Thursday’s four-game NBA slate is highlighted by some of the top fantasy basketball players taking the court for the first time this season as Victor Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs head to Dallas to take on Luka Doncic and the Mavericks, while Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets host Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Let’s dive deeper to discover some intriguing fantasy streamers and the best bets for the slate.

Odds by ESPN BET

Four bets to be made on Thursday

Kyrie Irving more than 22.5 points (-125)

Irving averaged 35 MPG last season and even though the Mavericks added Klay Thompson, Irving should still see plenty of minutes according to our predictions. He exceeded this mark in 61% of his games last season and averaged 19 field goal attempts per game. Irving also scored in two of the three games against the Spurs last season. With Thompson spreading the floor, Irving has more room to work. Additionally, the Spurs had trouble defending point guards last season, and that could continue to be a problem.

Aaron Gordon over 5.5 rebounds (-130)

Gordon averaged 6.1 RPG in 30.6 MPG over the past four seasons with the Nuggets. Our projections show similar numbers this year. Last season, Gordon reached this mark in 59% of games, passing in two of three games against the Thunder. OKC was also near the top of the league in rebounds allowed to come forward. Gordon is set to be the frontcourt starter for Denver and his recent contract extension makes this a solid bet.

Donte DiVincenzo over 17.5 points, rebounds and assists (-125)

The Timberwolves offense was as sharp as a butter knife in a steakhouse on Tuesday night, which isn’t surprising considering new additions like Julius Randle and DiVincenzo are still adjusting to the rotation. Spacing was a major issue against the Lakers, but I have faith that Chris Finch and his staff will make the right adjustments. DiVincenzo exceeded this mark in 66% of his games last season with the Knicks. He is an early favorite for Sixth Man of the Year and played 32 minutes against the Lakers, showing he will be a key role in this rotation.

Jamal Murray under 30.5 points, rebounds and assists (-115)

Murray starts this season under some pressure, despite his big contract extension. He hasn’t yet been named an All-Star and last year’s playoff performance left a lot to be desired. His struggles continued with a tough performance for Team Canada at the Olympics, and he had a lukewarm preseason. He failed to cross this line in any of the four games against the Thunder last season. Murray will not only have to deal with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but also Alex Caruso this offseason. The Thunder’s defense against point guards was solid last season and I expect that trend to continue. It could be a tough evening for Murray.

Top players to stream in your fantasy lineup

Keldon Johnson, San Antonio Spurs (available in 65.4% of ESPN leagues)

Johnson is expected to come off the bench again for the Spurs this season after an offseason full of trade rumors. He lost some weight during the offseason to prepare for a complementary role in San Antonio’s offense, which revolves around Wembanyama. He averaged 15.7 PPG and 5.5 RPG in 29.6 MPG last season and Johnson is expected to use the same this year. This makes him a good streaming option against the Mavericks in a game with one of the highest point totals on the slate.

Dereck Lively II, Dallas Mavericks (63.9%)

The Mavericks exercised Lively’s second-year option on Wednesday, showing their confidence in him. As a rookie, he started 42 of 55 regular season games and averaged 9.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG and 1.4 BPG. His standout performance in the playoffs, especially against the Thunder, highlighted his potential. This season, Lively will share minutes with Daniel Gafford, but he remains a worthy streamer in this favorable matchup against a Spurs team that struggled against centers last season.

Malik Monk, Sacramento Kings (60.6%)

Monk has revived his career with the Kings. He was a standout player off the bench last season, leading the league in points and assists from that role (15.4 PPG and 4.6 APG in 26 MPG). Our projections show he can maintain that production this season. Monk was the runner-up for last year’s Sixth Man Award and will have a lot of streaming appeal this season.

Projections and injury reports

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

Platers in italics are available in at least 50 percent of ESPN leagues.

Boston Celtics at Washington Wizards
7:00 PM ET

Line: Celtics -14.5 (-105) | Wizards 14.5 (-115)
Moneyline: Celtics -1400 | Wizards 700
Total: 233.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI projection: Wizards with 11.9, an increase of 83%, 216.3 points in total.

Injury report:
Celtics: Sam Hauser, (GTD – Back); Kristaps Porzingis, (OUT – Foot)
Wizards: Malcolm Brogdon, (OUT – Thumb); Saddiq Bey, (OUT – knee)

Celtics projections:

• Jayson Tatum, SF/PF: 50.9 FPTS (30.2 pts, 8.9 reb, 5.8 ast, 15.1 3pm)

• Jaylen Brown, SG/SF: 42.9 FPTS (27.1 pts, 5.8 reb, 3.9 ast, 14.0 3:00)

• Derrick White, PG/SG: 32.7 FPTS (16.2 pts, 4.4 reb, 4.0 ast, 14.9 3:00)

• Jrue Holiday, PG/SG: 30.2 FPTS (13.2 pts, 6.3 reb, 4.5 ast)

• Al Horford, PF/C: 21.3 FPTS (7.9 pts, 7.2 reb, 2.0 ast)

• Sam Hauser, SF: 17.8 FPTS (8.6 pts, 3.5 reb, 1.0 ast, 2.3 3:00)

• Payton Pritchard, PG: 9.7 FPTS (4.5 pts, 1.1 reb, 1.7 ast)

Wizard Projections:

• Jordan Poole, PG/SG: 52.9 FPTS (23.1 pts, 2.9 reb, 12.9 ast, 14.5 3:00)

• Kyle Kuzma, SF/PF: 52.0 FPTS (26.4 pts, 6.8 reb, 10.5 ast, 14.3 h)

• Corey Kispert, SG/SF: 27.5 FPTS (15.1 pts, 3.3 reb, 4.2 ast, 14.1 3:00)

• Jonas Valanciunas, C: 22.9 FPTS (11.4 pts, 6.6 reb, 3.1 ast)

• Bilal Coulibaly, SF: 20.6 FPTS (10.0 pts, 3.8 reb, 2.7 ast)

• Alex Sarr, PF/C: 18.8 FPTS (7.8 pts, 3.2 reb, 3.3 ast)

• Marvin Bagley III, PF/C: 15.4 FPTS (7.3 pts, 4.0 reb, 2.3 ast)

San Antonio Spurs vs. Dallas Mavericks
7:30 PM ET on TNT

Line: Tracks 8.5 (-110) | Outsiders -8.5 (-110)
Moneyline: Tracks 315 | Outsiders -400
Total: 229.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI projection: Spurs with 9.8, up 79%, 216.8 points total.

Injury report:
Spurs: Devin Vassell, (OUT – Foot)
Mavericks: Dante Exum, (OUT – Pols)

Spurs projections:

• Victor Wembanyama, C: 39.7 FPTS (20.1 pts, 10.4 reb, 4.1 ast, 1.8 3pm, 3.7 blk)

• Jeremy Sochan, PF: 23.6 FPTS (11.6 pts, 5.7 reb, 2.4 ast)

• Tre Jones, PG: 22.5 FPTS (7.7 pts, 3.2 reb, 4.7 ast)

• Chris Paul, PG: 21.9 FPTS (6.8 pts, 3.0 reb, 4.2 ast)

• Keldon Johnson, SF: 21.8 FPTS (12.1 pts, 3.7 reb, 2.1 ast)

• Harrison Barnes, PF: 16.9 FPTS (9.0 pts, 2.4 reb, 1.5 ast)

• Zach Collins, PF/C: 14.7 FPTS (7.5 pts, 3.4 reb, 2.1 ast)

Mavericks projections:

• Luka Doncic, PG: 57.3 FPTS (29.3 pts, 9.9 reb, 7.9 ast, 15.7 3:00)

• Kyrie Irving, PG/SG: 42.2 FPTS (23.0 pts, 4.6 reb, 6.0 ast, 14.4 3pm)

• Klay Thompson, SG/SF: 27.4 FPTS (16.2 pts, 3.7 reb, 2.4 ast, 15.0 3:00)

• PJ Washington, PF: 26.5 FPTS (13.4 pts, 6.6 reb, 1.5 ast, 14.1 3pm)

• Dereck Lively II, C: 16.5 FPTS (7.4 pts, 6.4 reb, 1.1 ast, 1.2 blk)

• Naji Marshall, SF: 16.3 FPTS (7.6 pts, 3.3 reb, 1.7 ast)

• Spencer Dinwiddie, PG/SG: 13.8 FPTS (6.2 pts, 1.4 reb, 2.4 ast)

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Denver Nuggets
10pm ET on TNT

Line: Thunder 1.5 (-105) | Nuggets -1.5 (-115)
Moneyline: Thunder 110 | Gold Nuggets -130
Total: 227.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI projection: Thunder with 2.5, an increase of 58%, 224.5 points in total.

