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          Fantasy basketball tips and projections for Friday

          Cameron Payne should start Friday night with Tyrese Maxey out, meaning plenty of opportunity for fantasy managers to take advantage. Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images
          • Steve Alexander
          Mar 8, 2024, 04:00 PM

          Injury news rocked the NBA again on Thursday as it was announced that Karl-Anthony Towns would miss the rest of the regular season due to a torn meniscus in his left knee and that Victor Wembanyama would be out the rest of the week with a sprained ankle. Add in Jalen Johnson's sprained ankle and this has not been a fun week to be a fantasy basketball manager.

          But with every bit of bad news, there's usually some good news to go along with it, which is where we will focus looking ahead to Friday's eight-game slate. Two teams heavily impacted by injuries will face each other on ESPN tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The late primetime game on ESPN will feature Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks visiting the Los Angeles Lakers.

          Naz Reid appears to be the fill-in fantasy managers will want to target for the loss of Towns. Reid had 13 points, eight rebounds, a steal and a block in a tough win against the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night. Also it's safe to expect Anthony Edwards to go nuts the rest of the season. He returned from an early trip to the locker room to finish with 44 points and the win. Edwards is a warrior who refuses to let anything stand in his way of providing a nightly show in the NBA. He should get a draft-day boost in future fantasy leagues simply because he refuses to miss games.

          The Cavaliers will be without Donovan Mitchell (ankle) and Evan Mobley (ankle) once again so we can look for Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen to step up, with guys like Isaac Okoro and Dean Wade potentially worth a look. I don't really trust any of the Cleveland fill-ins to get it done on a nightly basis, but Okoro and Wade are two of the safer bets if you're willing to roll the dice on them tonight.

          The New Orleans Pelicans will visit the Philadelphia 76ers as Trey Murphy III looks to keep it going for New Orleans. He has averaged 31 points and 8.0 3-pointers over his past two games, knocking down 10 3-pointers on Tuesday night. Paul Reed will once again be filling in for Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey (concussion) has already been ruled out for this one. Cameron Payne should start for Maxey after racking up 16 points and a fun stat line on Wednesday, and Kelly Oubre Jr. will look to stay hot after scoring between 21 and 30 points in each of his past three games. Reed was also solid on Wednesday with 17 points, 11 rebounds, a steal and three blocks.

          Other injury replacements to consider include Charlotte's Tre Mann (who is questionable with a groin injury) and Vasilije Micic, Saddiq Bey and De'Andre Hunter, anyone on the Memphis Grizzlies and Duop Reath and Dalano Banton for the Trail Blazers.

          Friday's Stream Team

          Vasilije Micic, PG/SG, Charlotte Hornets (1.6% rostered in ESPN leagues)

          While many NBA fans haven't even heard of Micic, it's time to take notice of what he's doing in Charlotte. With Mann listed as questionable, Micic could have a special night after averaging 15.3 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 5.7 APG, 2.0 SPG and 0.7 3-pointers in 31 MPG over his past three games. He will be in my DFS lineups, if nothing else, with a nice matchup against the Washington Wizards.

          Naz Reid, PF/C, Minnesota Timberwolves (38.9%)

          Reid may not be available in a lot of competitive leagues, but his rostership number should be a lot higher with KAT done for the regular season. Reid has averaged 14.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 1.0 BPG and 1.8 3PM over his past six games and should only get better as the season winds down. He should also fare well on Friday night facing an 76ers team without Joel Embiid.

          Cameron Payne, PG, Philadelphia 76ers (2.1%)

          Payne should draw another start on Friday night with Maxey out. He has played well over his past six outings. and has averaged 15.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG 2.5 APG, 1.0 SPG and 2.5 3PM in 25.5 MPG over his past two games with seven assists against the Hornets last Friday. Additionally, Kelly Oubre Jr. (50%) is worth a look everywhere, averaging 25.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 3.0 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.7 BPG and 1.7 3PM over his past three games. Both players should fare well, even against the defensive-minded Pelicans.

          Saddiq Bey, SF/PF, Atlanta Hawks (25.8%)

          Johnson has been ruled out for Friday and I suspect he will miss at least a couple more games with an ankle injury. Bey had 23 points, eight rebounds, a steal, a block and three 3-pointers against the Cavaliers on Wednesday, while De'Andre Hunter (15.1%) added 17 points, three rebounds, two assists, a steal and two 3-pointers in 26 minutes off the bench. Bey has been hot even with a healthy Johnson, averaging 21.0 PPG, 6.7 RPG and 2.0 3PM over his past three games. Both players should see a nice workload against the Grizzlies.

