Fantasy basketball picks, DFS and betting tips for Sunday’s NBA games

ESPN’s fantasy basketball daily cheat sheet is your pregame destination before you set your lineups for that night’s games. Here you’ll read our best advice for the night, including a selection of players you can stream as well as game-by-game injury reports.

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Top streamers | Best bets | DFS picks | Odds & Injury report

What you need to know for Sunday’s games

NFL Championship Sunday and NBA action combine to make for one of the better days on the sports calendar. Beyond the gridiron, we have eight basketball games to decipher for betting and fantasy purposes.

Betting indicators aren’t entirely positive, as only two games carry totals of at least 230 points, suggesting a lack of high-scoring contests compared to most slates of this size. Totals help frame offensive expectations for a given game. What helps counter this lack of high-octane matchups is the parity present across today’s totals; most games sit in the 220s, with only the LA Clippers hosting the Brooklyn Nets as a true outlier (just 210.5). Overall, it’s a slate with many paths to value.

Injuries could also prove influential today. The Memphis Grizzlies are missing several starters against a similarly depleted Denver Nuggets roster. The Milwaukee Bucks won’t have Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Phoenix Suns don’t have Devin Booker available. The absence of such high-usage players could create value within each of these rotations.

With an eye toward uncovering productive fantasy streamers and compelling betting angles, let’s take a look at the day ahead in the NBA.

Sunday’s fantasy stream team

Max Christie, SG, Dallas Mavericks (rostered in 18.1% of ESPN leagues): This savvy shooting guard led our endorsement section yesterday and delivered 24 points and five combined assists and rebounds in a competitive loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Having scored at least 21 points in each of his past four games, Christie is suddenly a bankable bucket.

Cam Spencer, SG/PG, Memphis Grizzlies (27.6% rostered): Craft and skill help define Spencer’s game. Empowered as a creator who can shoot from all over the floor, Spencer is peaking as a playmaker in recent games. With Ja Morant sidelined, Spencer is the lead offensive organizer for Memphis.

Brandin Podziemski, SG/PG, Golden State Warriors (37.2%): A versatile combo guard capable of filling the box score in multiple ways, Podziemski is in line for expanded minutes and usage following Jimmy Butler’s knee injury. The coaching staff’s confidence in him as a playmaker was on full display last game when he handed out 10 assists.

Jock Landale, C, Grizzlies (12.3%): Proof that production can surface from all over the league, Landale has been producing big lines in recent outings. The Grizzlies are decimated in the frontcourt, vaulting Landale into an important role as the roll man in the Memphis offense.

McCormick’s favorite bets for Sunday

Julius Randle OVER 28.5 total points and assists (-114)

With Butler sidelined, Golden State loses its best on-ball option to counter Randle. Draymond Green is still an elite defender, but his responsibilities extend beyond matching up with Randle alone. That opens the door for Randle to operate comfortably in his preferred areas, a promising setup given he’s poured in at least 24 points in five straight meetings with this team.

Brandon Williams OVER 12.5 points (-122)

Banking on a role player can prove challenging given the limited nature of this archetype. Then again, Williams’ role is to get buckets. Minutes are the coin of the realm and Williams has an established penchant for maximizing his scoring windows when on the floor. The Mavericks, meanwhile, need his bench scoring on the second leg of a back-to-back.

Top Daily Fantasy values of the day

$8,100+ salaries

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, PG, Oklahoma City Thunder ($10,900): Surpassing value at this price is difficult, but SGA has been cruising past his price point in recent games. Comfortably delivering around 60 point on DraftKings when he plays big minutes, Gilgeous-Alexander might have a narrative case for motivation against his hometown team.

$6,100-$8,000 salaries

Ryan Rollins, PG, Milwaukee Bucks ($7,000): The pricing for Rollins couldn’t keep up with the team’s growing injury report. Now that both Giannis and Kevin Porter Jr. are ruled out, Rollins has the keys to creation for a patchworked Milwaukee offense. Proving capable of such duties earlier in the season, this is a telling moment for Rollins as a potential breakout in a post-Antetokounmpo era.

Naji Marshall, SG/SF, Dallas Mavericks ($6,900): If you haven’t been paying attention to Marshall this season, he has established himself as a steady scoring source for this Dallas team. Lately, we’ve seen Marshall expand his profile to include big rebounding and growing assist results.

$5,500-$6,000 salaries

Grayson Allen, SG/SF, Phoenix Suns ($5,900): The absence of Booker inspires interest in both Allen and Collin Gillespie ($6,300) as backcourt values. Allen could reasonably attempt double-digit 3-pointers in today’s tilt with the fast-paced Miami Heat. Added possessions for efficient, high-volume shooters can be a differentiating factor in fantasy outcomes.

Projections and injury reports

Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook

Sacramento Kings at Detroit Pistons
3 p.m. ET

Line: Kings +13.5 (-105) | Pistons -13.5 (-115)
Money line: Kings +525 | Pistons -750
Total: 225.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Pistons by 12.2, straight up 82%, 229.5 total points.

