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What you need to know for Thursday's games
Thursday's two in-season tournament semifinal games include some intriguing matchups and fantasy angles, but first let's canvas Wednesday's 11-game epic that featured the return of Anfernee Simons.
Sure, the Portland Trail Blazers lost to the host Golden State Warriors, but Simons hadn't played in nearly 20 games, so his 28 points in 37 minutes was encouraging. It's surprising to see he is still a free agent in nearly 40% of ESPN men's basketball leagues.
The other big news from Wednesday's big mid-week slate was an injury to Jalen Suggs. It helps that Cole Anthony (41.1% rostered) kept posting productive numbers in the Orlando Magic's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Sticking with Wednesday's waiver warriors, Coby White (38.4%) kept scoring and is now an important addition considering Zach LaVine's extended injury timeline.
Thursday's tournament competition opens with the Milwaukee Bucks against the Indiana Pacers from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The total in this game is an absurd 256.5 points at ESPN BET, evidence that this is a great game for streaming in redraft leagues and stacking DFS lineups. The Pacers lead the league in offense and pace, while the Bucks rank fifth in pace and 22nd in defense (Indiana 28th), validating the lofty offensive expectations. Indiana presents several streaming candidates from a deep rotation.
The late game has the Los Angeles Lakers matching up against the New Orleans Pelicans in a game with a more modest climate (total of 229.5). As we discussed a few days ago, the Lakers' bevy of overlapping depth forwards makes it a hard rotation to find streaming value, although New Orleans delivers multiple impact names in the section below.
Thursday's Stream Team
This segment nominates three key streaming options ahead of that day's action. A streamer, by our standards, is a player available in at least half of ESPN men's basketball leagues.
Herbert Jones, SF/PF, New Orleans Pelicans (56.5%)
A bit over our general roster goal, it's a worthy concession on a small slate and given how Jones has lasting fantasy value for those who find space for his two-way profile. He is among the league's most productive defenders in terms of steals and blocks and is in a nice spot against a Lakers team short on ball-handling depth.
Trey Murphy III, SG/SF, New Orleans Pelicans (25.2%)
The Pelicans enter this matchup with two emergent young wings in Jones and Murphy. Murphy has the elite scoring ceiling of the two and ability to take over games with shooting stretches. New Orleans has trusted him for more minutes lately, a sign of bigger box scores to come.
Malik Beasley, SG, Milwaukee Bucks (18.8%)
The Bucks don't have much complementary scoring in the wake of Jae Crowder's injury and a busy offseason focused on consolidation. This has vaulted Beasley into a perimeter scoring role lately, with much of his shots coming from beyond the arc. He is a limited specialist in most cases, but Beasley's blend of minutes and shot diet are both favorable in an up-tempo matchup with Indiana.
Bruce Brown, SG/SF, Indiana Pacers (28.4%)
Brown is a connector on both sides of the floor for the Pacers, who can compile versatile stat lines thanks to being all over the place. He has averaged 19.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 3.0 APG over the past week as the "super glue" guy for a surging Indiana squad. Those in deeper leagues should look to Obi Toppin (14.6%) for scoring and blocks, while Bennedict Mathurin (17.7%) is playing more and better as a scorer off the bench of late.
Projections and Injury Reports
Fantasy projections powered by ESPN Analytics.* Projections assume all players who are listed as GTD will play. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Players available in at least 50% of ESPN leagues are listed in italics.
Indiana Pacers at Milwaukee Bucks
5 p.m. Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee
BPI Projection: Bucks by 5.2 in the highest-scoring game of the slate.
