Fantasy streamers and betting tips for Sunday’s NBA slate

The NBA season is off and running! Every team in the league has played at least one game, with the Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves the only teams to have played twice. That all changes tonight, with 10 games on tap and 20 teams getting in another game.

We’ll get to see if those that had better than expected first games can maintain and build some early momentum, and also whether those that had down season openers can bounce back. As always, let’s dig into the action to find some good fantasy streamers and best bets to get your own seasons off to great starts.

Odds by ESPN BET

What you need to know for Sunday’s games

Just days before the streets flow with candy, we find a Sunday hoops slate featuring five games. Despite the limited schedule, the games are staggered throughout the day with four different tip times. The significance of having gaps between games comes into play in weekly fantasy leagues — where Sundays are the last day of competition. By leveraging free agency via churning the back of your roster, adding games played can be the difference in a matchup.

Even this early into the season, injuries are proving influential. Looking at today’s quintet of games, the first tip features the winless Philadelphia 76ers without Joel Embiid or Paul George on the road in Indianapolis, which factors heavily into our streaming endorsements below.

The New Orleans Pelicans and Portland Trail Blazers are missing key scorers and wing defenders, although the rest of the schedule appears stocked with predictable rotations.

Three of the five games are set with health point totals approaching 230 points at ESPN BET, which is a nice indicator that we’ll see some busy box scores. Let’s get a read on this first Sunday slate of the season.

Sunday’s Stream Team

Kelly Oubre Jr., Philadelphia 76ers, SG/SF (Rostered in 45% of ESPN leagues)

Oubre Jr. is known for a unique brand of basketball chaos. His start to the season, however, has been quite stable in Paul George’s absence; Oubre has taken at least 17 shots from the field in each game with 14 total free throw attempts, resulting in bold production. Next up is a pace-driven Indiana Pacers team that lacks wing defense. Indiana’s Benedict Mathurin makes for a worthy alternative in deeper leagues.

Andre Drummond, Philadelphia 76ers, C (24.4% rostered)

Sticking with this theme of replacing veteran Sixers stars, Drummond is a double-double machine with slate-high rebounding upside (and floor) in a matchup with a Pacers team that is identifiably small in the front court.

Brandin Podziemski, Golden State Warriors, SG (33.4% rostered)

Don’t let his scoreless opener throw you off the trail of this fun two-way guard; “Air Podz” is among the best rebounding guards in the NBA and he is also capable of delivering solid passing and scoring outcomes. The Clippers’ older group could be a nice matchup for this second-year player.

Taurean Prince, Milwaukee Bucks, SF (11.1% rostered)

Khris Middleton will surely be on a maintenance plan throughout the season, aiding Prince’s impact as a complementary scorer and spacer. With the potential for 30 minutes of run, Prince’s numbers could be rewarding against a porous Brooklyn Nets defense.

McCormick’s best bets for Sunday

Clippers-Warriors over 221.5 points (-105)

This California-centric game has one of the lowest totals of the day. I read this as a bit of an overreaction to the Clippers averaging 111 PPG on the season, as they just played a deliberate Denver Nuggets’ team Saturday. The Warriors are back to space and pace with nearly 270 points in two showings. This one seems like it has more offensive potential than the total suggests.

Zion Williamson over 6.5 rebounds (-115)

With a team-high 17 rebounding chances per game, Williamson has a clear path to clearing this number. He bullied this same Trail Blazers team to the tune of 11 boards this past Friday.

New Orleans Pelicans -6.5 (-105)

The short-handed Pelicans appear prepared to handle the Blazers in a rubber match. Friday’s game went down to a two-point win for New Orleans, but the Pelicans return home combined with Portland missing some key wings to injury spells the potential for a runaway win Sunday afternoon.

Chet Holmgren over 19.5 points (-120)

The Hawks are getting some fun numbers from Onyeka Okongwu, but Holmgren’s blend of size, shooting, and savvy are likely to overwhelm this Hawks defense in a game that reads like a high-scoring affair.

Projections and Injury Reports

Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Odds by ESPN BET

Players in italics are available in a majority of ESPN Leagues

Philadelphia 76ers at Indiana Pacers
3:30 p.m. ET

Line: 76ers 7.5 (-105) | Pacers -7.5 (-115)
Money line: 76ers 260 | Pacers -325
Total: 228.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: 76ers by 7.5, straight up 73%, 225.6 total points.