Injury report:
Thunder: Nikola Topic, (OUT – Knee); Jaylin Williams, (OUT – Hamstring); Kenrich Williams, (OUT – Knee); Isaiah Hartenstein, (OUT – Hand)
Nuggets: None reported

Thunder projections:

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, PG: 48.7 FPTS (29.2 pts, 5.7 reb, 5.4 ast)

• Jalen Williams, PF: 34.7 FPTS (20.0 pts, 4.7 reb, 4.1 ast)

• Chet Holmgren, C: 29.2 FPTS (17.3 pts, 7.4 reb, 2.1 ast, 2.4 blk)

• Alex Caruso, PG/SG: 22.8 FPTS (9.1 pts, 2.9 reb, 3.4 ast)

• Luguentz Dort, SG/SF: 19.3 FPTS (10.0 pts, 3.2 reb, 1.5 ast, 1.8 3pm)

• Cason Wallace, SG: 13.9 FPTS (6.5 pts, 1.8 reb, 1.2 ast)

• Isaiah Joe, SG: 12.7 FPTS (6.9 pts, 1.6 reb, 1.1 ast)

Nuggets Projections:

• Nikola Jokic, C: 57.3 FPTS (28.1 pts, 12.0 reb, 8.3 ast)

• Jamal Murray, PG: 43.7 FPTS (27.2 pts, 4.4 reb, 5.4 ast, 2.3 3:00)

• Aaron Gordon, PF: 31.9 FPTS (17.5 pts, 6.3 reb, 3.8 ast)

• Michael Porter Jr., SF: 31.2 FPTS (18.8 pts, 7.1 reb, 1.3 ast, 14.7 3pm)

• Russell Westbrook, PG: 26.9 FPTS (13.3 pts, 5.1 reb, 3.3 ast)

• Christian Braun, SG: 17.4 FPTS (9.7 pts, 3.6 reb, 1.2 ast)

• Dario Saric, PF: 13.2 FPTS (7.0 pts, 2.9 reb, 1.3 ast)

Minnesota Timberwolves at Sacramento Kings
10pm ET

Line: Timberwolves -1.5 (-105) | Kings 1.5 (-115)
Moneyline: Timberwolves -120 | Kings EVEN
Total: 221.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI projection: Timberwolves by 0, up 50%, 224.0 points overall.

Injury report:
Timberwolves: None reported
Kings: Devin Carter, (OUT – Shoulder); Orlando Robinson, (OUT – Knee)

Timberwolves Projections:

• Anthony Edwards, SG/SF: 45.2 FPTS (26.5 pts, 5.7 reb, 5.8 ast, 14.1 3pm)

• Julius Randle, PF: 38.9 FPTS (23.0 pts, 7.7 reb, 5.2 ast, 1.8 3pm)

• Donte DiVincenzo, SG: 25.3 FPTS (12.2 pts, 3.2 reb, 2.5 ast, 14.8 3:00)

• Rudy Gobert, C: 24.2 FPTS (12.2 pts, 9.1 reb, 1.5 ast, 1.2 blk)

• Mike Conley, PG: 18.7 FPTS (6.4 pts, 2.1 reb, 3.9 ast)

• Naz Reid, PF/C: 18.1 FPTS (9.8 pts, 3.4 reb, 1.3 ast)

• Rob Dillingham, PG: 14.7 FPTS (7.9 pts, 1.9 reb, 2.1 ast)

Kings projections:

• Domantas Sabonis, PF/C: 66.6 FPTS (18.7 pts, 12.2 reb, 19.6 ast)

• De’Aaron Fox, PG: 57.8 FPTS (26.2 pts, 4.1 reb, 11.1 ast, 14.7 3:00)

• DeMar DeRozan, SF/PF: 46.8 FPTS (26.8 pts, 3.6 reb, 8.3 ast)

• Keegan Murray, SF/PF: 28.6 FPTS (15.0 pts, 5.1 reb, 2.3 ast, 14.4 3:00)

• Malik Monk, SG/SF: 27.8 FPTS (10.2 pts, 1.8 reb, 7.6 ast)

• Kevin Huerter, SG/SF: 15.0 FPTS (7.1 pts, 1.6 reb, 2.3 ast)

• Keon Ellis, SG: 14.0 FPTS (4.9 pts, 2.1 reb, 2.1 ast)