NBA Matchups: November 22

Happy Thanksgiving! There are 14 games on the slate, so I’ll just hit some macro notes and get to the great/good/bad matchups. We have a big job on our hands for projections, so I’ll be contributing over there to help with props, etc. Plus, I haven’t hit the pressers from Tuesday night yet (besides the Pacers), so I’ll have that on the Injury Show at 2 p.m. ET.

I’ll be hanging out with my family on Thursday, so I’ll be taking the same approach on Friday. Let’s get to the monster slate and make some money!

WAS @ CHA | DEN @ ORL | BKN @ ATL | MIL @ BOS | MIA @ CLE | TOR @ IND | MEM @ HOU | PHI @ MIN | SAC @ NOP | CHI @ OKC | LAC @ SAS | GSW @ PHX | UTA @ POR | DAL @ LAL

Washington Wizards at Charlotte Hornets

Team Totals:

Injury Report: Nick Richards (O, concussion), Terry Rozier (O, groin)

Wizards projected starters: Tyus Jones, Jordan Poole, Deni Avdija, Kyle Kuzma, Daniel Gafford

Hornets projected starters: LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Gordon Hayward, Miles Bridges, Mark Williams

Unseld quotes: Said he didn’t play Tyus because he wanted more size and rebounding against the Bucks, said Bilal gets a test nightly, said they’ll continue to use Bilal on high-end guys (used him on Dame), said Bilal could be more impactful against smaller guards.

Clifford quotes: Said their second-half D was the best of the season, said Hayward’s defense was “big-time stuff” (mentioned PNR D, 1-on-1 D), said they have been talking about Miles Bridges taking over as the starter and P.J. is still going to get big minutes, said Washington was all about the team and has “no problems with [coming off the bench]”, said this was fully expected and it sounds like they were planning to do this all along, said LaMelo’s defense is getting better (obviously the offense).

Stats and Notes: 

*Hello, great game environment. These teams play super fast as top-six teams in offensive pace, and the Wizards give up the fastest possessions in the league to give them the league’s second-fastest pace overall (Pacers). These teams are also the worst two defenses in the league with the Wizards moving to last for an unbelievable 123.3 points per 100 allowed. The Wizards allow the lowest halfcourt frequency, the highest putback points per miss, the highest O-board percentage, and the third-highest rim points. They’re arguably the best defense to attack I have ever seen. The Hornets have just gotten smacked by shooters and have been a decent rim defense, excluding a couple of brutal stretches. These teams aren’t in a B2B, and the Hornets are off until Sunday for this one (Wizards Friday). This is one of the best games to attack on the slate.

*If you missed the note above, Miles Bridges is locked in as a starter.

Great matchups: Everyone (especially LaMelo Ball, Mark Williams, Jordan Poole, Miles Bridges, and Kyle Kuzma)

Good matchups: Everyone else

Bad matchups: The scoreboard operator’s fingers

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Denver Nuggets at Orlando Magic (back end)

Team Totals:

Injury Report: Zeke Nnaji (P, ankle), Magic on B2B

Nuggets projected starters: Reggie Jackson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic

Magic projected starters: Anthony Black, Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, Goga Bitadze

Malone quotes: Ejected.

Mosley quotes: Said the guys followed the game plan against the Pacers (blowout win), said this team understands how to win, said Jalen Suggs played himself to exhaustion and they want guys to play so hard that they have to ask for a sub out.

Stats and Notes: 

*The Nuggets aren’t exactly in a great spot as a team. In the last six games, they rank 26th on offense, and it’s fair to say they’re missing Jamal Murray. Their defense hasn’t been much better either, as their rim defense is starting to slide a bit.  Meanwhile, the Magic are one of the hottest defenses in the league, ranking third in the league with a slightly upward trend to being a top-three D over the last couple of weeks. They’ve been good with their ball pressure, which was something we saw at times last season. The Nuggets are such a unique matchup that we can pretty much throw everything out, but a lot of their role players haven’t been able to string games together. These teams also play so slow with the Nuggets at 29th in O pace and the Magic at 24th.

Great matchups: Nobody

Good matchups: Michael Porter Jr., Nikola Jokic (he just has to carry these guys)

Bad matchups: Paolo Banchero, Reggie Jackson

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Brooklyn Nets at Atlanta Hawks (back end)