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          Fantasy basketball tips and projections for Friday

          Jae Crowder is widely available and is line to have a solid game Friday night. AP Photo/Aaron Gash
          • Steve Alexander
          Feb 9, 2024, 08:40 PM

          ESPN's fantasy basketball and basketball betting tips cheat sheet is your pregame destination for basketball betting predictions and our best intel and data, featuring ESPN's proprietary Basketball Power Index (BPI) to help you make smart fantasy and wagering decisions. Fantasy advice is based on ESPN 10-team leagues.

          New this season, ESPN Analytics will also generate daily NBA fantasy projections. By combining historical player and team data and specific game factors ESPN is able to accurately predict player box score stats. Accounting for injuries, trends in playing time, and other factors impacting future performance the statistical models can be used to help NBA fantasy players gain an edge in their league.

          What you need to know for Friday's games

          Everything you need to know from all of Thursday's trade deadline deals can be found right here and New York's Josh Hart came through with a massive triple-double against the Mavericks with Jalen Brunson sitting out with a sprained ankle. Make sure he's not on your waiver wire.

          Looking ahead to Friday, most of the traded players will struggle to make it into action before tonight's games tip off, but there are still plenty of streaming options out there.

          Tonight's slate features six games, including the Hawks visiting the injured Sixers in Philly, the Wizards entering the danger zone in Boston, the Bucks hosting the one-man wrecking crew, Brandon Miller, the Nuggets in a tough road contest in Sacramento, and the Pelicans at Lakers as the lone 10:30 p.m. game on Friday night.

          All of the totals in this slate are similar, but the Hawks at Sixers takes the cake with a 242.5 over/under, while the others come in just shy, between 232.5 and 238.5. The Hawks give it up to opposing players on most nights, so I suspect Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris will be popular plays, while Onyeka Okongwu should have some free reign against struggling Paul Reed and company.

          Friday's Stream Team

          This segment nominates three key streaming options ahead of that day's action. A streamer, by our standards, is a player available in at least half of ESPN men's basketball leagues.

          Onyeka Okongwu, PF/C, Hawks (52.5% rostered in ESPN leagues): The Hawks exited the trade deadline without doing much of anything, which means that Dejounte Murray and Clint Capela are still around to hurt Trae Young and Okongwu in terms of fantasy value. However, Capela is going to be out for several more games due to his left adductor strain, and Okongwu has been rolling. In his four February games, Okongwu has averages of 18.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.5 3-pointers, while shooting a cool 73.2% from the floor, 60% from downtown and 100% from the free-throw line. Simply put, he should be rostered and deployed everywhere until Capela returns.

          Kelly Oubre, SF/PF, Sixers (49.3% rostered): The arrival of Buddy Hield in Philly will stifle Oubre, but we're not sure Hield can get cleared in time to suit up for this one. That should mean at least one more big line from Oubre, and he might be motivated to prove a point. He has hit double-figures in scoring in seven straight and has averaged 15.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.0 steals, 1.0 blocks and 1.5 3-pointers over his four February games, but his shooting has been suspect, clocking in at just 35% over that stretch. He should have a solid outing against the sieve-like defense of the Hawks tonight.

          Paul Reed, PF/C, Sixers (7.4%): Reed has been a disaster on most nights and has been dealing with an illness, but that could all change quickly. He should be back to full health and gets the Hawks, who gave up 73 points to Luka Doncic two weeks ago, 60 points to Stephen Curry last Saturday and 31 to Kristaps Porzingis on Wednesday. Reed has averaged just 4.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in his four February games, but there is still that lingering 30-point, 13-rebound game against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets on Jan 27. If there was ever a matchup for him to get back on track in, it's this one. But I still don't fully trust him.

          Amen Thompson, SF, Rockets (16.6%): This Thompson Twin has been fun recently, as he has averaged 13.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.3 blocks while shooting nearly 58% from the floor (but just 50% from the free-throw line) over his last three games. If you're in a free throws battle in your matchup, he might not be your best option. But the rest of his game is coming around nicely.

          Jae Crowder, SF/PF, Bucks (7.4%): Crowder went off to the tune of 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists, a steal and four 3-pointers on 7-of-11 shooting against the Wolves on Thursday. He has played well in three straight games and gets the hapless Hornets on Friday night. They're basically fielding a G-League defensive unit at this point and Crowder should be able to get loose for another big line tonight, especially with Khris Middleton (ankle) being on crutches the last time we saw him.

