Last Updated on January 19, 2025 12:59 pm by Gabriel Pérez-Grill | Published: January 19, 2025

Injury Report

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San Antonio Spurs @ Miami Heat

Game Time: 03:00 pm ET

DraftKings Lines

SA +3 (+130), MIA -3 (-155)
Game Total: 219

Key Storylines

4.1: Victor Wembanyama is averaging a ridiculous 4.1 blocks per contest. What is even more ridiculous, is that the average goes up to five (!) per game over the last month (14 games). Above four per game, would position Wembanyama inside the top-15 all time for highest average per contest in one season. It has only occurred twice in NBA History that a player has averaged five or more blocks per contest during a season: Mark Eaton averaged 5.6 per game during the 1984-85 season, while Manute Bol posted 5.0 during the 1985-86 season.

33 Minutes: Jimmy Butler logged 33 minutes in his first game back following his suspension, which was about the same amount of minutes other starters such as Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo played in the blowout loss vs. the Nuggets. Butler did seem engaged and was tied with Herro for the most shot attempts on the team. These are all encouraging signs for fantasy managers with Butler on their roster, although does not mean that we won’t see more shenanigans from Butler in the future prior to the trade deadline.

Stream of the Game

Stephon Castle should be rostered by now in standard formats for as long as Jeremy Sochan remains sidelined but if still available is a strong streaming option for points and assists on Sunday.

Alternatives: Nikola Jovic, Duncan Robinson, Julian Champagnie. Kel’el Ware and Harrison Barnes (deeper formats).

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Denver Nuggets @ Orlando Magic

Game Time:  6:00 pm ET

DraftKings Lines

DEN -8 (-325), ORL +8 (+280)
Game Total: 223

Key Storylines

Limited Upside: Aaron Gordon is still ramping up after his return from another calf injury, but played well in “just” 22 minutes of action on Friday. Gordon should not be considered a “must-roster” player in standard formats even when he gets back to full minutes, as his upside is limited. Gordon can be valuable as a streaming option for rebounds and FG%, but just does not do enough in other areas to be held at all costs in standard formats.

Black: Anthony Black has shown flashes of strong play at times, but has just not been able to produce on a consistent basis. Black is worth rostering in deeper formats due to Jalen Suggs being out at the moment. Cole Anthony has clearly outplayed Black though, which will keep Black as a backup, limiting his minutes upside despite Suggs being unavailable.

Stream of the Game

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Gabriel Pérez-Grill

• The Layup Line: Friday April 11th
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