Injury Report:
Pacers: Jalen Smith, (OUT - Heel)
Bucks: Jae Crowder, (OUT - Groin); Pat Connaughton, (OUT - Ankle)
Pacers projections:
Tyrese Haliburton, PG/SG: 49.9 FPTS (24.0 pts, 3.9 reb, 8.7 ast, 3.3 3PM)
Myles Turner, C: 27.5 FPTS (14.3 pts, 8.1 reb, 1.1 ast, 2.5 blk)
Bruce Brown, SG/SF: 27.5 FPTS (13.1 pts, 4.3 reb, 2.3 ast)
Obi Toppin, PF: 22.4 FPTS (11.5 pts, 3.3 reb, 1.2 ast)
Bennedict Mathurin, SG/SF: 21.9 FPTS (13.1 pts, 3.5 reb, 1.4 ast)
Buddy Hield, SG/SF: 19.8 FPTS (8.5 pts, 3.0 reb, 2.1 ast, 2.1 3PM)
Andrew Nembhard, PG/SG: 17.4 FPTS (7.7 pts, 1.9 reb, 3.0 ast)
Bucks projections:
Giannis Antetokounmpo, PF/C: 52.2 FPTS (29.9 pts, 11.5 reb, 5.3 ast, 1.6 blk)
Damian Lillard, PG: 47.8 FPTS (26.9 pts, 4.6 reb, 6.5 ast, 2.9 3PM)
Brook Lopez, C: 26.5 FPTS (13.4 pts, 5.3 reb, 1.2 ast, 1.8 3PM, 3.0 blk)
Malik Beasley, SG: 25.6 FPTS (10.9 pts, 5.4 reb, 1.1 ast, 2.6 3PM)
Khris Middleton, SF: 25.3 FPTS (12.7 pts, 4.6 reb, 3.3 ast)
Bobby Portis, PF/C: 21.6 FPTS (10.7 pts, 6.2 reb, 1.0 ast)
Cameron Payne, PG: 12.9 FPTS (5.0 pts, 1.5 reb, 2.1 ast)
New Orleans Pelicans at Los Angeles Lakers
9 p.m. Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles
BPI Projection: Pelicans by 3.3 in the 2nd highest-scoring game of the slate.
Injury Report:
Pelicans: Matt Ryan, (OUT - Elbow); Larry Nance Jr., (OUT - Ribs)
Lakers: Anthony Davis, (GTD - Hip); Jarred Vanderbilt, (GTD - Heel); LeBron James, (GTD - Calf); Gabe Vincent, (OUT - Knee)
Pelicans projections:
Brandon Ingram, SF/PF: 40.7 FPTS (24.5 pts, 4.8 reb, 5.2 ast)
CJ McCollum, PG/SG: 40.1 FPTS (21.9 pts, 4.1 reb, 5.2 ast, 3.1 3PM)
Zion Williamson, PF: 35.3 FPTS (22.3 pts, 5.1 reb, 4.9 ast)
Jonas Valanciunas, C: 29.9 FPTS (13.9 pts, 9.3 reb, 2.4 ast, 1.5 blk)
Herbert Jones, SF/PF: 26.4 FPTS (12.0 pts, 3.8 reb, 2.8 ast)
Naji Marshall, SF: 17.3 FPTS (8.8 pts, 3.9 reb, 1.9 ast)
Dyson Daniels, PG/SG: 17.0 FPTS (6.5 pts, 2.8 reb, 2.3 ast)
Lakers projections:
LeBron James, SF/PF: 44.4 FPTS (23.7 pts, 6.8 reb, 6.1 ast, 2.1 3PM)
Anthony Davis, PF/C: 43.6 FPTS (22.6 pts, 12.6 reb, 3.5 ast, 2.1 blk)
D'Angelo Russell, PG/SG: 32.7 FPTS (15.8 pts, 3.4 reb, 5.6 ast, 2.0 3PM)
Austin Reaves, SG/SF: 24.6 FPTS (11.0 pts, 4.0 reb, 4.3 ast)
Rui Hachimura, SF/PF: 18.7 FPTS (10.4 pts, 3.8 reb, 1.2 ast)
Cam Reddish, SG/SF: 15.7 FPTS (7.2 pts, 2.5 reb, 1.1 ast)
Taurean Prince, SF: 15.7 FPTS (7.5 pts, 2.5 reb, 1.4 ast)