This truly feels like the first real slate of the season, doesn’t it?
While 11 NBA games on a Wednesday isn’t all that uncommon, the twist with tonight’s contests will be the fact that a whopping nine teams are on the second leg of a back-to-back. Let the chaos ensue.
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C Neemias Queta, Boston Celtics at Brooklyn Nets, $4,500
We don’t technically have the Celtics injury report yet, but I can almost guarantee that Al Horford ($4,800) will be on whatever is released later this afternoon. He’s an old man and he doesn’t play both legs of a back-to-back set. This has just been the way it is for years. When Horford rested earlier in 2024-25, it was Luke Kornet ($4,000) that started for Boston. I’m not sure that will be the case on Wednesday. Kornet’s recently seen his role in the Celtics’ rotation almost disappear in favor of Queta. To wit, Queta’s exceeded 20 minutes of action in five straight contests, a span where the 25-year-old is averaging 7.0 points and 7.4 rebounds. Heck, even if it is Kornet that enters the starting five, there’s still a good chance that Queta plays a larger role. Plus, in that scenario, Queta’s popularity in GPPs would be lessened.
PG/SG Jaylen Nowell, New Orleans Pelicans at Oklahoma City Thunder, $3,400
Add another injury to the Pelicans’ already lengthy list, as it was announced Tuesday that Jose Alvarado (hamstring) will now miss multiple weeks. He’ll join Dejounte Murray (hand) and CJ McCollum (adductor) on the sideline, which leaves the Pelicans with almost zero depth at point guard. Now, it’s likely that Brandon Ingram ($8,800) will take on the responsibility of being the team’s primary shot-creator, but I’d also expect Nowell to join New Orleans’ starting five in place of Alvarado. Nowell logged 22.3 minutes off the bench in Monday’s loss to the Nets and he’s now scored double-digit points in each of his past three games. With a price tag just over the minimum, that’s all more than enough to make Nowell viable — even in a tough matchup.
PG/SG A.J. Green, Milwaukee Bucks vs. Detroit Pistons, $4,900
Milwaukee is another team where we don’t have a definitive injury report, but I’d be surprised if Damian Lillard ($9,300; concussion) will clear the league’s concussion protocol before tonight’s tip-off. The former All-Star missed Tuesday’s victory over the Raptors, which meant Green was inserted into the starting lineup for the first time in 2024-25. He didn’t disappoint. Green wasn’t incredibly efficient, yet he took all 14 of his field goal attempts in his 30.1 minutes from beyond the arc. Add in five rebounds and three assists, and Green would finish with a very respectable 28.25 FPTS. Green is shooting 42.9% from three-point range for his career. This season? He’s shooting a cool 51.9% from distance. If he’s going to take anywhere close to the same volume of attempts on Wednesday, he’s a dangerous asset in DFS.
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All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
