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          Fantasy basketball tips and projections for Friday

          Scotty Pippen Jr. of the Memphis Grizzlies is a deep-league pick. Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images
          • Steve Alexander
          Feb 2, 2024, 04:00 PM

          What you need to know for Friday's games

          Thursday featured four close games and a career-high 51-point game from Tyrese Maxey, who is going to be a fantasy monster with Joel Embiid sidelined indefinitely with a meniscus injury in his knee.

          The Lakers absolutely stunned the Celtics 114-105 in Boston behind 32 points and seven 3-pointers from Austin Reaves. LeBron James (ankle) and Anthony Davis (Achilles) both sat this one out and the Lakers never took a possession off. This was just the third loss at home for the Celtics this season and might be the biggest win of the year for the Lakers.

          The Knicks held off the Pacers behind 40 points from Jalen Brunson, who is also going to go ballistic with Julius Randle (shoulder) sidelined for a few weeks. Jalen Smith led the way for the Pacers with a season-high 20 points, nine boards, two steals and two blocks, while Tyrese Haliburton played just 22 minutes and finished with 15 points and five dimes. The Pacers are going to tread very carefully with him going forward as he recovers from a hamstring injury. Myles Turner was in foul trouble and was very quiet for the Pacers, while Donte DiVincenzo stayed hot for the Knicks with 20 points and another full stat line, including 8-of-26 shooting.

          The Cavaliers held off the Grizzlies 108-101 as Donovan Mitchell and Jaren Jackson Jr. each scored 25 points. Santi Aldama (18 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks, 4 triples) and Vince Williams Jr. (17 points) both played well for Memphis and most of their roster is worth a look at the waiver wire right now. Jarrett Allen went down with a sprained ankle and didn't return to be sure to keep an eye on his status going forward.

          Maxey hit seven 3-pointers but didn't do a lot more in terms of fantasy last night, while Tobias Harris chipped in with 28 points and a fun line, and Kelly Oubre Jr. stayed hot with 16 points. Lauri Markkanen led Utah with 28 points in the 127-124 loss to the Sixers. The Sixers snapped a four-game losing streak with the win.

          Friday features a full slate of 10 games, although there are a lot of rough matchups for some of the league's worst teams. The only marquee game will feature the Pacers at Sacramento, but we do get to see Victor Wembanyama against Zion Williamson and the Pelicans, Jonathan Kuminga against the Grizzlies, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren against the Hornets. Nikola Jokic should have a field day against the Blazers and we'll have to keep an eye on players like Haliburton (hamstring), Marvin Bagley (back), LaMelo Ball (knee) and Immanuel Quickley (quad) to see if they'll play. And just in case you're curious, Ben Simmons is expected to suit up and play for the Nets on Saturday after missing his last game with a knee injury.

          Friday's Stream Team

          Vince Williams Jr., SF, Grizzlies (27.6% rostered in ESPN leagues): Williams is in the running for waiver-wire pickup of the year and has averaged 17.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.7 blocks and 2.7 3-pointers over his past six games. He's shooting 59% from the field over that stretch and has become a must-play fantasy player on any given night.

          Jeremy Sochan, PG/PF, Spurs (23%): Sochan went off for 18 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks and a 3-pointer on Wednesday, but be careful with him. He had just two points on 1-of-7 shooting in his previous game on Monday against Washington and has been up and down like a yo-yo this season..

          Santi Aldama, PF/C, Grizzlies (6.5%): In the ongoing theme of 'pick a Grizzly, any Grizzly,' Aldama is rolling along and had 18 points, nine boards, two blocks and four 3-pointers on Thursday night. He's scored in double figures in five straight games and in seven of his last eight and looks like a very reliable fantasy play right now.

          Jalen Smith, PF/C, Pacers (3.2%): Smith busted loose for a season-high 20 points off the bench on Thursday and while he can't seem to stay healthy and on the court this season, he came through if you rolled the dice on him last night. He also had nine rebounds, two blocks and two 3-pointers and has scored in double figures in six of his last six of his past nine games with three double-doubles and some other near misses. Just make sure he's ready to play in a back-to-back before deploying him on Friday due to his lingering back injury.

          Cam Whitmore, SF, Rockets (5%): Whitmore has scored between 12 and 24 points in five straight games and had a nice January, averaging 13.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.9 3-pointers. Over his past four, he clocks in with 20 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.0 3-pointers. Just beware that he is not a big steals or blocks guy, and is also a shaky free throw shooter (72% in January).

          Scotty Pippen Jr., PG, Grizzlies (0.9%): Pippen is a deep-league special after scoring in double figures in three of his past four games. He's averaged 10.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.5 blocks and 1.5 3-pointers in that span. He's not a lock for a big game against the Warriors tonight, but he's worth a look if you're in a deeper league and looking for a warm body off the waiver wire. In fact, most of the Grizzlies' current roster is worth a look right now, and a bunch of them are sitting on waiver wires based on the fact a lot of NBA fans can't identify most of them.

          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.

          LA Clippers at Detroit Pistons
          7:00 p.m. Little Caesars Arena, Detroit

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

          Injury Report:
          Clippers: Moussa Diabate, (OUT - Hand); Ivica Zubac, (OUT - Calf)
          Pistons: Malcolm Cazalon, (OUT - Ankle); Cade Cunningham, (GTD - Knee); Mike Muscala, (OUT - Head); Isaiah Stewart, (OUT - Ankle)

          Clippers projections:

          • Kawhi Leonard, SF/PF: 46.4 FPTS (24.7 pts, 6.3 reb, 4.1 ast, 2.1 3PM)

          • James Harden, PG/SG: 41.1 FPTS (17.1 pts, 4.9 reb, 8.1 ast, 2.5 3PM)

          • Paul George, SG/SF/PF: 34.2 FPTS (19.8 pts, 3.7 reb, 2.6 ast, 3.0 3PM)

          • Russell Westbrook, PG: 25.3 FPTS (11.7 pts, 4.8 reb, 4.1 ast)

          • Norman Powell, SG/SF: 21.3 FPTS (12.6 pts, 2.3 reb, 1.2 ast, 1.8 3PM)

          • Joshua Primo, SG: 17.4 FPTS (7.6 pts, 2.6 reb, 3.4 ast)

          • Terance Mann, SG/SF: 17.3 FPTS (8.3 pts, 2.9 reb, 1.3 ast)

          Pistons projections:

          Miami Heat at Washington Wizards
          7:00 p.m. Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.

          BPI Projection: Heat in the 10th highest-scoring game of the slate.

          Injury Report:
          Heat: Duncan Robinson, (OUT - Concussion); Dru Smith, (OUT - Knee)
          Wizards: Jordan Poole, (GTD - Illness); Landry Shamet, (GTD - Illness); Marvin Bagley III, (GTD - Back); Isaiah Livers, (OUT - Hip)

          Heat projections:

          Wizards projections:

          Phoenix Suns at Atlanta Hawks
          7:30 p.m. State Farm Arena, Atlanta

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

          Injury Report:
          Suns: Bol Bol, (GTD - Foot); Damion Lee, (OUT - Knee)
          Hawks: De'Andre Hunter, (GTD - Knee); Vit Krejci, (OUT - Shoulder); Mouhamed Gueye, (OUT - Back)

          Suns projections:

          • Devin Booker, PG/SG/PF: 52.4 FPTS (31.2 pts, 5.5 reb, 6.5 ast, 2.2 3PM)

          • Kevin Durant, SF/PF: 48.1 FPTS (27.4 pts, 6.2 reb, 6.3 ast, 1.2 blk)

          • Bradley Beal, PG/SG: 35.6 FPTS (19.9 pts, 4.4 reb, 4.5 ast)

          • Jusuf Nurkic, C: 26.9 FPTS (11.4 pts, 8.2 reb, 3.2 ast)

          • Grayson Allen, SG: 22.7 FPTS (10.0 pts, 3.8 reb, 2.7 ast, 1.9 3PM)

          • Eric Gordon, SG/SF: 22.2 FPTS (11.7 pts, 2.1 reb, 2.0 ast, 2.3 3PM)

          • Drew Eubanks, PF: 17.3 FPTS (8.2 pts, 5.2 reb, 1.2 ast)

          Hawks projections:

          Sacramento Kings at Indiana Pacers
          7:30 p.m. Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis

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

          Injury Report:
          Kings: Sasha Vezenkov, (GTD - Ankle)
          Pacers: Bennedict Mathurin, (GTD - Toe)