Injury Report:

Kings: Zach LaVine, (GTD – Back); Keegan Murray, (OUT – Ankle)

Pistons: Cade Cunningham, (GTD – Wrist); Caris LeVert, (GTD – Illness)

Denver Nuggets at Memphis Grizzlies
3:30 p.m. ET

Line: Nuggets +4.5 (-105) | Grizzlies -4.5 (-115)
Money line: Nuggets +160 | Grizzlies -192
Total: 221.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Grizzlies by 5.5, straight up 66%, 233.0 total points.

Injury Report:

Nuggets: Jamal Murray, (GTD – Hamstring); Jonas Valanciunas, (GTD – Calf); Peyton Watson, (GTD – Ankle); Aaron Gordon, (OUT – Hamstring); Cameron Johnson, (OUT – Knee); Christian Braun, (OUT – Ankle); Nikola Jokic, (OUT – Knee); Tamar Bates, (OUT – Foot)

Grizzlies: Santi Aldama, (OUT – Knee); Ty Jerome, (OUT – Calf); , (OUT – Calf); Ja Morant, (OUT – Elbow); Scotty Pippen Jr., (OUT – Toe); Zach Edey, (OUT – Ankle)

Golden State Warriors at Minnesota Timberwolves
5:30 p.m. ET on NBA TV

Line: Warriors +7.5 (-115) | Timberwolves -7.5 (-105)
Money line: Warriors +220 | Timberwolves -270
Total: 235.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Timberwolves by 6, straight up 68%, 233.5 total points.

Injury Report:

Warriors: Stephen Curry, (GTD – Knee); Jonathan Kuminga, (OUT – Knee); Seth Curry, (OUT – Back); Jimmy Butler III, (OFS – Knee)

Timberwolves: Terrence Shannon Jr., (OUT – Foot)

Dallas Mavericks at Milwaukee Bucks
7 p.m. ET

Line: Mavericks +1.5 (-108) | Bucks -1.5 (-112)
Money line: Mavericks -105 | Bucks -115
Total: 219.5 (-115 O, -105 U)
BPI Projection: Mavericks by 0.7, straight up 52%, 228.4 total points.

Injury Report:

Mavericks: Moussa Cisse, (GTD – Illness); Kyrie Irving, (OUT – Knee); Anthony Davis, (OUT – Finger); Dante Exum, (OFS – Knee); Dereck Lively II, (OFS – Foot)

Bucks: AJ Green, (GTD – Illness); Gary Trent Jr., (GTD – Illness); Kevin Porter Jr., (OUT – Oblique); Giannis Antetokounmpo, (OUT – Calf); Taurean Prince, (OUT – Neck)

Toronto Raptors at Oklahoma City Thunder
7 p.m. ET

Line: Raptors +11.5 (-112) | Thunder -11.5 (-108)
Money line: Raptors +410 | Thunder -550
Total: 224.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Thunder by 12.2, straight up 81%, 225.1 total points.

Injury Report:

Raptors: Collin Murray-Boyles, (GTD – Thumb); Immanuel Quickley, (GTD – Ankle); Ja’Kobe Walter, (GTD – Hip); Jakob Poeltl, (OUT – Back); Chucky Hepburn, (OUT – Knee)

Thunder: Aaron Wiggins, (GTD – Hip); Ajay Mitchell, (OUT – Abdomen); Alex Caruso, (OUT – Groin); Isaiah Hartenstein, (OUT – Calf); Jalen Williams, (OUT – Hamstring); Nikola Topic, (OUT – Groin); Thomas Sorber, (OFS – Knee)

New Orleans Pelicans at San Antonio Spurs
7 p.m. ET

Line: Pelicans +11.5 (-108) | Spurs -11.5 (-112)
Money line: Pelicans +425 | Spurs -575
Total: 240.5 (-105 O, -115 U)
BPI Projection: Spurs by 11.1, straight up 79%, 239.3 total points.

Injury Report:

Pelicans: Jose Alvarado, (GTD – Oblique); Dejounte Murray, (OUT – Achilles)

Spurs: David Jones Garcia, (GTD – Undisclosed); Luke Kornet, (GTD – Thigh)

Miami Heat at Phoenix Suns
8 p.m. ET

Line: Heat +4.5 (-112) | Suns -4.5 (-108)
Money line: Heat +142 | Suns -170
Total: 225.5 (-115 O, -105 U)
BPI Projection: Suns by 3.7, straight up 61%, 234.7 total points.

Injury Report:

Heat: Davion Mitchell, (GTD – Shoulder); Kel’el Ware, (OUT – Hamstring); Tyler Herro, (OUT – Ribs); Terry Rozier, (OUT – Not Injury Related)

Suns: Jalen Green, (GTD – Hamstring); Devin Booker, (OUT – Ankle)

Brooklyn Nets at LA Clippers
9 p.m. ET

Line: Nets +8.5 (-108) | Clippers -8.5 (-112)
Money line: Nets +285 | Clippers -360
Total: 210.5 (-112 O, -108 U)
BPI Projection: Clippers by 9.7, straight up 76%, 217.0 total points.

Injury Report:

Nets: Noah Clowney, (GTD – Back); Cam Thomas, (OUT – Ankle); Haywood Highsmith, (OUT – Knee); Nolan Traore, (OUT – Illness)

Clippers: Kawhi Leonard, (GTD – Illness); Bogdan Bogdanovic, (OUT – Hamstring); Derrick Jones Jr., (OUT – Knee); Bradley Beal, (OFS – Hip)