NBA Projected Starting Lineups, Matchups and Injury News 3/5/19

You can find all today’s starting lineups here. Follow live updates on Twitter.

For live betting information on all games, click here.

Injury News

For the most up to date injury information, click here.

Bulls: None

Celtics: Aron Baynes (foot) is day-to-day.

Grizzlies: Ivan Rabb (heel) is questionable. Avery Bradley (knee/ankle) is probable. Kyle Anderson (shoulder) remains out.

Magic: None

Pacers: Domantas Sabonis (ankle) is out.

Raptors: None

Rockets: Iman Shumpert (calf) and Kenneth Faried (hip) are questionable.

76ers: Joel Embiid (knee) and Boban Marjanovic (knee) are out. Jimmy Butler, Amir Johnson (back), and Jonah Bolden (illness) are day-to-day.

Thunder: Paul George (shoulder) is out.

Timberwolves: Robert Covington (ankle) is out. Luol Deng (Achilles) is day-to-day.

Trail Blazers: Evan Turner (knee) is not on the injury report.

Warriors: Klay Thompson (knee) and Andre Iguodala are questionable. Kevon Looney (pelvis) is out. Alfonso McKinnie (hip) is probable.

Today’s NBA Matchups

Contents

Chicago Bulls (18-46) Indiana Pacers (41-23)

Line: Pacers -6.5, O/U: 218

Pacers: 108 ppg, top five defense, slower than average pace

Bulls: 104 ppg, bottom ten defense, slower than average pace

Notes:

• The Pacers have lost three of their last four, losing 117-112 to the visiting Magic on Saturday.
• Bojan Bogdanovic put up 25 points in that one, and he’s averaging 23 points per game on 53% shooting in his last ten. He’s flourishing as the featured scorer with Oladipo out.
• Darren Collison’s role has increased as well, averaging 14 points and 7 assists in his last ten. He had 23 and 10 in the loss.
• Domantas Sabonis remains out with an ankle issue, averaging 14 points and 9 rebounds per game.
• Despite vastly different records, both of these teams are over-performing at 6-4 in their last ten.
• Zach LaVine‘s scored 47 in a quadruple OT win in Atlanta but managed just 12 points in a home loss to the same Hawks on Sunday.
• Lauri Markkanen had 19 points and 9 rebounds in that one, even though he shot just 6-21 from the floor.
• New Bull Otto Porter missed that game for load management, and he’s not on the injury report tonight.

Houston Rockets (38-25) at Toronto Raptors (46-18)

Line: Raptors -3.5, O/U: 228

Raptors: 114 ppg, above average defense, average pace

Rockets: 113 ppg, bottom five defense, bottom five pace

Notes:

• Toronto had won nine of ten, but rested Kawhi Leonard against the Pistons and lost that game 117-112 in overtime.
• Kyle Lowry shouldered the scoring load and poured in 35 points with 7 rebounds and 5 assists, and Pascal Siakam added 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists.
• Jeremy Lin started and shot 0-8 from the floor. He was a team-worst -13 in 25 minutes.
• Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol seem to be alternating starts as the Raptors try to figure out how to integrate Gasol with the playoffs approaching.
• The Rockets have won five straight, and James Harden has totaled 100 points in the last two games.
• Both superstars scored over 30 the last time these teams played, but surprisingly it was Harden who clamped up Kawhi on the final possession to secure a 121-119 Rockets win.
• Chris Paul is averaging 18 points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals in the last ten games.
• Clint Capela is averaging 12 points and 12 rebounds since returning from a thumb injury that kept him out for over a month.

Oklahoma City Thunder (39-24) at Minnesota Timberwolves (29-34)

Line: Timberwolves -2, O/U: 236

Timberwolves: 112 ppg, below average defense, faster than average pace

Thunder: 116 ppg, second-best defense in the NBA, top five pace

Notes:

• Minnesota has lost four of their last five, essentially extinguishing any faint hope of sneaking into the playoffs.
• Karl-Anthony Towns has averaged 31 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists in his last ten.
• Andrew Wiggins is still a long way away from realizing his potential, but he looks closest to it when he plays the Thunder for some reason. He averaged 35 points in the previous two meetings this season, both two-point Minnesota wins.
• The Thunder have lost five of their last seven, and they barely beat a Memphis team without Mike Conley.
• Paul George shot just 11-43 in losses to Sacramento and Denver, and he’s missed the last three games with a shoulder injury. He might be the MVP based on how bad the Thunder are without him.
• Russell Westbrook finished with 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists, but he shot just 7-20 from the floor.
• Steven Adams had an insane 13-point, 22-rebound performance. He was the only Thunder player to shoot over 50% in the game, and they were 36% as a team.

Orlando Magic (30-35) at Philadelphia 76ers (40-23)

Line: 76ers -4, O/U: 223

76ers: 116 ppg, above average defense, faster than average pace

Magic: 106 ppg, average defense, slow pace

Notes:

• Joel Embiid remains out with a knee issue, but the Sixers have managed to go 3-2 without him to start the second half of the season. Embiid is averaging 27 points and 13.5 rebounds this year.
• Tobias Harris, Jimmy Butler, Ben Simmons, and Mike Scott all scored over 20 points in a 120-117 loss to the Warriors. Simmons added 15 boards and 11 dimes while Butler and Harris each pulled down 9 rebounds.
• Butler didn’t practice yesterday with a sore back, and his status for this one is up in the air.
• In their last six games, the Magic have lost to the Bulls, Knicks, and Cavs but beaten the Raptors, Warriors and Pacers. The mind boggles.
• The Cleveland loss came on the second night of a back to back, but Nikola Vucevic still had 28 points, 13 boards, and 6 assists.
• DJ Augustin put up 19, 5 and 5 while Aaron Gordon added 15 points and 8 rebounds, but the bench mustered just 13 points.
• The Magic are in a virtual tie with Charlotte for the eighth seed in the East. If you plopped them out West, they’d be six games out of the playoffs, even behind LeBron’s Lakers.

Portland Trail Blazers (39-24) at Memphis Grizzlies (25-40)

Line: Blazers -6.5, O/U: 216

Grizzlies: 101 ppg, top ten defense, bottom five pace

Trail Blazers: 114 ppg, average defense, below average pace

Notes:

• The meaningful part of the Grizzlies season is over. From here on out, their only relevance is when they catch playoff teams sleeping.
• Mike Conley, Jonas Valanciunas and Avery Bradley are the best players on the floor right now for Memphis.
• Kyle Anderson remains out with a shoulder injury, and Chandler Parsons is averaging 4 points on 24% shooting, making the Grizzlies look smart for not playing him but very dumb for signing him for nearly 100 million dollars.
• Jaren Jackson Jr. is dealing with a quad issue, and Memphis will probably keep him on the shelf to be cautious and enhance the tanking.
• The Blazers are playing the last game of a 5-1 road trip, and they have a better record on the road (15-16) than the Grizzlies do at home (15-17).
• Rodney Hood exploded for 27 points off the bench to help Portland to a 118-108 win in Charlotte.
• Jusuf Nurkic had another masterful game with 26 points, 15 boards, and 6 assists, and Damian Lillard kicked in 23.
• CJ McCollum‘s last five games: 15 points (6-17), 35 points (12-18), 14 points (6-19), 35 points (12-20), 6 points (2-13).

Marquee Matchup

Boston Celtics (38-26) at Golden State Warriors (44-19)

Line: Warriors -8, O/U: 230

Celtics: 112 ppg, top five defense, slower than average pace

Warriors: 119 ppg, average defense, faster than average pace

Notes:

• The Warriors are 3-4 in the last seven games. They wrapped up a 2-2 road trip with a 120-117 win in Philly with Joel Embiid out.
• Kevin Durant led the way with 34, 5 and 5, Steph Curry added 28 points and 4 steals, and DeMarcus Cousins had 25 and 8. It’s so dumb that they all play for the same team.
• Klay Thompson missed the Sixers win with a sore knee, and he’s questionable for this one along with Andre Iguodala.
• The Warriors are signing their old center Andrew Bogut, who is coming off an MVP season in Australia. The former first overall pick did tons of dirty work to help jump-start this Warriors dynasty, winning a title in 2015.
• The Celtics have lost five of their last six, most recently at the hands of James Harden’s Rockets.
• Kyrie Irving said he doesn’t want to be a celebrity and just wants to play basketball, which is a bit silly considering he starred in a movie in the past year.
• Gordon Hayward hasn’t topped 10 points in any of his last five games, and Terry Rozier has done it once in the last eight while shooting 27% from the floor.