Two games on tap for tonight: the Nets at the Heat and the Thunder at the Warriors. All four teams are currently top-7 seeds in their respective conferences, but the Warriors in particular will be playing shorthanded with Stephen Curry (knee) and Draymond Green (suspension) sidelined. Let's dig a little deeper into both games and find some good plays for the night.
Brooklyn Nets +3.5 over Miami Heat
The Heat are the hottest team in the NBA, winners of six straight games, but only two of those wins came against teams with records of .500 or better.
Meanwhile, the Nets have won two straight, and their only losses in their past nine games have come against two championship contenders in the Celtics (twice) and the Bucks. While the Heat have home court advantage, the Nets have already won once in Miami this season, defeating the heat by four points two weeks ago.
ESPN BPI projects a close game as well, with the Heat favored by a narrow 1.4 point margin that is within the spread.
Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors over 226.5 points
Draymond Green is the defensive anchor for the Warriors, so his absence naturally paves the way for the Dubs to allow more points.
Meanwhile, the Thunder are already the second-highest scoring team in the West. Without Green and Stephen Curry on Tuesday, the Warriors increased their tempo and played faster against the Timberwolves.
Again, the Thunder already play at the fourth-fastest pace in the NBA. ESPN BPI projects this game to 230.6 total points.
Jalen Williams over 15.5 points
Williams has produced under this mark in three of the last four games after going over the previous four straight, but should be in for a bounce-back performance tonight with Draymond Green out. Green's absence on Tuesday helped lead opposing power forward Karl-Anthony Towns to pop for a season-high 33 points.
Williams hit his own season high of 31 points two games ago, and has a good chance to put a big number on the board tonight.
Klay Thompson over 21.5 points
Thompson has struggled with his shot this season, currently on pace for the lowest field goal and 3-point percentages of his career and lacking any 20-point efforts in his first 11 games after averaging 20 or more in seven straight seasons.
With that said, he has a great chance to break out of his early-season slump on Thursday. Thompson will be playing without leading scorer Steph Curry, meaning he should get plenty of looks. On Tuesday, with both Curry and Thompson out, rookie reserve wing Brandin Podziemski popped for a career-high 23 points while getting the looks Thompson would typically get.
Plus, the Thunder allow the sixth-most points in the NBA to opposing shooting guards.
Projections and Injury Reports
Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com.
Brooklyn Nets at Miami Heat7:30 p.m. Kaseya Center, Miami
Records (Against the Spread)
Nets: 6-5 (9-1-1)
Heat: 7-4 (4-7-0)
Line: Heat (-3.5) Total: 215.5
Money Line: Nets (+135), Heat (-155)
BPI Projection: Heat by 1.4, straight up 55.3%, 217.2 total points.
Injury Report:
Nets: Ben Simmons, (OUT - Hip); Cam Thomas, (OUT - Ankle)
Heat: R.J. Hampton, (OUT - Knee); Tyler Herro, (OUT - Ankle)
Oklahoma City Thunder at Golden State Warriors10:00 p.m. Chase Center, San Francisco
Records (Against the Spread)
Thunder: 7-4 (8-3-0)
Warriors: 6-6 (5-6-1)
Line: Thunder (-2.5) Total: 226.5
Money Line: Thunder (-140), Warriors (+120)
BPI Projection: Thunder by 0.1, straight up 50.4%, 230.6 total points.
Injury Report:
Thunder: None reported
Warriors: Stephen Curry, (OUT - Knee); Draymond Green, (OUT - Suspension)