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The Layup Line: Thursday, January 2nd

  • The Layup Line: Thursday, January 2nd 2025

    By Pedro Oliveira

    Last Updated on January 2, 2025 11:22 am by Keston Paul | Published: January 2, 2025

    Injury Report

    To stay up-to-date on all of the injury news with up-to-the-minute updates, make sure to check out our LIVE Injury Report!

    Indiana Pacers @ Miami Heat

    Game Time: 7:30 pm ET

    BetMGM Lines

    IND +1.5 (+100), MIA -1.5 (-120)
    Game Total 224.5

    Key Storylines

    Keeping with the Pacers forwards: Outside of Pascal Siakam, Obi Toppin came back from a brief injury stint in the loss against the Milwaukee Bucks, where Jarace Walker also chained four consecutive matches with double-digit scoring for the first time in his career.

    This positional battle has been happening all season, so the expectation is for minutes to come and go for both players, but in the midst of a breakout, Jarace Walker could run away with the positional battle if he can keep some kind of consistency on both ends of the court. Keep a close eye into both players if they’re available in your league.

    The Heat ideal starting five comes back: With Terry Rozier’s suspension being served during the win against the Pelicans on Wednesday, and Jimmy Butler coming back on said game after missing five games with multiple issues, Miami will finally have their best starting five available in a while. This also means, streams like Duncan Robinson, Nikola Jovic and Kel’el Ware could see decreased production and/or minutes, but we’ll have to wait an see in order to confirm this situation.

    With the constant rumors of a trade involving Jimmy Butler, anything can happen from now on.

    Stream of the Game

    Andrew Nembhard and Jarace Walker have been as solid as it gets when it comes to streams. I’ll continue to trust them for now.

    Alternatives: Obi Toppin (points, rebounds, steals), Duncan Robinson (points, 3s), Kel’el Ware (points, rebounds, blocks), Nikola Jovic (rebounds, assists, steals).

    The FantasyPass isn’t just for drafts anymore! This year, take your team to the next level with in-season TOOLS like Head-to-Head Matchups and Dynamic Daily/Weekly Projections, SCHEDULE ANALYSIS, PICKUP ADVICE and more… starting at just $7/month!

    Boston Celtics @ Minnesota Timberwolves

    Game Time: 7:30 pm ET

    BetMGM Lines

    BOS -3.5 (-165), MIN +3.5 (+135)
    Game Total 219.5

    Key Storylines


    Want to get access to the rest of this game preview Layup Line article? You’ll need to have an NBA FantasyPass membership. Click here to learn more and sign up!

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    • About the Author
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    Pedro Oliveira
    • The Layup Line: Sunday, April 13th, 2025
    • The Layup Line: Thursday, April 10th, 2025
    • The Layup Line: Tuesday, April 8th, 2025
    Fantasy Basketball StreamersGame PreviewLayup LinenbaNBA FantasyPass Top PostsThe Layup Line
    January 2, 2025, 11:22 am
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