gobert, UTA (calf): QUESTIONABLE
If Gobert is able to return from an eight-game absence, Udoka Azubuike would return to the bench.
Tyrese Maxey, PHI (hamstring): QUESTIONABLE
If Maxey is unable to suit up, Shake Milton (back) could potentially slide into the starting point guard role if he's able to overcome his own questionable status.
Anthony Edwards, MIN (knee): QUESTIONABLE
Should Edwards sit, Karl-Anthony Towns would be in line for even more usage than usual while Jaden McDaniels could start at small forward.
Other notable injuries:
Cade Cunningham, DET (hip): GTD
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC (ankle): OUT
Lonzo Ball, CHI (knee): OUT
D'Angelo Russell, MIN (lower leg): QUESTIONABLE
Derrick White, BOS (trade acquisition): QUESTIONABLE
Malcolm Brogdon, IND (Achilles): QUESTIONABLE
Myles Turner, IND (foot): OUT
Isaiah Jackson, IND (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
Ayo Dosunmu, CHI (concussion): QUESTIONABLE
Monte Morris, DEN (concussion): OUT
Jalen Suggs, ORL (Achilles): QUESTIONABLE
Elite Players
We have four players with five-figure salaries on Friday's slate – Nikola Jokic ($11,500), Joel Embiid ($11,000), Dejounte Murray ($10,600) and DeMar DeRozan ($10,400).
Jokic "only" scored 38.7 FD points against the Knicks on Tuesday but did so over 30 minutes, having accumulated at least 50 in every other game since Jan. 13.
Embiid could have a chance to take the floor with Harden for the first time and has already produced 52.3 to 77.4 FD in his last 10 games.
Murray has produced at least 54.3 FD in three of his last four games and no longer has Derrick White next to him in the backcourt, a scenario where he's posted a 27.8 percent usage rate and 54.8 FD per 36 minutes this season.
DeRozan has managed no fewer than 43 FD in 12 straight games and may face a Timberwolves squad missing both D'Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Karl-Anthony Towns, MIN ($9,600)
Towns boasts a 32.5 percent usage rate without Russell or Edwards, but even if one or both play the big man should remain very popular as a more reasonable pivot off Embiid.
Jayson Tatum, BOS ($9,200)
Tatum's fantasy tallies have been under 40 in four of the last five, but he still carries a ceiling well north of 60 FD points and will be an integral part of one of the night's premium matchups.
Trae Young, ATL ($9,000)
Young bounced back to generate 49.7 FD over 29 minutes against the Pacers on Tuesday and has eclipsed 40 in seven of the last eight.
Donovan Mitchell, UTA ($8,800)
Mitchell has generated 60.4 and 40 FD in his last two games, which should keep him in plenty of lineups for a very favorable matchup against the Magic.
Tobias Harris, PHI ($8,800)
Harris has been particularly efficient with 58.1 percent shooting - including 50.0 percent from three-point range - over his last 11 games while producing 44.1 and 38.9 in his last two.
Key Values
Clint Capela, ATL vs. SA ($6,100)
Capela's salary has taken a huge dip compared to earlier in the year, which is partly the byproduct of the big man averaging a modest 24.1 FD points in his last 10 games. He's taking just 5.4 shot attempts per contest during that span and averaging 22.8 minutes, which does make him a risk. However, the big man did score 33.9 FD points in only 21 minutes during his most recent contest against the Pacersand faces a Spurs team that's allowed the fourth-highest offensive efficiency to centers (33.5 percent) along with 57 FD points per game to the position.
Keldon Johnson, SA at ATL ($6,000)
Johnson should have added responsibility with Derrick White now in Boston, and a matchup against a Hawks squad allowing the eighth-highest offensive efficiency to power forwards (27.5 percent) could certainly help him to a strong return. He's recorded 31.6 to 41.9 FD points in four of the last seven games, which would make for strong-to-excellent returns on current salary. Atlanta is giving up 45.9 FD points per game to power forwards and Johnson should therefore be in line for overdelivering on value.
Isaiah Stewart, DET vs. CHA ($5,800)
Stewart has eclipsed 30 FD points in two of his last three games and hasn't been under 20 in eight straight. The young big man missed the Pistons' previous matchup against the Hornets, but should be in line for one of his better performances considering Charlotte has allowed the fifth-highest offensive efficiency to centers (33.2) and the fifth-most FD points per game to the position (56.5). The Hornets are also giving up an NBA-high 24.8 points and 17.5 rebounds per game to fives, and that bodes well for Stewart.
ALSO CONSIDER: Jerami Grant, DET vs. CHA ($5,200)