          Duop Reath, C, Portland Trail Blazers (4.1%)

          Reath gets a matchup against Kelly Olynyk and the Toronto Raptors tonight and will look to stay hot. He has averaged 18.0 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 1.0 SPG, 1.5 BPG and 2.0 3PM in 29.3 minutes over his past four games. Just make sure Deandre Ayton (hand) doesn't make a surprise appearance for the Blazers, but I don't think that will happen.

          Projections and injury reports

          Fantasy projections powered by ESPN Analytics. * Projections assume all players who are listed as GTD will play. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Players available in at least 50% of ESPN leagues are listed in italics.

          New Orleans Pelicans at Philadelphia 76ers
          7 p.m. Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia

          BPI Projection: Pelicans in the 3rd highest-scoring game of the slate.

          Injury Report:
          Pelicans: Dyson Daniels, (OUT - Knee)
          76ers: Tyrese Maxey, (OUT - Concussion); Robert Covington, (OUT - Knee); De'Anthony Melton, (OUT - Back); Joel Embiid, (OUT - Knee)

          Pelicans projections:

          76ers projections:

          • Tobias Harris, SF/PF: 39.2 FPTS (20.5 pts, 6.3 reb, 3.5 ast)

          • Kelly Oubre Jr., SF/PF: 28.5 FPTS (16.5 pts, 4.9 reb, 1.5 ast)

          • Buddy Hield, SG/SF: 27.4 FPTS (11.0 pts, 3.4 reb, 3.9 ast, 2.6 3PM)

          • Kyle Lowry, PG: 20.3 FPTS (6.2 pts, 3.3 reb, 3.9 ast)

          • Paul Reed, PF/C: 19.8 FPTS (8.6 pts, 7.1 reb, 1.3 ast, 1.3 blk)

          • Cameron Payne, PG: 18.1 FPTS (8.3 pts, 2.2 reb, 2.8 ast)

          • Nicolas Batum, SG/SF: 16.1 FPTS (4.4 pts, 4.7 reb, 1.7 ast)

          Charlotte Hornets at Washington Wizards
          7 p.m. Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.

          BPI Projection: Wizards in the 2nd highest-scoring game of the slate.

          Injury Report:
          Hornets: Tre Mann, (GTD - Groin); LaMelo Ball, (OUT - Ankle); Cody Martin, (OUT - Ankle); Mark Williams, (OUT - Back); Seth Curry, (OUT - Ankle)
          Wizards: Landry Shamet, (GTD - Calf); Patrick Baldwin Jr., (GTD - Back); Marvin Bagley III, (OUT - Back); Isaiah Livers, (OUT - Hip)

          Hornets projections:

          Wizards projections:

          • Kyle Kuzma, SF/PF: 45.0 FPTS (26.1 pts, 7.1 reb, 4.6 ast, 2.5 3PM)

          • Deni Avdija, SF/PF: 36.3 FPTS (19.5 pts, 8.5 reb, 4.0 ast)

          • Tyus Jones, PG: 33.5 FPTS (14.6 pts, 2.9 reb, 6.2 ast)

          • Jordan Poole, PG/SG: 30.0 FPTS (16.7 pts, 2.7 reb, 4.1 ast, 2.2 3PM)

          • Corey Kispert, SG/SF: 26.1 FPTS (14.4 pts, 3.2 reb, 2.2 ast, 2.3 3PM)

          • Bilal Coulibaly, SG: 19.5 FPTS (9.9 pts, 4.0 reb, 1.6 ast)

          • Landry Shamet, SG: 14.5 FPTS (8.6 pts, 1.7 reb, 1.1 ast)

          Minnesota Timberwolves at Cleveland Cavaliers
          7:30 p.m. Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland

          BPI Projection: Timberwolves in the 8th highest-scoring game of the slate.

          Injury Report:
          Timberwolves: Monte Morris, (GTD - Hamstring); Jaylen Clark, (OUT - Achilles); Karl-Anthony Towns, (OUT - Knee)
          Cavaliers: Donovan Mitchell, (OUT - Knee); Max Strus, (OUT - Knee); Tristan Thompson, (OUT - Suspension); Evan Mobley, (OUT - Ankle); Ty Jerome, (OUT - Ankle)

          Timberwolves projections:

          Cavaliers projections:

          • Jarrett Allen, C: 38.0 FPTS (18.0 pts, 11.4 reb, 2.8 ast, 1.2 blk)

          • Darius Garland, PG: 37.5 FPTS (22.1 pts, 2.6 reb, 6.6 ast, 2.4 3PM)

          • Caris LeVert, SG/SF: 35.0 FPTS (16.2 pts, 4.7 reb, 5.7 ast, 1.9 3PM)

          • Isaac Okoro, SG/SF: 24.4 FPTS (13.2 pts, 3.6 reb, 2.1 ast)

          • Georges Niang, PF: 20.6 FPTS (11.0 pts, 4.1 reb, 1.1 ast, 2.0 3PM)

          • Sam Merrill, SG: 18.8 FPTS (9.5 pts, 2.8 reb, 1.3 ast, 2.6 3PM)

          • Dean Wade, PF: 14.5 FPTS (5.7 pts, 3.7 reb, 1.2 ast)

          Orlando Magic at New York Knicks
          7:30 p.m. Madison Square Garden, New York

          BPI Projection: Knicks in the 4th highest-scoring game of the slate.

          Injury Report:
          Magic: Wendell Carter Jr., (GTD - Knee)
          Knicks: Jalen Brunson, (GTD - Knee); OG Anunoby, (OUT - Elbow); Julius Randle, (OUT - Shoulder); Mitchell Robinson, (OUT - Ankle)

          Magic projections:

          Knicks projections:

          Atlanta Hawks at Memphis Grizzlies
          8 p.m. FedExForum, Memphis

          BPI Projection: Hawks in the 6th highest-scoring game of the slate.

          Injury Report:
          Hawks: Jalen Johnson, (OUT - Ankle); Seth Lundy, (OUT - Back); Kobe Bufkin, (OUT - Toe); Onyeka Okongwu, (OUT - Toe); Trae Young, (OUT - Finger)
          Grizzlies: GG Jackson, (GTD - Knee); Luke Kennard, (GTD - Knee); Yuta Watanabe, (OUT - Wrist); Brandon Clarke, (OUT - Achilles); Scotty Pippen Jr., (OUT - Back); Desmond Bane, (OUT - Ankle); Marcus Smart, (OUT - Finger); Derrick Rose, (OUT - Groin); Ziaire Williams, (OUT - Hip); Ja Morant, (OUT - Shoulder)

          Hawks projections:

          Grizzlies projections:

          Miami Heat at Oklahoma City Thunder
          8 p.m. Paycom Center, Oklahoma City

          BPI Projection: Thunder in the 5th highest-scoring game of the slate.

          Injury Report:
          Heat: Kevin Love, (OUT - Heel); Tyler Herro, (OUT - Knee); Josh Richardson, (OUT - Shoulder)
          Thunder: None reported

          Heat projections:

          Thunder projections:

          Milwaukee Bucks at Los Angeles Lakers
          10 p.m. Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles

          BPI Projection: Lakers in the highest-scoring game of the slate.

          Injury Report:
          Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo, (GTD - Achilles); Khris Middleton, (OUT - Ankle)
          Lakers: Anthony Davis, (GTD - Achilles); Cam Reddish, (GTD - Ankle); LeBron James, (GTD - Ankle); Christian Wood, (OUT - Knee); Jarred Vanderbilt, (OUT - Foot); Gabe Vincent, (OUT - Knee); Colin Castleton, (OUT - Wrist)

          Bucks projections:

          Lakers projections:

          Houston Rockets at Portland Trail Blazers
          10 p.m. Moda Center, Portland

          BPI Projection: Rockets in the 7th highest-scoring game of the slate.

          Injury Report:
          Rockets: Jeff Green, (GTD - Knee); Steven Adams, (OUT - Knee); Tari Eason, (OUT - Lower Leg)
          Blazers: Deandre Ayton, (GTD - Hand); Jabari Walker, (GTD - Hip); Jerami Grant, (GTD - Hamstring); Toumani Camara, (GTD - Illness); Scoot Henderson, (OUT - Thigh); Malcolm Brogdon, (OUT - Elbow); Shaedon Sharpe, (OUT - Abdomen); Robert Williams III, (OUT - Knee)

          Rockets projections:

          Blazers projections: