NBA Matchups: January 3

Thanks to everyone for all the birthday wishes yesterday! I was a little behind from hiking and eating, and this slate is just a monster. I just tackled some injury notes and macro stuff to cover the slate today. I’ll add plenty more on the Injury Show, too.

WAS @ CLE | MIL @ IND | OKC @ ATL | BKN @ HOU | TOR @ MEM | NOP @ MIN | CHI @ NYK | POR @ DAL | LAC @ PHX | DET @ UTA | MIA @ LAL | ORL @ SAC

Washington Wizards at Cleveland Cavaliers

Team Totals: Wizards 115, Cavs 124.5

Injury Report: Danilo Gallinari (Q, back)

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

Cavs projected starters: Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade, Jarrett Allen

Unseld quotes: Said he liked the 53 3PAs against the Hawks, said he likes how Kispert is playing off the bench and he’s better at attacking closeouts, said it was tough to handle Trae with his free throws (19 FTAs).

Bickerstaff quotes: Said he thought they were able to slow down Scottie and Siakam later in the game, said Merrill “understands the game of basketball” and is a “well-rounded basketball player who happens to be an elite shooter”, said Tristan “earned the right to be on the floor”.

Stats and Notes: 

*Danilo Gallinari missed the last two games for a back injury, and we’ve seen him have numerous back issues in his career. Besides that, we’re not dealing with too much on the injury front, and everyone reading this article already knows about how bad the Wizards are with their interior defense. They are terrible on the boards, so this is a dream spot for Jarrett Allen, who continues to get offense funneled through him. Donovan Mitchell hasn’t been limited from his illness, and he should be in a huge spot, as well. The Cavs are still a middle-of-the-pack defense without Evan Mobley, so maybe the Wizards can hang around. They have been rebounding pretty well without Mobley, though.

Great matchups: Jarrett Allen, Donovan Mitchell

Good matchups: Tyus Jones

Bad matchups: Daniel Gafford

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Milwaukee Bucks (front end) at Indiana Pacers

Team Totals: Bucks 130, Pacers 126.5

Injury Report: Bruce Brown (Q, knee), Andrew Nembhard (Q, back), Khris Middleton (Q, knee/wrist)

Bucks projected starters: Damian Lillard, Malik Beasley, Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez

Pacers projected starters: Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Jalen Smith, Myles Turner

Griffin quotes: Said Indy’s O boards really hurt them, said the Pacers were pressing Dame in the non-Giannis minutes, said Dame got some good looks and he expects him to bounce back after a rough stretch, said they were trying some zone against Haliburton, said the Pacers were sending hard doubles and he played great out of those.

Carlisle quotes: Said McConnell was excellent off the bench, said Wednesday is going to be really tough for them, said Mathurin had some great defense for them on Monday, said it’s not easy to lock in his rotation, said it wasn’t Buddy’s night and someone is going to take a hit on minutes almost every night, said the Bucks are going to be ready for them, said Mathurin is “coming of age” and “is starting to figure it out”, said McConnell was “the star of the game” and “was brilliant the entire night”.

Stats and Notes: 

*These teams are now facing off for the fifth time already! Giannis Antetokounmpo is the obvious headline with his 46/14/5 line in his four games against the Pacers. It was interesting to see more doubles go to Giannis in the last game, but he still went off for a 30/18/11 line. The Bucks have averaged 124 points in these games, and it’s not like they’re even hitting their jumpers. Indy is still the league’s worst rim defense, so expect plenty of paint points down there. For the Bucks on D, they’re still just getting killed by ball-handlers with the most PNR handler points allowed per game. Tyrese Haliburton has cooked this team with a 26/7/11 line, and he should be extremely busy again. On the injury front, we’ll see if Khris Middleton gets B2B management here. If Andrew Nembhard can’t go, that likely gets Bruce Brown back in the lineup (assuming he can go), and this would also be great news for Damian Lillard.

Great matchups: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Tyrese Haliburton

Good matchups: Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, Aaron Nesmith

Bad matchups: Myles Turner

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Oklahoma City Thunder (back end) at Atlanta Hawks