ESPN's basketball daily cheat sheet is your pregame destination before you lock in daily fantasy and betting decisions for that night's games. Here you'll find our top insights for the slate, including players to target for your daily fantasy rosters, along with game-by-game injury reports.
What you need to know for Friday
The NBA sends us into the weekend with a nine-game TGIF schedule of NBA Cup Group Play, putting 18 of the 30 teams in action. That gives us plenty of storylines and interesting matchups to dig into.
One featured matchup pits the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Miami Heat. Both squads entered the season with aspirations to contend in the Eastern Conference but got off to slower starts. However, both teams have also shown positive signs of late that things are moving in the right direction, so tonight's matchup could produce some quality performances.
The Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans lock horns for the second time this season. The first produced an instant classic, with the Pelicans winning a 135-134 thriller in overtime that had big stat lines everywhere. What will the rematch hold in store?
Out west, the 8-4 Golden State Warriors travel to face the streaking San Antonio Spurs. This matchup lost some luster when Stephen Curry suffered an abdominal injury on Wednesday, but this also gives current Rookie of the Year favorite Yaxel Lendeborg the opportunity to step even further forward in leading the Warriors. And, of course, Victor Wembanyama gets another opportunity to tack onto his two-game running totals of 72 points, 20 rebounds and 14 blocked shots thus far this week.
Also keep in mind that the NBA Cup gives teams credit for scoring margin as well as wins, so teams are more likely to leave star players in longer, even if the game turns into a blowout.
Let's dig deeper into the matchups to identify some fantasy streamers and betting angles worth considering.
Fantasy stream team
Available in at least 50% of ESPN leagues
Jalen Smith, PF/C, Chicago Bulls (rostered in 34.5% of ESPN leagues)
Smith Is coming off back-to-back impressive performances against two of the best centers in the league. He dropped 17 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots against Joel Embiid and the 76ers on Sunday and followed that up with 23 points and 3 assists against Wembanyama and the Spurs on Wednesday. Tonight, he will try to keep that momentum going against the Atlanta Hawks.
Jared McCain, SG/PG, Oklahoma City Thunder (35.9%)
McCain has been a consistent source of points and 3-pointers this season, particularly since his role increased with all of the the Thunder's injuries. McCain is also a surprising source of rebounds and steals, averaging 4.8 RPG and 1.5 SPG in addition to 17.8 PPG and 2.8 3PG in his last four outings.
De'Anthony Melton, PG/SG, Golden State Warriors (13.3%)
With Curry (abdominal) and Brandon Williams (hamstring) both sidelined, the Warriors will look to Melton to hold more responsibility. In his last two games, Melton has averaged 13.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 4.0APG in 25.5 MPG. This is a solid baseline, but he is also a streaky shooter/scorer that has the potential to go bigger if he gets hot.
Aaron Wiggins, SG/SF, Atlanta Hawks (40.1%)
Wiggins has really settled into his sixth man role for the Hawks, working with CJ McCollum to give them one of the best second units in the NBA. Wiggins has been solid all season, but in his last four games has increased his production even more up to 17.3 PPG, 3.8 3PG and 7.3 combined rebounds and assists in 26.8 MPG.
Dre's best bets for Friday
Bam Adebayo OVER 3.5 assists (-104)
Adebayo has quietly settled into a consistent source of assists for the Heat. He has notched four assists in six of the Heat's 11 games this season, including in four of the last five and each of the last two games. Going back to 2025, Adebayo has averaged 4.8 APG over his past five matchups against this Cavaliers frontline with at least four assists in three of the five contests.
Zion Williamson OVER 21.5 points (-113)
Williamson publicly called out his team to perform earlier this week, and in recent games he has been walking the walk. Williamson has scored 23 or more points in four of his past five games while shooting 59.7% from the field in that span. Included in those five games was his 25-point/11-rebound performance the last time he faced this Grizzlies team earlier this month.
Yaxel Lendeborg OVER 21.5 points (-104)
Lendeborg has been impressive all season, but he has particularly exploded in games when Curry was unavailable. On Wednesday, when Curry left injured after only six minutes, Lendeborg responded with a 25-point, 10-rebound double-double on the road against the Houston Rockets. In the two games Lendeborg has played when Curry didn't start, he has averaged 31.5 PPG on 57.9 FG%.
Projections and Injury Reports
Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook
New York Knicks at Indiana Pacers
7 p.m. ET on Prime Video
Line: Knicks -8.5 (-110) | Pacers +8.5 (-110)
Money line: Knicks -337 | Pacers +271
Total: 219.5 (-107 O, -113 U)
BPI Projection: Knicks by 9.6, straight up 77%, 216.3 total points.
Injury Report:
Knicks: None reported
Pacers: Ben Sheppard (OUT); Johnny Furphy (OUT); Aaron Nesmith (GTD); T.J. McConnell (GTD); Tyrese Haliburton (OUT)
Milwaukee Bucks at Orlando Magic
7 p.m. ET
Line: Bucks +9.5 (-108) | Magic -9.5 (-112)
Money line: Bucks +312 | Magic -395
Total: 223.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Magic by 9.6, straight up 77%, 225.2 total points.
Injury Report:
Bucks: None reported
Magic: Jalen Suggs (GTD); Jamal Cain (GTD); Tristan da Silva (GTD); Jonathan Isaac (OUT); Izaiyah Nelson (OUT); Noah Penda (OUT); Paolo Banchero (OUT)
Cleveland Cavaliers at Miami Heat
8 p.m. ET
Line: Cavaliers +2.5 (-112) | Heat -2.5 (-108)
Money line: Cavaliers +114 | Heat -135
Total: 235.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Cavaliers by 4.6, straight up 64%, 238.5 total points.
Injury Report:
Cavaliers: Evan Mobley (OUT); Sam Merrill (OUT)
Heat: Giannis Antetokounmpo (GTD); Klay Thompson (GTD); Pelle Larsson (GTD)
Atlanta Hawks at Chicago Bulls
8 p.m. ET
Line: Hawks -7.5 (-105) | Bulls +7.5 (-115)
Money line: Hawks -290 | Bulls +236
Total: 245.5 (-111 O, -108 U)
BPI Projection: Hawks by 8.5, straight up 75%, 243.9 total points.
Injury Report:
Hawks: Kingston Flemings (GTD); Henri Veesaar (OFS); Mouhamed Gueye (OUT)
Bulls: Dailyn Swain (GTD); Norman Powell (GTD); Caleb Wilson (OUT)
Memphis Grizzlies at New Orleans Pelicans
8 p.m. ET
Line: Grizzlies -2.5 (-108) | Pelicans +2.5 (-112)
Money line: Grizzlies -135 | Pelicans +114
Total: 237.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Grizzlies by 2.4, straight up 58%, 238.2 total points.
Injury Report:
Grizzlies: Quinten Post (OUT); Zach Edey (OUT); Scotty Pippen Jr. (OUT); Richie Saunders (OUT)
Pelicans: Bennedict Mathurin (GTD); Bryce McGowens (GTD); Trey Murphy III (GTD); Yves Missi (GTD); Trendon Watford (OUT)
Utah Jazz at Houston Rockets
8:30 p.m. ET
Line: Jazz +15.5 (-106) | Rockets -15.5 (-114)
Money line: Jazz +810 | Rockets -1340
Total: 220.5 (-115 O, -105 U)
BPI Projection: Rockets by 15.8, straight up 88%, 224.6 total points.
Injury Report:
Jazz: Lauri Markkanen (OUT); Trey Alexander (OUT); Jusuf Nurkic (OUT); Jaren Jackson Jr. (OUT)
Rockets: Clint Capela (OUT); Steven Adams (OUT); Marcus Smart (OUT)
Golden State Warriors at San Antonio Spurs
9:30 p.m. ET on Prime Video
Line: Warriors +11.5 (-107) | Spurs -11.5 (-113)
Money line: Warriors +487 | Spurs -670
Total: 217.5 (-113 O, -107 U)
BPI Projection: Spurs by 14.6, straight up 87%, 226.3 total points.
Injury Report:
Warriors: Jimmy Butler III (OUT); Kristaps Porzingis (OUT); Charles Bassey (GTD); Brandon Williams (OUT); Moses Moody (OUT); Stephen Curry (OUT)
Spurs: De'Aaron Fox (GTD); Devin Vassell (GTD); Tobias Harris (OUT); Jayden Quaintance (OUT)
Portland Trail Blazers at Sacramento Kings
10 p.m. ET
Line: Blazers -10.5 (-105) | Kings +10.5 (-115)
Money line: Blazers -468 | Kings +361
Total: 228.5 (-113 O, -107 U)
BPI Projection: Blazers by 12, straight up 82%, 229.7 total points.
Injury Report:
Blazers: Vit Krejci (OUT); Shaedon Sharpe (OUT); Chris Youngblood (OUT); Ja Morant (OUT)
Kings: Ben Simmons (OFS); Precious Achiuwa (GTD); Maxime Raynaud (OUT)
Oklahoma City Thunder at LA Clippers
10:30 p.m. ET
Line: Thunder -7.5 (-103) | Clippers +7.5 (-117)
Money line: Thunder -283 | Clippers +231
Total: 222.5 (-105 O, -115 U)
BPI Projection: Thunder by 9.1, straight up 76%, 220.8 total points.
Injury Report:
Thunder: Chet Holmgren (OUT); Cason Wallace (OUT); Jalen Williams (OFS); Ajay Mitchell (GTD); Jaylin Williams (OUT); Thomas Sorber (OUT)
Clippers: Jordan Miller (OUT); Yanic Konan Niederhauser (OUT); Brandon Ingram (OUT); Bradley Beal (OUT)