          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.

          Atlanta Hawks at Philadelphia 76ers
          7 p.m. Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia

          BPI Projection: 76ers in the highest-scoring game of the slate.

          Injury Report:
          Hawks: De'Andre Hunter, (GTD - Knee); Dejounte Murray, (GTD - Back); Patty Mills, (GTD - Illness); Mouhamed Gueye, (OUT - Back); Clint Capela, (OUT - Thigh)
          76ers: Tyrese Maxey, (GTD - Illness); Buddy Hield, (OUT - Not Injury Related); Cameron Payne, (OUT - Not Injury Related); De'Anthony Melton, (OUT - Back); Nicolas Batum, (OUT - Hamstring); Robert Covington, (OUT - Knee); Joel Embiid, (OUT - Knee)

          Hawks projections:

          76ers projections:

          • Tyrese Maxey, PG/SG: 49.7 FPTS (29.0 pts, 3.6 reb, 6.3 ast, 3.3 3PM)

          • Tobias Harris, SF/PF: 42.4 FPTS (22.3 pts, 6.4 reb, 4.1 ast)

          • Kelly Oubre Jr., SF/PF: 33.8 FPTS (20.0 pts, 5.4 reb, 1.1 ast, 1.9 3PM)

          • Paul Reed, PF/C: 28.7 FPTS (13.9 pts, 8.6 reb, 1.4 ast, 1.4 blk)

          • Mo Bamba, C: 19.4 FPTS (8.7 pts, 6.9 reb, 0.9 ast, 1.9 blk)

          • KJ Martin, SF: 12.6 FPTS (6.8 pts, 2.0 reb, 0.9 ast)

          • Kenneth Lofton Jr., PF: 6.2 FPTS (4.1 pts, 1.2 reb, 0.4 ast)

          Washington Wizards at Boston Celtics
          7:30 p.m. TD Garden, Boston

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

          Injury Report:
          Wizards: Daniel Gafford, (NA - Not Injury Related); Isaiah Livers, (OUT - Hip); Marvin Bagley III, (OUT - Back); Patrick Baldwin Jr., (OUT - Ankle)
          Celtics: Jaden Springer, (GTD - Not Injury Related); Jayson Tatum, (GTD - Illness); Xavier Tillman, (OUT - Knee)

          Wizards projections:

          • Kyle Kuzma, SF/PF: 42.3 FPTS (25.4 pts, 7.2 reb, 4.6 ast, 2.5 3PM)

          • Jordan Poole, PG/SG: 29.8 FPTS (17.2 pts, 2.6 reb, 4.1 ast, 2.1 3PM)

          • Deni Avdija, SF/PF: 29.4 FPTS (14.6 pts, 7.1 reb, 3.7 ast)

          • Tyus Jones, PG: 28.4 FPTS (12.1 pts, 3.0 reb, 5.2 ast)

          • Corey Kispert, SG/SF: 20.2 FPTS (11.6 pts, 2.6 reb, 1.6 ast, 2.0 3PM)

          • Bilal Coulibaly, SG: 17.7 FPTS (8.5 pts, 4.1 reb, 1.6 ast)

          • Landry Shamet, SG: 12.0 FPTS (6.7 pts, 1.4 reb, 1.2 ast)

          Celtics projections:

          • Jayson Tatum, SF/PF: 46.7 FPTS (27.2 pts, 8.1 reb, 4.6 ast, 3.2 3PM)

          • Jaylen Brown, SG/SF: 35.8 FPTS (21.4 pts, 5.1 reb, 3.6 ast, 2.3 3PM)

          • Kristaps Porzingis, PF/C: 31.1 FPTS (18.5 pts, 6.5 reb, 2.0 ast, 1.8 blk)

          • Derrick White, PG/SG: 26.7 FPTS (12.9 pts, 3.8 reb, 4.0 ast, 2.0 3PM)

          • Jrue Holiday, PG/SG: 23.1 FPTS (10.0 pts, 4.9 reb, 4.0 ast)

          • Al Horford, PF/C: 19.2 FPTS (6.8 pts, 6.0 reb, 1.8 ast)