          Kings projections:

          • De'Aaron Fox, PG: 43.2 FPTS (26.7 pts, 4.0 reb, 5.2 ast, 2.9 3PM)

          • Domantas Sabonis, PF/C: 41.3 FPTS (18.8 pts, 11.8 reb, 6.9 ast)

          • Keegan Murray, SF/PF: 27.9 FPTS (14.2 pts, 5.5 reb, 1.3 ast, 2.4 3PM)

          • Kevin Huerter, SG/SF: 27.2 FPTS (13.6 pts, 4.6 reb, 1.9 ast, 2.3 3PM)

          • Harrison Barnes, SF/PF: 21.4 FPTS (11.4 pts, 3.1 reb, 1.1 ast)

          • Malik Monk, SG/SF: 20.9 FPTS (10.6 pts, 2.4 reb, 3.7 ast, 1.8 3PM)

          • Trey Lyles, PF: 15.4 FPTS (7.7 pts, 3.9 reb, 1.0 ast)

          Pacers projections:

          Toronto Raptors at Houston Rockets
          8:00 p.m. Toyota Center, Houston

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

          Injury Report:
          Raptors: Immanuel Quickley, (GTD - Quadriceps); Jakob Poeltl, (GTD - Ankle); Jontay Porter, (GTD - Back); RJ Barrett, (GTD - Knee)
          Rockets: Alperen Sengun, (GTD - Illness); Tari Eason, (GTD - Lower Leg); Victor Oladipo, (GTD - Knee)

          Raptors projections:

          Rockets projections:

          Golden State Warriors at Memphis Grizzlies
          8:00 p.m. FedExForum, Memphis

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

          Injury Report:
          Warriors: Draymond Green, (GTD - Knee); Dario Saric, (OUT - Illness); Moses Moody, (OUT - Calf); Gary Payton II, (OUT - Hamstring); Chris Paul, (OUT - Hand)
          Grizzlies: Steven Adams, (OUT - Knee); Derrick Rose, (GTD - Hamstring); Luke Kennard, (GTD - Knee); Xavier Tillman, (GTD - Knee); Ziaire Williams, (GTD - Hand); Jake LaRavia, (OUT - Ankle); Brandon Clarke, (OUT - Achilles); Marcus Smart, (OUT - Finger); Desmond Bane, (OUT - Ankle); Ja Morant, (OUT - Shoulder)

          Warriors projections:

          Grizzlies projections:

          Orlando Magic at Minnesota Timberwolves
          8:00 p.m. Target Center, Minneapolis

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

          Injury Report:
          Magic: Gary Harris, (GTD - Calf)
          Timberwolves: Jaylen Clark, (OUT - Achilles)

          Magic projections:

          Timberwolves projections:

          Charlotte Hornets at Oklahoma City Thunder
          8:00 p.m. Paycom Center, Oklahoma City

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

          Injury Report:
          Hornets: LaMelo Ball, (GTD - Ankle); Gordon Hayward, (OUT - Calf); Mark Williams, (OUT - Back); Kyle Lowry, (OUT - Not Injury Related)
          Thunder: Isaiah Joe, (OUT - Chest); Jalen Williams, (OUT - Ankle)

          Hornets projections:

          Thunder projections:

          New Orleans Pelicans at San Antonio Spurs
          8:00 p.m. Frost Bank Center, San Antonio

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

          Injury Report:
          Pelicans: Herbert Jones, (GTD - Thigh); Larry Nance Jr., (GTD - Ankle); Zion Williamson, (GTD - Foot)
          Spurs: Keldon Johnson, (GTD - Elbow); Zach Collins, (GTD - Ankle); Charles Bassey, (OUT - Knee)

          Pelicans projections:

          Spurs projections:

          Portland Trail Blazers at Denver Nuggets
          9:00 p.m. Ball Arena, Denver

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

          Injury Report:
          Blazers: Shaedon Sharpe, (OUT - Abdomen); Moses Brown, (OUT - Wrist); Robert Williams III, (OUT - Knee)
          Nuggets: Jamal Murray, (GTD - Knee); Julian Strawther, (GTD - Knee); Nikola Jokic, (GTD - Back); Peyton Watson, (GTD - Knee); Vlatko Cancar, (OUT - Knee)

          Blazers projections:

          Nuggets projections: