NBA Friday Preview: Wemby, SGA and an NBA Cup Night

Friday means NBA Cup group play, and the nine-game slate tips at 7 p.m. ET with plenty to watch: Victor Wembanyama coming off the best game of his career, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander carrying a banged-up Thunder roster, and two hot West teams meeting in LA to close the night.

Here are the games worth your attention, with the lines, the injuries and the players to watch. Lines are as of Thursday night and will move. The game cards show the latest.

Spurs at Kings: Wemby's encore

10 p.m. ET · NBA Cup

Wembanyama just put up 52 points, 24 rebounds and 8 blocks in a one-point win over Dallas. He's the first player since Bob McAdoo in 1974 with 50 points, 20 rebounds and five blocks in the same game. The Spurs have won six straight, including a 130-103 blowout of these same Kings last week.

Players to watch:

Victor Wembanyama: he was 15-of-20 inside the arc and 19-of-23 at the line on Wednesday, but just 1-of-8 from three. He scored 18, 19 and 34 in his last three games in Sacramento.
Domantas Sabonis: 20 points, 14 rebounds and 8 assists in the first meeting, then 16 and 17 against the Lakers on Wednesday. His rebounding props are always in play against the Spurs' size.
Julian Champagnie: dropped 26 on the Kings last week.

Sacramento is 0-3 at home and gave up 121 or more in each of its first six games, but has tightened up in the last two.

Thunder at Grizzlies: SGA against the odds

8 p.m. ET · NBA Cup · OKC -3.5 · Total 225.5

The Thunder are thin. Jalen Williams (left ankle surgery), Cason Wallace (left shoulder surgery) and Chet Holmgren (right knee) are all out, and Jaylin Williams (back spasms) was listed out on Thursday's report too. That means even more of the offense runs through the two-time MVP.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has scored 43 and 42 in back-to-back wins over Cleveland and leads the Thunder at about 31 points and 6.6 assists a game. With this much of the roster sidelined, his usage isn't going anywhere.

Memphis started 6-0 but has lost two straight, both close, with 53 turnovers in its last three games. If that continues, OKC will feast in transition.

Players to watch:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC: the props board starts here.
Ja Morant, MEM: around 19.5 points and 8 assists a game.
Jaren Jackson Jr., MEM: around 19 points a game, and a big matchup edge with Holmgren out.

Trail Blazers at Lakers: the nightcap

10 p.m. ET, Prime Video · Lakers -2.5 · Total 233.5

Two of the West's hottest teams. The Lakers are 7-2 and the Blazers are 6-1, and both have won three straight. The total is the highest of the night, and Lakers games have gone over in five of seven, including four of five at home.

Players to watch:

Luka Dončić, LAL: averaging around 38.5 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists. He scored 40 against Sacramento on Wednesday.
Austin Reaves, LAL: around 23 points a game.
Deni Avdija, POR: around 23 points with 6 rebounds and 6 assists a night, a strong combo-prop candidate.
Damian Lillard, POR: around 20 points a game.
Donovan Clingan and Walker Kessler: both averaging double-doubles. The battle on the glass is worth a look for rebound props.

76ers at Cavaliers

7:30 p.m. ET · PHI -2.5 · Total 228.5

Philly has been one of the East's best starts and is a small road favorite. Cleveland is .500 and has been scoring plenty but allowing almost as much. The Cavs are coming off two losses to the Thunder in which SGA scored 85 combined.

Players to watch: Tyrese Maxey (around 28 points a game) and Joel Embiid (around 27 points and 8 rebounds) for Philly. For Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell (around 28 a game) and Evan Mobley (around 18 and 9). Jarrett Allen is listed day-to-day, so check his status before locking in Mobley's rebounds.

Celtics at Hornets

7 p.m. ET · NBA Cup

Boston is 6-2, has won six of seven and is a big favorite on the road. Charlotte is 3-6 and has lost five straight. The Hornets are without Kon Knueppel and Grant Williams (hamstrings), and Moussa Diabaté and Dennis Schröder are questionable. For Boston, Payton Pritchard is questionable with an eye injury, and Jayson Tatum is back leading the way.

Also on the slate
Wizards at Hawks, 7 p.m. ET
Jazz at Mavericks, 8 p.m. ET
Raptors at Bucks, 8 p.m. ET: Toronto is a solid road favorite.
Timberwolves at Pelicans, 8 p.m. ET: Minnesota is favored on the road.
Tonight's NBA props

These are the GAPOdds top NBA plays tonight:

And the players who keep clearing their lines:

Before tip-off
NBA GAP Report: every player with a prop line, his median, our projection, the gap and his Rating. The top 10 are free.
NBA Game Pages: every prop line, spread and total for each game.
Check the injury news. NBA lineups change late. Our lines and projections update through the day, so take one more look right before tip.

NBA is still in Beta on GAPOdds. We're tuning it all season, and every pick is graded in public on the Bounty Board.

Talk NBA props with us at r/GAPodds.

References
CBS Sports: Victor Wembanyama leads surging Spurs into NBA Cup clash with Kings
Field Level Media: SGA ready to put short-handed Thunder on his back again vs. Grizzlies
Yahoo Sports: Jaylin Williams injury update
FanDuel Research: Lakers vs. Trail Blazers prediction and odds
Yahoo Sports: Celtics at Hornets lineups and injury reports
SportBusy: 76ers at Cavaliers odds and injuries
SportBusy: Thunder at Grizzlies odds and injuries
Covers: NBA odds