Last Updated on January 8, 2025 12:32 pm by Keston Paul | Published: January 8, 2025

Injury Report

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Oklahoma City Thunder @ Cleveland Cavaliers

Game Time: 07:00 pm ET

DraftKings Lines

OKC +3 (+124) , CLE -3 (-148)
Game Total 229

Key Storylines

Battle of the Titans: Another big matchup for the Thunder on Wednesday after their clash vs. the Celtics on Sunday. Let’s see if the Thunder will tighten up their rotation as they did on Sunday, in which their starters played “playoff-like minutes”, which really boosted Cason Wallace. Both Ajay Mitchell and Alex Caruso remain out, which could incentivize a tight rotation again.

3 All Stars?: The Cavs are on a 70-win pace at the moment and are absolutely flying. Yes, it can be “frustrating” from a fantasy perspective that Kenny Atkinson does not play his starters heavy minutes, but the results are speaking for themselves. It is hard to argue against the Cavs deserving to have three All-Stars in February.

Stream of the Game

The previously mentioned  Cason Wallace is a great option for steals on Wednesday.

Alternatives: Aaron Wiggins. Max Strus, Jaylin Williams and Dean Wade (deeper formats).

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Chicago Bulls @ Indiana Pacers

Game Time:  7:30 pm ET

DraftKings Lines

CHI +5.5 (+180), IND -5.5 (-218)
Game Total 241

Key Storylines

Just Not Enough: Lonzo Ball keeps teasing us with “standard league worthy lines” every so often, but he is just not producing enough to be considered a “must-roster player”. As enticing as it might be to add Ball after a strong performance, fantasy managers need to be aware of that his minutes will remain monitored (at around 24 MPG) at least for the foreseeable future due to his lengthy injury history, which limits Ball’s overall upside. Ball can be streamed in for a boost in assists and steals in standard formats, but I advise against holding Ball for extended stretches hoping for a significant jump in his minutes anytime soon.

Another Borderline Player: Andrew Nembhard is another player that rovers around the zone of a “must-roster player” and a strong streaming option in standard formats at the moment. Nembhard’s usage fluctuates a lot, making it difficult to predict a strong offensive outing from him on a game-to-game basis. Nembhard can also sort of be viewed as a “stash” in stashable formats, as an injury to Tyrese Haliburton would give him a major boost and Haliburton goes into this game listed as questionable.

Stream of the Game

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Gabriel Pérez-Grill

• The Layup Line: Friday April 11th
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