          • Sam Hauser, SF: 15.4 FPTS (7.4 pts, 3.1 reb, 1.1 ast, 2.1 3PM)

          Houston Rockets at Toronto Raptors
          7:30 p.m. Scotiabank Arena, Toronto

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

          Injury Report:
          Rockets: Tari Eason, (OUT - Lower Leg); Fred VanVleet, (OUT - Thigh); Steven Adams, (OUT - Knee)
          Raptors: Jontay Porter, (GTD - Back); Kelly Olynyk, (GTD - Not Injury Related); Ochai Agbaji, (GTD - Not Injury Related)

          Rockets projections:

          Raptors projections:

          • RJ Barrett, SG/SF: 39.2 FPTS (24.0 pts, 5.2 reb, 3.7 ast, 2.0 3PM)

          • Scottie Barnes, SF/PF: 38.4 FPTS (19.6 pts, 6.4 reb, 5.8 ast, 1.8 3PM, 1.4 blk)

          • Immanuel Quickley, PG/SG: 33.2 FPTS (17.5 pts, 3.7 reb, 4.8 ast, 2.3 3PM)

          • Jakob Poeltl, C: 25.3 FPTS (11.1 pts, 7.9 reb, 2.3 ast, 1.3 blk)

          • Gary Trent Jr., PG/SG: 19.5 FPTS (11.1 pts, 2.4 reb, 1.0 ast, 2.2 3PM)

          • Kelly Olynyk, PF/C: 19.5 FPTS (6.9 pts, 4.2 reb, 3.5 ast)

          • Bruce Brown, SG/SF: 18.7 FPTS (8.4 pts, 3.3 reb, 1.9 ast)

          Charlotte Hornets at Milwaukee Bucks
          8 p.m. Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee

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

          Injury Report:
          Hornets: Cody Martin, (GTD - Knee); Davis Bertans, (OUT - Not Injury Related); Grant Williams, (OUT - Not Injury Related); Kyle Lowry, (OUT - Not Injury Related); LaMelo Ball, (OUT - Ankle); Seth Curry, (OUT - Not Injury Related); Tre Mann, (OUT - Not Injury Related); Vasilije Micic, (OUT - Not Injury Related); Mark Williams, (OUT - Back)
          Bucks: Damian Lillard, (GTD - Ankle); Khris Middleton, (GTD - Ankle); Patrick Beverley, (GTD - Not Injury Related)

          Hornets projections:

          Bucks projections:

          Denver Nuggets at Sacramento Kings
          10 p.m. Golden 1 Center, Sacramento

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

          Injury Report:
          Nuggets: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, (GTD - Hamstring); Vlatko Cancar, (OUT - Knee)
          Kings: Chris Duarte, (OUT - Ankle)

          Nuggets projections:

          Kings projections:

          • De'Aaron Fox, PG: 49.2 FPTS (27.3 pts, 3.9 reb, 4.9 ast, 3.0 3PM)

          • Domantas Sabonis, PF/C: 42.9 FPTS (19.1 pts, 11.2 reb, 7.3 ast)

          • Kevin Huerter, SG/SF: 27.6 FPTS (13.1 pts, 4.3 reb, 2.7 ast, 2.3 3PM)

          • Keegan Murray, SF/PF: 27.4 FPTS (13.9 pts, 4.9 reb, 1.7 ast, 2.4 3PM)

          • Harrison Barnes, SF/PF: 23.5 FPTS (12.8 pts, 3.2 reb, 1.2 ast, 1.9 3PM)

          • Malik Monk, SG/SF: 20.6 FPTS (10.2 pts, 2.3 reb, 3.7 ast, 1.8 3PM)

          • Trey Lyles, PF: 17.3 FPTS (8.1 pts, 4.6 reb, 1.3 ast)

          New Orleans Pelicans at Los Angeles Lakers
          10:30 p.m. Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles

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

          Injury Report:
          Pelicans: Jonas Valanciunas, (GTD - Calf); Naji Marshall, (GTD - Back); Zion Williamson, (GTD - Foot)
          Lakers: D'Angelo Russell, (GTD - Knee); Max Christie, (GTD - Ankle); Cam Reddish, (OUT - Ankle); Gabe Vincent, (OUT - Knee); Jarred Vanderbilt, (OUT - Foot)

          Pelicans projections:

          Lakers projections: