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          Fantasy basketball tips and projections for Wednesday

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          Ja Morant's return comes with 34 points, winner at the buzzer (1:54)

          Ja Morant shines in his first game back from suspension, dropping 34 points and hitting a game-winning floater at the buzzer for the Grizzlies. (1:54)

          • Steve Alexander
          Dec 20, 2023, 05:25 PM

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          What you need to know for Wednesday's games

          • Ja Morant made a quite a statement in his return to NBA action on Tuesday night when he scored 28 points and the Grizzlies went with "play 12" with nine seconds left in a tie game so that Morant could knife through the Pelicans defense to hit a spinning floater to complete a 24-point comeback for a 115-113 win. Amazing!

          • Giannis Antetokounmpo had an oddly quiet 11-14-16 triple-double and Damian Lillard scored 40 in the win over the Spurs, who were led by Keldon Johnson's 28 points, while Zach Collins returned to form with 22 points, eight rebounds, a steal, two blocks and four 3-pointers with Victor Wembanyama (ankle) watching in street clothes. Hopefully, you had Collins in your DFS lineups with Wemby out.

          • In the buzzkill of the night, Brandin Podziemski left the Warriors game after an awkward fall and did not return. He was holding his back and then limped to the locker room, and I don't like how they never announced what his injury was before ruling him out. Jonathan Kuminga had 17 points, seven rebounds and two steals in 34 minutes and becomes the new hot pickup in Golden State, but the Podz injury is a crushing blow to many fantasy managers. Additionally, Shaedon Sharpe left Portland's game very early with an adductor injury that's been bothering him for some time. Scoot Henderson and Malcolm Brogdon will benefit if Sharpe is going to miss time.

          • Wednesday's 10-game slate features the Heat at Magic, the Wolves at Sixers, the streaking Clippers at Mavericks, and the Celtics at Kings, as the Celtics will play the second game of a back-to-back. Hopefully, Kristaps Porzingis will be back for this one.

          • The Heat welcomed back Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo earlier this week and Jaime Jaquez still played 30 minutes in that game. Hopefully, he keeps it going and continues to get run for Erik Spoelstra. The Wolves are in first place in the West and visit the Sixers, who are in third place in the East. Hopefully, Joel Embiid doesn't duck Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns and company tonight, as it should be a classic.

          • The Clippers will be going for their ninth straight win against Luka Doncic and the Mavericks, who will be without Dereck Lively II (ankle) and Kyrie Irving (foot). Dante Exum and Dwight Powell will get a lot of minutes tonight and don't forget that Luka really doesn't like the Clippers, and usually torches them. The first-place (East) Celtics will have their hands full with the fourth-place (West) Kings and it will be interesting to see if Boston plays all their guys in the back-to-back set after Porzingis (calf) sat out on Tuesday.

          Wednesday's Stream Team

          Tari Eason, SF, Rockets (14.9% rostered in ESPN leagues): The Hawks give it up to everyone and Eason has quietly scored in double figures in five straight games. He's averaged 15.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 1.4 3-pointers over that stretch and has played at least 30 minutes in two straight games. Jabari Parker's minutes are dropping, Eason's are rising under Ime Udoka and simply put, Eason is a must-have player at this point. Go get him.

          Collin Sexton, PG/SG, Jazz (43.3%): With Keyonte George (foot) and Jordan Clarkson (thigh) both out again, Sexton and Talen Horton-Tucker (6.7%) should stay hot. Sexton had 27 points, six assists and three 3-pointers and THT lit up the Nets for 27 points, six assists, two steals and five triples in Monday's win. They are both very strong DFS plays.

          Isaiah Hartenstein, PF/C, Knicks (9.7%): Hartenstein has quietly played at least 27 minutes in six straight games and has played at least 30 minutes in his last three. He played a season-high 39 minutes against the Lakers on Monday and had nine points, 17 rebounds, two steals and two blocks, and has averaged 8.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 2.2 blocks over his last six. He'll face a true center in the form of Nic Claxton tonight and I don't see how Tom Thibodeau turns away from him after he played so well against the Lakers.

          Bennedict Mathurin, SG/SF, Pacers (15.7%): Mathurin blew up for a career-high 34 points with six rebounds, a steal and three 3-pointers against the Clippers on Monday, but the Pacers are reeling, losing five of their last six games since losing to the Lakers in the In-Season Tournament Final. Mathurin scored just six points against the Timberwolves on Saturday, but has scored in double figures in five of his last six games. I think he stays hot against the defenseless Hornets on Wednesday and has another big game. The Pacers need him to come through in order to snap their four-game losing streak.

          Goga Bitadze, C, Magic (8.8%): Bitadze is not for everyone, especially if you're looking for scoring, but he's been a shot-blocking machine for the Magic. He's racked up 11 blocks over his last four games and has averaged 8.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in December. Those numbers jump up to 11.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks over his last four games, he's getting 25-plus minutes per night and should have plenty of opportunities against Bam Adebayo and the Heat tonight.

          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.

          Utah Jazz at Cleveland Cavaliers
          7:00 p Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland

          BPI Projection: Cavaliers by 6.6 in the 5th highest-scoring game of the slate.

          Injury Report:
          Jazz: Keyonte George, (OUT - Foot); Omer Yurtseven, (OUT - Illness); Jordan Clarkson, (OUT - Thigh)
          Cavaliers: Darius Garland, (OUT - Jaw); Ricky Rubio, (OUT - Personal); Evan Mobley, (OUT - Knee); Ty Jerome, (OUT - Ankle)

          Jazz projections:

          Cavaliers projections:

          • Donovan Mitchell, PG/SG: 50.2 FPTS (29.3 pts, 5.7 reb, 5.6 ast, 3.2 3PM)

          • Max Strus, SG/SF: 29.3 FPTS (13.2 pts, 5.5 reb, 3.3 ast, 2.7 3PM)

          • Jarrett Allen, C: 26.7 FPTS (12.1 pts, 9.0 reb, 2.2 ast)

          • Caris LeVert, SG/SF: 25.9 FPTS (13.7 pts, 3.3 reb, 3.2 ast)

          • Isaac Okoro, SG/SF: 18.3 FPTS (8.7 pts, 3.9 reb, 1.3 ast)

          • Dean Wade, PF: 15.7 FPTS (5.4 pts, 4.8 reb, 1.0 ast)

          • Georges Niang, PF: 15.2 FPTS (7.2 pts, 3.4 reb, 1.2 ast)

          Charlotte Hornets at Indiana Pacers
          7:00 p Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis

          BPI Projection: Pacers by 9.8 in the highest-scoring game of the slate.

          Injury Report:
          Hornets: Gordon Hayward, (GTD - Illness); Mark Williams, (GTD - Back); Frank Ntilikina, (OUT - Lower Leg); Cody Martin, (OUT - Knee); LaMelo Ball, (OUT - Ankle)
          Pacers: Jalen Smith, (GTD - Heel); Myles Turner, (GTD - Hamstring); Andrew Nembhard, (OUT - Knee)

          Hornets projections:

          Pacers projections:

          Miami Heat at Orlando Magic
          7:00 p Amway Center, Orlando

          BPI Projection: Magic by 1.3 in the 10th highest-scoring game of the slate.

          Injury Report:
          Heat: Dru Smith, (OUT - Knee); Jimmy Butler, (OUT - Calf); Kevin Love, (OUT - Illness)
          Magic: Joe Ingles, (GTD - Ankle); Markelle Fultz, (OUT - Knee)

          Heat projections:

          Magic projections:

          Minnesota Timberwolves at Philadelphia 76ers
          7:00 p Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia

          BPI Projection: 76ers by 5.9 in the 8th highest-scoring game of the slate.

          Injury Report:
          Timberwolves: Jaylen Clark, (OUT - Achilles)
          76ers: Marcus Morris Sr., (GTD - Illness); Robert Covington, (GTD - Illness); Nicolas Batum, (OUT - Hamstring)

          Timberwolves projections:

          76ers projections:

          New York Knicks at Brooklyn Nets
          7:30 p Barclays Center, New York

          BPI Projection: Nets by 2.3 in the 7th highest-scoring game of the slate.

          Injury Report:
          Knicks: Mitchell Robinson, (OUT - Ankle); Jericho Sims, (GTD - Ankle)
          Nets: Ben Simmons, (OUT - Back); Dennis Smith Jr., (OUT - Back); Lonnie Walker IV, (OUT - Hamstring)

          Knicks projections:

          Nets projections:

          Denver Nuggets at Toronto Raptors
          7:30 p Scotiabank Arena, Toronto

          BPI Projection: Nuggets by 1.2 in the 9th highest-scoring game of the slate.

          Injury Report:
          Nuggets: Vlatko Cancar, (OUT - Knee); Jay Huff, (OUT - Ankle); Aaron Gordon, (GTD - Heel)
          Raptors: Christian Koloko, (OUT - Illness)

          Nuggets projections:

          Raptors projections:

          Los Angeles Lakers at Chicago Bulls
          8:00 p United Center, Chicago

          BPI Projection: Bulls by 2.9 in the 6th highest-scoring game of the slate.

          Injury Report:
          Lakers: Anthony Davis, (GTD - Ankle); Gabe Vincent, (GTD - Knee); Jarred Vanderbilt, (GTD - Heel); Jalen Hood-Schifino, (OUT - Back); LeBron James, (OUT - Calf)
          Bulls: Torrey Craig, (OUT - Heel); Lonzo Ball, (OUT - Knee); Alex Caruso, (GTD - Ankle); Patrick Williams, (GTD - Calf); Onuralp Bitim, (OUT - Nose); Zach LaVine, (OUT - Foot)

          Lakers projections:

          Bulls projections:

          Atlanta Hawks at Houston Rockets
          8:00 p Toyota Center, Houston

          BPI Projection: Hawks by 0.9 in the 4th highest-scoring game of the slate.

          Injury Report:
          Hawks: Kobe Bufkin, (OUT - Thumb); Bogdan Bogdanovic, (GTD - Ankle); AJ Griffin, (OUT - Personal); Mouhamed Gueye, (OUT - Back); Jalen Johnson, (OUT - Wrist)
          Rockets: Amen Thompson, (GTD - Illness); Jae'Sean Tate, (GTD - Illness); Victor Oladipo, (OUT - Knee)

          Hawks projections:

          Rockets projections:

          LA Clippers at Dallas Mavericks
          8:30 p American Airlines Center, Dallas

          BPI Projection: Clippers by 3.8 in the 2nd highest-scoring game of the slate.

          Injury Report:
          Clippers: Mason Plumlee, (OUT - Knee); Bones Hyland, (GTD - Knee); Paul George, (GTD - Illness); Moussa Diabate, (OUT - Hip)
          Mavericks: Dereck Lively II, (OUT - Ankle); Josh Green, (OUT - Elbow); Kyrie Irving, (OUT - Heel); Maxi Kleber, (OUT - Toe)

          Clippers projections:

          • Kawhi Leonard, SF/PF: 45.7 FPTS (26.4 pts, 5.9 reb, 3.6 ast, 2.2 3PM)

          • Paul George, SG/SF/PF: 41.7 FPTS (21.8 pts, 5.5 reb, 4.0 ast, 2.9 3PM)

          • James Harden, PG/SG: 39.0 FPTS (15.4 pts, 5.1 reb, 7.1 ast, 2.1 3PM)

          • Ivica Zubac, C: 28.5 FPTS (12.9 pts, 10.5 reb, 1.2 ast, 1.4 blk)

          • Russell Westbrook, PG: 20.9 FPTS (9.6 pts, 4.0 reb, 3.1 ast)

          • Norman Powell, SG/SF: 19.6 FPTS (11.6 pts, 2.0 reb, 1.2 ast)

          • Terance Mann, SG/SF: 18.0 FPTS (7.1 pts, 3.7 reb, 1.7 ast)

          Mavericks projections:

          Boston Celtics at Sacramento Kings
          10:00 p Golden 1 Center, Sacramento

          BPI Projection: Celtics by 0.8 in the 3rd highest-scoring game of the slate.

          Injury Report:
          Celtics: Kristaps Porzingis, (GTD - Calf); Luke Kornet, (OUT - Thigh)
          Kings: Alex Len, (OUT - Ankle)

          Celtics projections:

          • Jayson Tatum, SF/PF: 46.7 FPTS (27.4 pts, 8.5 reb, 4.7 ast, 3.1 3PM)

          • Jaylen Brown, SG/SF: 35.8 FPTS (21.2 pts, 4.4 reb, 3.4 ast, 2.4 3PM)

          • Jrue Holiday, PG/SG: 30.9 FPTS (13.6 pts, 6.5 reb, 4.5 ast)

          • Derrick White, PG/SG: 29.5 FPTS (12.6 pts, 3.8 reb, 5.1 ast, 2.0 3PM)

          • Kristaps Porzingis, PF/C: 23.5 FPTS (13.1 pts, 5.3 reb, 1.5 ast, 1.2 blk)

          • Al Horford, PF/C: 17.2 FPTS (5.0 pts, 6.3 reb, 1.8 ast)

          • Sam Hauser, SF: 15.2 FPTS (6.3 pts, 3.7 reb, 0.9 ast, 1.8 3PM)

          Kings projections: