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
Tonight is the second big slate of the season, with 12 games on tap. With this much action, there is a great chance that there will be more fireworks on display across the league like there was Wednesday. The key is to identify which games contain ripe conditions for high volume, and that's where we come in.
One game of interest pits two of the past three NBA champions against one another, as the Boston Celtics host the New York Knicks. Both lost their season openers but have plenty of offensive firepower, which should be on display tonight.
Another game to watch pits this season's "League Pass Team," the Minnesota Timberwolves, against the Orlando Magic. The Anthony Edwards-LaMelo Ball backcourt is must-see TV because on any given night anything could happen. Like the 14 combined 3-pointers they made in their season debut.
Two of the three Texas Triangle teams face off tonight as well, with the San Antonio Spurs hosting the Houston Rockets. The Rockets come in flying high after winning their debut, while the Spurs will look to bounce back from their loss to the rival Oklahoma City Thunder.
There should be action galore, all across the board. Like we always do in this space, let's dig through the matchups to identify some fantasy streamers and betting angles of interest on this first Friday night of the season.
Fantasy stream team
Available in at least 50% of ESPN leagues
Yves Missi, C, New Orleans Pelicans (rostered in 38.4% of ESPN leagues)
Missi had a strong season debut against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, notching a 13-point, 14-rebound double-double with five assists, three blocks and two steals in 30 minutes.
Moussa Diabate, PF/C, Charlotte Hornets (32.0%)
Diabate emerged from the crowded center position in Charlotte and is continuing his strong play from last season. In his debut Wednesday, Diabate dropped 17 points with eight boards and five steals in 34 minutes.
Jonathan Kuminga, PF/SF, Minnesota Timberwolves (36.2%)
Kuminga was solid in his debut with the Timberwolves on Wednesday, grabbing four steals and dishing three assists in addition to scoring 12 points in 30 minutes of action. Kuminga isn't expected to be a big scorer in Minnesota, but if he can contribute defensively like he did on Wednesday he still has fantasy upside.
Keaton Wagler, PG/SG, LA Clippers (19.1%)
Wagler has flown a bit under the radar in this stacked rookie class, but he was arguably the best 3-point shooter of the bunch, and he showed that with three treys in his NBA debut. He rounded out that stat line with 15 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals in 29 minutes and looks like another impact rookie right out of the gates.
Dre's best bets for the day
Paul George 4+ 3-pointers (+129)
George's style of play meshes perfectly with the way the Celtics like to play. They take more 3-pointers than any other team, and he loves to launch them. And when George gets hot, like he did on opening night when he dropped seven treys, it seems like every shot he takes is going in. George is streaky, so some nights his shot will be off, but on this Celtics team George could approach his career-high average of 9.8 3PA per game. This will give him a reasonable shot at four made 3-pointers on a nightly basis.
Anthony Edwards 30+ points (-118)
Edwards dropped 45 points with nine 3-pointers made in his season debut Wednesday. Tonight he will face a Magic defense that, in their season debut, allowed opposing shooting guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker to drop 31 points with five made 3-pointers. Edwards has increased his scoring average every season, up to 28.8 PPG last season. Playing next to an elite point guard for the first time in Ball, there are strong indicators that Edwards could average over 30 PPG this season.
Cooper Flagg 25+ points (-122)
In his debut, against a Rockets team full of elite wing defenders, Flagg dropped 32 points on 17 field-goal attempts. Tonight, he will face a fast-paced Pacers squad that in their season debut combined with the Pelicans for 243 total points. As a rookie, Flagg was tasked to do everything for the Mavericks, often starting at point guard and also crashing the boards. This season, with Kyrie Irving and their big men healthy, the Mavericks are tasking Flagg primarily with putting the ball in the hoop. As such, Flagg is poised for a significant scoring leap as a sophomore.
Alperen Sengun OVER 32.5 points + rebounds + assists (-115)
Sengun played well in his matchups against the Spurs last season. He dropped 25 points, eight rebounds and eight assists (41 PRA) in their first tilt, followed that up with 20 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists (42 PRA) in their second and then notched 18 points, 10 boards and seven assists (35 PRA) in their third. His numbers were down in their fourth meeting, but overall Sengun went over 32.5 PRA in three of his four games against the Spurs last season, and he has a solid chance to do so again Friday.
Ty Jerome 22+ points (-117)
Jerome battled injury last season, his first with the Memphis Grizzlies, and it obscured his ridiculous production rate when he was on the court. Jerome averaged 31.3 points per 36 minutes last season, but only played 22.6 MPG off the bench. This season, Jerome is starting and playing more significant minutes. He dropped 45 points in his season debut, and has a great chance to score at least half that on Friday in a matchup against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors.
Projections and injury reports
Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook
Chicago Bulls at Milwaukee Bucks
4 p.m. ET
Line: Bulls +1.5 (-118) | Bucks -1.5 (-102)
Money line: Bulls -102 | Bucks -118
Total: 239.5 (-112 O, -108 U)
BPI Projection: Bucks by 2.5, straight up 58%, 231.3 total points.
New York Knicks at Boston Celtics
7 p.m. ET on Prime Video
Line: Knicks +2.5 (-112) | Celtics -2.5 (-108)
Money line: Knicks +110 | Celtics -130
Total: 221.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Celtics by 2.2, straight up 57%, 220.3 total points.
Atlanta Hawks at Charlotte Hornets
7 p.m. ET
Line: Hawks -2.5 (-115) | Hornets +2.5 (-105)
Money line: Hawks -148 | Hornets +124
Total: 226.5 (-108 O, -112 U)
BPI Projection: Hawks by 1.1, straight up 54%, 227.3 total points.
Dallas Mavericks at Indiana Pacers
7 p.m. ET
Line: Mavericks +7.5 (-110) | Pacers -7.5 (-110)
Money line: Mavericks +215 | Pacers -265
Total: 240.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Pacers by 5.8, straight up 67%, 229.9 total points.
Minnesota Timberwolves at Orlando Magic
7 p.m. ET
Line: Timberwolves +1.5 (-115) | Magic -1.5 (-105)
Money line: Timberwolves -108 | Magic -112
Total: 234.5 (-108 O, -112 U)
BPI Projection: Timberwolves by 1.9, straight up 56%, 227.3 total points.
Toronto Raptors at Washington Wizards
7 p.m. ET
Line: Raptors -8.5 (-115) | Wizards +8.5 (-105)
Money line: Raptors -325 | Wizards +260
Total: 236.5 (-115 O, -105 U)
BPI Projection: Raptors by 5, straight up 65%, 230.4 total points.
Detroit Pistons at Miami Heat
8 p.m. ET
Line: Pistons -1.5 (-110) | Heat +1.5 (-110)
Money line: Pistons -125 | Heat +105
Total: 235.5 (-108 O, -112 U)
BPI Projection: Pistons by 1.4, straight up 54%, 226.9 total points.
Houston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs
9:30 p.m. ET on Prime Video
Line: Rockets +4.5 (-105) | Spurs -4.5 (-115)
Money line: Rockets +160 | Spurs -192
Total: 224.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Spurs by 7, straight up 71%, 221.4 total points.
New Orleans Pelicans at Utah Jazz
9:30 p.m. ET
Line: Pelicans -1.5 (-102) | Jazz +1.5 (-118)
Money line: Pelicans -112 | Jazz -108
Total: 239.5 (-115 O, -105 U)
BPI Projection: Jazz by 4.6, straight up 64%, 236.7 total points.
Memphis Grizzlies at Golden State Warriors
10 p.m. ET
Line: Grizzlies +4.5 (-108) | Warriors -4.5 (-112)
Money line: Grizzlies +150 | Warriors -180
Total: 237.5 (-105 O, -115 U)
BPI Projection: Warriors by 1.6, straight up 55%, 226.8 total points.
LA Clippers at Los Angeles Lakers
10 p.m. ET
Line: Clippers +9.5 (-115) | Lakers -9.5 (-105)
Money line: Clippers +295 | Lakers -375
Total: 226.5 (-105 O, -115 U)
BPI Projection: Lakers by 8.5, straight up 74%, 225.3 total points.
Portland Trail Blazers at Sacramento Kings
10 p.m. ET
Line: Blazers -10.5 (-108) | Kings +10.5 (-112)
Money line: Blazers -470 | Kings +360
Total: 231.5 (-112 O, -108 U)
BPI Projection: Blazers by 9.4, straight up 76%, 224.3 total points.
