The NBA slows down a bit Thursday after a busy New Year's Eve, as we have a four-game main slate and just five games overall to open 2026. We do have a light injury report overall, but there's a couple of big names whose status will bear monitoring.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Thursday, Jan. 1 @ 12:00 p.m. EST:
Houston Rockets (-11.5) at Brooklyn Nets (O/U: 218.5)
Miami Heat at Detroit Pistons (-4.5) (O/U: 236.5)
Philadelphia 76ers (-2.5) at Dallas Mavericks (O/U: 231.5)
Boston Celtics (-9.5) at Sacramento Kings (O/U: 227.5)
We pretty much have a betting picture that's split down the middle Thursday, as there are two big favorites but another pair of games that are projected to be very competitive. The latter contests also happen to have the highest projected totals of the night, likely pegging them as the top game environments of the night.
Injury Situations to Monitor
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Alperen Sengun, HOU (calf): QUESTIONABLE
If Sengun misses a third straight game, Steven Adams and Clint Capela are candidates to handle the majority of center minutes if they can play through their questionable tags, with Jeff Green also available to absorb minutes down low.
Michael Porter, Nets (illness): QUESTIONABLE
If Porter can't play, there will be plenty of usage available for the rest of the starting five, Drake Powell and Ziaire Williams could handle the majority of small forward minutes.
Other notable injuries:
Tyler Herro, MIA (toe): OUT
Zach LaVine, SAC (ankle): OUT
Kelly Oubre, PHI (knee): OUT
Egor Demin, BKN (back): OUT
Tobias Harris, DET (hip): DOUBTFUL
Tari Eason, HOU (illness): QUESTIONABLE
Steven Adams, HOU (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
Elite Players
We have four players with five-figure salaries on Thursday's slate: Cade Cunningham ($10,500), Tyrese Maxey ($10,300), Anthony Davis ($10,200) and Alperen Sengun ($10,100).
Cunningham has scored 43.5 FD points or more in each of his last four games, and he'll be back home Thursday after a long West Coast swing and drawing a favorable overall matchup against the Heat.
Maxey has scored 44.9 to 62.8 FD points in five of the last six games, including 62.8 against the Grizzlies on Tuesday in his most recent game.
AD is cleared to return from a thigh injury following a two-game absence and scored 60.4 and 55.8 FD points in each of his last two healthy games.
Sengun's condition will bear monitoring, as he could miss a third straight game due to his calf injury.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Jaylen Brown, BOS ($9,700)
Brown has been flashing a fantasy floor in the mid-40s and has a highly appealing matchup against the Kings, which should ensure his popularity on the small slate.
Kevin Durant, HOU ($9,100)
KD has scored over 42 FD points in seven of his last eight games and has a good matchup against his old Nets squad, which should ensure he's on plenty of rosters.
Cooper Flagg, DAL ($8,900)
Flagg had a rough shooting night against the Trail Blazers on Monday but still finished with 41.2 FD points, his third game over 40 in the last four.
Joel Embiid, PHI ($8,500)
Embiid is probable to play through his ongoing knee issues and just delivered 63 FD points Tuesday against the Grizzlies, so he should be highly popular on Thursday's small slate.
Amen Thompson, HOU ($8,400)
Thompson has eclipsed 40 FD points in four of the last five games and is up to 37.5 FD points per game for the season, figures that should ensure he's on plenty of rosters Thursday.
Key Values
Jabari Smith, HOU at BKN ($6,600)
Smith is fresh off an impressive December, as he averaged 31.5 FD points across 13 games on averages of 16.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists across 35.9 minutes per contest. Smith shot a solid 47.6 percent over that span as well, eclipsing 30 FD points on nine occasions in that stretch. The versatile big is also averaging 36.5 FD points per 36 minutes with Alperen Sengun off the floor, and his frontcourt mate appears to be a 50/50 proposition to sit out a third straight game Thursday due to his calf issue. The matchup against the Nets doesn't particularly stand out on paper, but it is worth noting the Nets rank in the bottom 10 with 37.0 percent three-point shooting allowed, while Smith is draining an impressive 38.9 percent of his long-range shots on the road.
Brandon Williams, DAL vs. PHI ($5,300)
Williams' production and playing time can certainly see some fluctuation, but the young veteran guard is coming off a pair of particularly strong performances to cap off the calendar year. Williams has averaged 23.7 FD points over his last nine games, a stretch where he's shooting a considerably improved 53.8 percent and has eclipsed 32 FD points on three occasions. The volatility makes him best suited for tournaments, but Williams could be set for one of his better nights against a 76ers team that's allowed the ninth-highest offensive efficiency rating to backcourt players (53.2) and 52.3 FD points per game to point guards in the last 15 contests.
Anfernee Simons, BOS at SAC ($4,500)
Simons has admittedly been a bit of an adventure to roster in the first two months plus of his first Celtics season, but the reserve guard still flashes an impressive ceiling on occasions in his second-unit role. Simons finished 2025 with a pair of solid performances, the most recent a 34 FD-point tally against the Wizards on Tuesday. The Kings could coax another useful DFS night from him, as Sacramento is surrendering the third-most FD points per game to point guards in the last seven contests (55.6), along with a robust 121.2 points and eighth-most assists (27.9) per home game.
ALSO CONSIDER: Neemias Queta, BOS at SAC ($5,200); Dru Smith, MIA at DET ($4,400)
