André Snellings
Multiple Authors
ESPN’s fantasy basketball daily cheat sheet is your pregame vacation spot earlier than you set your lineups for that night time’s games. Here you will learn our greatest recommendation for the night time, together with a choice of gamers you possibly can stream in addition to game-by-game harm experiences.
What you have to know for Wednesday’s games
There are solely two games on this hump day, each that includes the highest seed in a convention towards the eighth seed. But the sensation going into tonight’s games may be very totally different within the West vs the East.
In the Western Conference, the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder enter tonight’s recreation as 17.5 level favorites towards the Phoenix Suns after drubbing them by 35 factors in Game 1. Interestingly, these two groups additionally performed one another within the final recreation of the common season, however in that recreation each groups rested their starters and the second unit of the Suns defeated the second unit of the Thunder by 32 factors. Based on this current historical past, the query is whether or not this recreation can have a margin of lower than 30 factors.
Meanwhile, within the East, the top-seeded Detroit Pistons will attempt to salvage a home-split after dropping Game 1 by 11 factors to the eighth-seeded Orlando Magic. The Magic managed the motion from begin to end, outscoring the Pistons in three of the 4 quarters together with each the third and the fourth. Can the Pistons bounce again and ship the collection again to Orlando tied, or can the Magic go dwelling with a dominant 2-0 lead?
These storylines will play out with a bevy of transferring elements and performances that will likely be of curiosity to the betting and DFS neighborhood. Let’s dig a bit deeper and establish some angles and gamers of curiosity for tonight’s motion.
Dre’s Bets for Wednesday
Paolo Banchero over 20.5 factors (-124)
Banchero has confronted the Pistons 4 instances this season, together with playoffs (he missed considered one of their common season matchups). In these 4 games, Banchero has averaged 25.5 PPG with a minimum of 23 factors in all 4. Overall, Banchero has scored a minimum of 23 factors in three of his final 4 games, together with in each postseason contests to this point.
Thunder -17.5 vs. Suns (-110)
The Thunder and Suns have performed one another six instances total this season together with the playoffs. Excluding the matchup on the final day of the common season the place neither crew performed starters, the Thunder have received 4 of the opposite 5 with a median scoring margin of twenty-two.4 factors. The Thunder have been dominant generally since Shai Gilgeous-Alexander returned from harm, and so they completed the season on a very robust observe.
Again, excluding the games on the finish of the season the place they did not play their starters, the Thunder have in any other case received their 5 most up-to-date games by a median of 33.4 PPG with no win by lower than 18 factors with 4 of these wins towards groups that made the postseason.
Top Daily Fantasy Values of the Day
$8,100+ Salaries
Paolo Banchero, PF, Orlando Magic ($8,500)
Banchero has produced nicely towards the Pistons all season, and total has produced greater than 40 fantasy factors in six of his previous eight games.
Cade Cunningham, PG, Detroit Pistons ($9,800)
Cunningham dropped 51.2 fantasy factors in recreation towards the Magic, just like the 57 fantasy factors he dropped towards them of their earlier assembly final month.
$6,100-$8,000 Salaries
Jalen Suggs, PG, Orlando Magic ($6,800)
Suggs has performed nicely towards the Pistons this season. He scored 36 fantasy factors in Game 1, and was much more spectacular with 47.5 fantasy factors of their earlier matchup earlier this month.
$3,500-$6,000 Salaries
Dillon Brooks, SG/SF Phoenix Suns ($5,900)
Brooks scored 30.2 fantasy factors regardless of the Suns getting blown out in Game 1. He dropped greater than 40 fantasy factors in two of the 4 games earlier than that.
Wendell Carter Jr., C, Orlando Magic ($5,700)
Carter was stellar with 39.8 fantasy factors in Game 1, and he has the prospect to capitalize on the identical matchup in Game 2.
Projections and Injury Reports
Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Odds supplied by DraftKings Sportsbook
Orlando Magic at Detroit Pistons
7 p.m. ET on ESPN
Line: Magic +8.5 (-105) | Pistons -8.5 (-115)
Money line: Magic +310 | Pistons -395
Total: 218.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Pistons by 9.1, straight up 76%, 216.7 complete factors.
Injury Report:
Magic: Jonathan Isaac, (OUT – Knee)
Pistons: None reported
Phoenix Suns at Oklahoma City Thunder
9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
Line: Suns +17.5 (-110) | Thunder -17.5 (-110)
Money line: Suns +1100 | Thunder -2100
Total: 216.5 (-108 O, -112 U)
BPI Projection: Thunder by 13.3, straight up 84%, 210.9 complete factors.
Injury Report:
Suns: None reported
Thunder: Thomas Sorber, (OFS – Knee)