Injury Report:
76ers: Joel Embiid, (OUT – Knee); Paul George, (OUT – Knee)
Pacers: James Wiseman, (OUT – Achilles)

76ers projections:

• Tyrese Maxey, PG/SG: 47.6 FPTS (27.8 pts, 5.8 reb, 4.9 ast, 2.7 3PM)

• Kelly Oubre Jr., SG/SF: 36.5 FPTS (21.3 pts, 4.6 reb, 2.0 ast, 2.1 3PM)

• Caleb Martin, SG/SF: 27.6 FPTS (12.6 pts, 5.8 reb, 3.1 ast)

• Kyle Lowry, PG: 26.9 FPTS (7.6 pts, 3.9 reb, 4.6 ast)

• Andre Drummond, C: 25.9 FPTS (11.4 pts, 8.2 reb, 1.1 ast)

• Guerschon Yabusele, PF: 15.1 FPTS (2.4 pts, 3.5 reb, 2.1 ast)

• Eric Gordon, SG/SF: 14.7 FPTS (6.1 pts, 1.8 reb, 1.4 ast)

Pacers projections:

• Tyrese Haliburton, PG/SG: 42.2 FPTS (18.3 pts, 4.2 reb, 6.2 ast, 2.9 3PM)

• Pascal Siakam, PF: 40.7 FPTS (20.9 pts, 7.2 reb, 5.1 ast)

• Myles Turner, C: 25.7 FPTS (13.6 pts, 6.1 reb, 2.1 ast, 2.4 blk)

• Andrew Nembhard, PG/SG: 24.6 FPTS (10.7 pts, 2.6 reb, 4.5 ast)

• T.J. McConnell, PG: 21.7 FPTS (8.4 pts, 2.5 reb, 3.9 ast)

• Bennedict Mathurin, SG/SF: 17.0 FPTS (10.0 pts, 3.6 reb, 1.3 ast)

• Aaron Nesmith, SF: 16.8 FPTS (7.7 pts, 3.6 reb, 0.9 ast)

Milwaukee Bucks at Brooklyn Nets
6 p.m. ET

Line: Bucks -9.5 (-105) | Nets 9.5 (-115)
Money line: Bucks -425 | Nets 320
Total: 229.5 (-115 O, -115 U)
BPI Projection: Nets by 1.2, straight up 54%, 226.9 total points.

Injury Report:
Bucks: Khris Middleton, (GTD – Ankle)
Nets: Bojan Bogdanovic, (GTD – Foot); Trendon Watford, (GTD – Hamstring); Day’Ron Sharpe, (OUT – Hamstring)

Bucks projections:

• Giannis Antetokounmpo, PF/C: 48.1 FPTS (27.8 pts, 12.0 reb, 6.3 ast, 1.3 blk)

• Damian Lillard, PG: 44.0 FPTS (25.1 pts, 5.3 reb, 5.9 ast, 3.5 3PM)

• Gary Trent Jr., SG: 30.6 FPTS (15.8 pts, 3.0 reb, 2.0 ast, 1.9 3PM)

• Bobby Portis, PF: 26.2 FPTS (12.4 pts, 7.0 reb, 1.9 ast)

• Brook Lopez, C: 24.8 FPTS (12.4 pts, 5.3 reb, 2.9 ast, 3.1 blk)

• Delon Wright, PG/SG: 16.5 FPTS (5.1 pts, 1.7 reb, 1.9 ast)

• Pat Connaughton, SG/SF: 15.9 FPTS (5.9 pts, 3.4 reb, 2.1 ast)

Nets projections:

• Cam Thomas, SG: 41.2 FPTS (25.7 pts, 4.0 reb, 3.5 ast, 3.4 3PM)

• Dennis Schroder, PG: 35.0 FPTS (16.7 pts, 3.6 reb, 6.4 ast, 2.0 3PM)

• Cameron Johnson, SF/PF: 26.9 FPTS (15.2 pts, 4.1 reb, 1.6 ast, 1.9 3PM)

• Ben Simmons, PG/PF: 23.0 FPTS (7.3 pts, 6.2 reb, 4.5 ast)

• Dorian Finney-Smith, SF/PF: 21.2 FPTS (7.4 pts, 5.4 reb, 1.6 ast)

• Nic Claxton, C: 19.4 FPTS (8.4 pts, 6.6 reb, 1.4 ast, 1.3 blk)

• Ziaire Williams, SF: 15.8 FPTS (7.4 pts, 2.9 reb, 1.6 ast)

New Orleans Pelicans at Portland Trail Blazers
6 p.m. ET

Line: Pelicans -6.5 (-110) | Blazers 6.5 (-110)
Money line: Pelicans -240 | Blazers 200
Total: 219.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Blazers by 2.3, straight up 58%, 218.7 total points.

Injury Report:
Pelicans: Trey Murphy III, (OUT – Hamstring); Dejounte Murray, (OUT – Hand)
Blazers: Robert Williams III, (GTD – Hamstring); Matisse Thybulle, (OUT – Knee); Shaedon Sharpe, (OUT – Shoulder)

Pelicans projections:

• CJ McCollum, PG/SG: 41.1 FPTS (20.7 pts, 4.4 reb, 4.2 ast, 3.2 3PM)

• Zion Williamson, PF: 36.2 FPTS (18.4 pts, 5.6 reb, 4.8 ast)

• Brandon Ingram, SF: 35.6 FPTS (19.6 pts, 5.7 reb, 3.5 ast)

• Herbert Jones, SF/PF: 24.1 FPTS (9.0 pts, 4.0 reb, 2.3 ast)

• Javonte Green, SF: 17.9 FPTS (6.5 pts, 4.3 reb, 1.3 ast)

• Yves Missi, C: 17.7 FPTS (7.5 pts, 5.2 reb, 1.6 ast)

• Jose Alvarado, PG: 13.7 FPTS (4.5 pts, 1.4 reb, 2.0 ast)

Blazers projections:

• Jerami Grant, PF: 33.3 FPTS (21.3 pts, 3.4 reb, 3.2 ast, 2.0 3PM)

• Anfernee Simons, PG/SG: 32.8 FPTS (20.3 pts, 3.3 reb, 4.2 ast, 2.3 3PM)

• Deandre Ayton, C: 32.3 FPTS (15.8 pts, 9.5 reb, 1.8 ast)

• Deni Avdija, SF/PF: 25.6 FPTS (12.7 pts, 7.0 reb, 3.1 ast)

• Toumani Camara, PF: 22.1 FPTS (8.5 pts, 4.6 reb, 2.5 ast)

• Scoot Henderson, PG: 20.9 FPTS (11.5 pts, 2.9 reb, 3.4 ast)

• Dalano Banton, PG: 20.1 FPTS (13.7 pts, 3.9 reb, 1.9 ast)

Atlanta Hawks at Oklahoma City Thunder
7 p.m. ET

Line: Hawks 9.5 (-110) | Thunder -9.5 (-110)
Money line: Hawks 350 | Thunder -460
Total: 228.5 (-115 O, -105 U)
BPI Projection: Hawks by 3.5, straight up 61%, 227.3 total points.

Injury Report:
Hawks: Bogdan Bogdanovic, (GTD – Hamstring); Cody Zeller, (GTD – Personal); Dominick Barlow, (GTD – Back); Kobe Bufkin, (GTD – Shoulder); Seth Lundy, (GTD – Ankle)
Thunder: Nikola Topic, (OUT – Knee); Jaylin Williams, (OUT – Hamstring); Kenrich Williams, (OUT – Knee); Isaiah Hartenstein, (OUT – Hand)

LA Clippers at Golden State Warriors
8:30 p.m. ET

Line: Clippers 9.5 (-110) | Warriors -9.5 (-110)
Money line: Clippers 340 | Warriors -450
Total: 221.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Clippers by 6.4, straight up 70%, 222.3 total points.

Injury Report:
Clippers: Mo Bamba, (OUT – Knee); Kawhi Leonard, (OUT – Knee); P.J. Tucker, (OUT – Not Injury Related)
Warriors: None reported

Source: espn.com