The Philadelphia 76ers and Atlanta Hawks will be playing in one of the fastest paced games on this slate, as these two teams rank fifth and eighth in the NBA in pace, respectively. Atlanta also ranks 23rd in the NBA in defensive rating, while Philadelphia has featured an above average offense this season. The Sixers are currently -7.5 point favorites in a game set at 219.5 points, giving them an implied team total of 113.5 points. 

Joel Embiid has been ruled out tonight, which means other players are going to be forced to play bigger minutes tonight. Ben Simmons is the most attractive option, as he will be the focal point of the offense. He has triple double potential, but Simmons has take single digit shot attempts in each of his last six games. That will likely change tonight with Embiid out, meaning Simmons could be in line for another triple double tonight. Dario Saric will also see a huge increase in usage rating. Embiid played limited minutes in his last game because of an injury, and Saric took over, posting a 26/14/5/2 line in 36 minutes of action. He is the top option on Philly’s roster on a per dollar basis. Richaun Holmes should see minutes in the low- to mid-20s tonight, and he was able to score 25.25 DK points in his last game with 20+ minutes. Ersan Ilyasova and Marco Belinelli are two salary relief options that have been fairly consistent recently. Both make solid salary relief plays in cash games, but they can also be used in GPPs, as they do come with some upside. Markelle Fultz has been scoring well recently, which has caused his price tag to increase. He is only playing limited minutes, though, adding to his risk. J.J. Redick and Robert Covington are two other options on this team that can be considered. Philly has players in all ranges of the price spectrum, and they are the top team to stack in both cash games and tournaments.

Damian Lillard/C.J. McCollum/Jusuf Nurkic 

The Portland Blazers have been playing at a below average pace this season, ranking 19th in the NBA in pace through 75 games. They will see an uptick in pace tonight, as they get a matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers, who currently rank sixth in the league in pace. Portland ranks 15th in the NBA in offensive rating, while Los Angeles ranks as a slightly below average defense in the league this season. The Blazers are -6.5 point favorites in a game set at 218.5 points tonight. They feature an implied team total of 112.5 points.

Damian Lillard recently left the team for the birth of his child, but he is expected to rejoin the team tonight. He was on fire before leaving the team, averaging 27.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 2.0 steals in 38.5 minutes per game. His numbers are somewhat inflated by a 70.75 DK point performance against the Pelicans, but that displays Lillard’s elite upside. McCollum took over the offense with Lillard out in Portland’s last game, scoring 42 points with three rebounds, five assists, and one steal. While he will not see the same usage rating tonight, he was able to score 45+ DK points in two of his last three games with Lillard. Most importantly, McCollum is playing big minutes on a nightly basis, and could see upwards of 20 shots on any given night. Jusuf Nurkic is the final piece of the puzzle, and he is likely the safest option for Portland. He has played 27+ minutes in each of his last six games, averaging 39.9 DK points per game over that span. He is a player that has double double potential with the ability to contribute in each of the five categories. Portland is far from a safe stack, but they can be used in tournaments tonight.

By: Justin Bales (Twitter)