DFSGhost 
The first weeks of the NBA season have been wildly entertaining. While some teams are struggling in the early stages, others are quickly separating themselves from the pack. Tonight, the Milwaukee Bucks put their perfect record on the line, while others look to keep pace in the East. The Western Conference teams have a ton of pending injury news, but shape up to be some of the best scenarios on the slate. It’s a Mojito Monday edition of the Gems – let’s ride.
Despite the NBA season only being a few weeks old, injury/illness news has been altering slates. In order to keep up, be sure to use our proprietary NBA projections and cheat sheet to build your lineups. Moreover, join the conversation in the Win Daily Discord to get the insight you need from both subscribers and staff.
Sacramento Kings @ Charlotte Hornets (+1)
Sacramento Kings (-1)
No longer one of the winless teams in the NBA, the Kings look to string some momentum together against a thin rotation. With LaMelo Ball out and Terry Rozier doubtful, De’Aaron Fox will see Dennis Smith Jr. on the flipside of his matchup. Sitting 20th in the league against primary ball handlers, the Hornets will look to slow Fox down, which is a daunting task. The former Kentucky Wildcat is having a tremendous season to the tune of a 27.8/7.2/5.6 scoring line on 55% shooting. Scoring 26 or more in four of five games this season, with the outlier coming against Miami’s stingy defense, Fox is in a prime spot in an elite game environment.
Charlotte Hornets (+1)
Somehow sitting at 3-3, the Hornets are doing the best they can without LaMelo Ball to start the season. With wins against the Hawks and Warriors, Charlotte can go with the best of them. With the Kings sitting 26th in the NBA in defensive rating, their weakest point comes on the wing. Surprisingly, Harrison Barnes carries a net defensive rating of 119.1 into tonight’s game, which bodes well for Kelly Oubre Jr. Leading the Hornets in usage rate over the last four games in Rozier’s absence, Oubre Jr. has posted a 17.8/6/1.5 scoring line on a mere 37.5% shooting during that span. Taking 16 or more attempts in all four games, Oubre Jr. carries a low floor, but finds himself in a situation to have a great outing should his shot be dropping.
Indiana Pacers @ Brooklyn Nets (-8)
Indiana Pacers (+8)
We talked about this game over the weekend in Discord and I’m going right back to the well. The return of Myles Turner to the lineup shifts things a bit, but Haliburton, Mathurin, and Smith remain firmly in play alongside the big man. However, I want to emphasize just how good Buddy Hield has been this season. Having a 21.5% usage rate as a spot-up shooter is impressive as is, but Hield is doing so much more than prior years on the offensive side of the ball. His 5.7 rebounds per game in the small sample size is a career high, while his shooting has been as good as ever. Sitting third in the NBA with 4.1 three pointers made per game, Hield has shot a ridiculous 44.6% from behind the arc on over nine attempts per contest.
Brooklyn Nets (-8)
It will be a recurring theme this NBA season when discussing the Nets, but there’s a handful of players that interest me on this offense, if that. Both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant dominate many of the looks on the offensive side of the ball, making it hard to look elsewhere. I’m certainly not forcing any exposure to this Nets team, but if you’re stacking this one, I’ll side with Durant. While he got off to a slow start last game, KD poured in 22 of his team’s 54 points in the second half. With the easiest matchup on the Nets, KD makes for an intriguing tournament play once again.
Atlanta Hawks @ Toronto Raptors (-3.5)
Atlanta Hawks (+3.5)
In order to beat Toronto’s defense, you need to be quicker than them both with the ball and off it. Players need to be in movement and the ball needs to be moved around the perimeter to the wings and corners. The Raptors excel at closing out on shooters and have great on-ball defense, making it tough for primary ball handlers to succeed. Rather, it’s the spot-up shooters and primary off-ball options who flourish in this matchup. Cue Dejounte Murray, who provides us with all around ability in this matchup. While his shooting is far from that of Trae Young, the former’s ability to rebound and dish the rock gives him a tremendous ceiling in any matchup.
Toronto Raptors (-3.5)
If you haven’t had a chance to watch Raptors basketball in recent years or this NBA season, please do. Not only are they fun to watch, but Toronto is one of the most feared teams on both sides of the basketball with their polarizing length at every position. Tonight, Pascal Siakam is the one I want to highlight. Leading the team with a 29.8% usage rate, Siakam has quietly posted a phenomenal 25.3/9.2/7.7 scoring line on 48.7% shooting. In a matchup versus the Hawks, Siakam and this Raptors offense will be a problem for their opposition’s defense in the transition game and on the inside. Seeing as though Clint Capela has yet to log over 30 minutes this season, Capela will likely be forced off the court early on in favor of Onyeka Okongwu, who has a defensive rating of 111.7 on the season, giving Siakam a favorable situation.
Honorable Mentions:
- Memphis Grizzlies @ Utah Jazz (+4)
- Houston Rockets @ LA Clippers (-9.5)
You can find me on Twitter @BetsByGhost and in the Win Daily Discord
