This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
The NBA has a nine-game Friday night in store, but FanDuel's main slate is a more manageable seven games. However, it shapes up as a night where keeping up with the news right up to lineup lock will be especially important, given there are no shortage of big names sporting questionable designations.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Friday, 3/1 @9:00 a.m. ET:
Cleveland Cavaliers (-9) at Detroit Pistons (O/U: 221.0)
*Charlotte Hornets at Philadelphia 76ers (-11.5) (O/U: 212.0)
Dallas Mavericks at Boston Celtics (-10) (O/U: 235.5)
*Golden State Warriors (-3) at Toronto Raptors (O/U: 238.5)
Sacramento Kings at Minnesota Timberwolves (-6.5) (O/U: 224.5)
Indiana Pacers at New Orleans Pelicans (-5) (O/U: 238.5)
Portland Trail Blazers at Memphis Grizzlies (-1.5) (O/U: 209.0)
*denotes team on second night of back-to-back set
The betting lines attached to tonight's games could certainly fluctuate closer to tip-off depending on which direction the injury status of several players turns. For the moment, spreads portend a mixed bag of a night in terms of competitive contests, but the fact there's only one double-digit spread is encouraging in an overall sense.
Projected totals paint a fairly encouraging picture as well. The fact there are three games with figures greater than 235 points is a major plus and helps make up for the relatively rare development of two games with totals of under 215 points.
Injury Situations to Monitor
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Luka Doncic, DAL (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
If Doncic is unable to play, Kyrie Irving's usage and popularity would naturally shoot up significantly as the likely primary ball handler, while either Dante Exum or Tim Hardaway would likely enter the starting five.
Donovan Mitchell, CLE (knee): QUESTIONABLE
If Mitchell can't play, the rest of the starting five beginning with Mitchell's backcourt mate Darius Garland will see a big bump in usage, and Caris LeVert could draw a spot start.
De'Aaron Fox, SAC (knee): QUESTIONABLE
If Fox sits out, Davion Mitchell is likely to remain in the starting five and the rest of the first unit will see extra usage.
Anthony Edwards, MIN (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
If Edwards doesn't play, Nickeil Alexander-Walker will be due for a start at shooting guard and the rest of the starting five will see a bump in usage.
Jaren Jackson, MEM (quadriceps): OUT
With Jackson out, Lamar Stevens and Trey Jemison will likely handle the majority of minutes at center.
Other notable injuries:
LaMelo Ball, CHA (ankle): OUT
Scoot Henderson, POR (thigh): OUT
Malcolm Brogdon, POR (elbow): OUT
Deandre Ayton, POR (hand): DOUBTFUL
Elite Players
We have two players with a five-figure salary on Friday's slate – Luka Doncic ($12,600) and Domantas Sabonis ($10,400).
Doncic's injury status will have to be monitored, but if he does suit up, he'll be looking to extend a particularly impressive stretch of play where he's scored 68.2 to 84.8 FD points in three of his last four games. There should also be no concerns about playing time if he does get the green light, considering the matchup against the Celtics could be a wire-to-wire affair.
Sabonis has been a bit quiet by his lofty standards in the last two games, posting 42.8 and 35.5 FD points in those contests. However, his ceiling naturally remains expansive, and he could be taking the floor without De'Aaron Fox once again Friday.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Jayson Tatum, BOS ($9,900)
The fact Tatum is often carrying a five-figure salary and will be involved in a game that could require heavy minutes should make him very popular Friday.
Tyrese Haliburton, IND ($9,600)
Haliburton is a virtual lock for 40-45 FD points on the majority of nights and just put up 45.1 FD points against these same Pelicans on Wednesday, which should help keep him highly rostered.
Scottie Barnes, TOR ($9,500)
Barnes' tallies of 65.4 and 50.7 FD points in the last two games and his marquee matchup against the Warriors should help usher him into plenty of lineups.
Kyrie Irving, DAL ($9,300)
Irving would normally be popular, but if Doncic is out, the former's rostering rate will be especially elevated.
Jerami Grant, POR ($7,500)
Grant has scored 39.4 and 47.4 FD points in two of his last three games, and he should be very popular at his salary Friday with all of Malcolm Brogdon, Scoot Henderson and DeAndre Ayton projected to sit out for Portland.
Key Values
Jonathan Kuminga, GSW at TOR ($6,600)
Kuminga came through as a value suggestion Thursday against the Knicks by producing 48.6 FD points across 30 minutes, and with salaries for tonight's slate set before that game even concluded, we can benefit from the fact he's only been a $100 increase. Kuminga clearly has the ability to overdeliver on his current salary, and the fact he's got a premium matchup against a defensively susceptible Raptors team only serves to brighten his outlook. Toronto is allowing 47.9 percent shooting to power forwards overall, along with the sixth-most FD points per game to the position in the last seven contests (54.6). Meanwhile, Kuminga has been on quite the heater since before the calendar flipped to February, averaging 33.6 FD points per game on 18.6 points (54.4 percent shooting), 5.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per contest.
Max Strus, CLE at DET ($5,900)
Strus has been on an upswing of late that supports the notion he could provide a strong return on his current salary Friday. The emerging wing has scored 28 to 35.8 FD points in four of his last five games, shooting 48.9 percent, including 40.6 percent from distance, over the entirety of that span. The latter pair of figures are particularly important when considering Strus, who can boast a ceiling north of 40 FD points when he has a hot hand. The Pistons could certainly facilitate a strong night, considering they've already ceded tallies of 37.5 and 43.9 FD points in two prior meetings to Strus and are yielding 48.3 percent shooting to small forwards on the season plus the third-most FD points per contest (44.6) to the position in the last 15 games. Moreover, if Mitchell does in fact sit out, Strus will have a chance to build on the 31.5 FD points per 36 minutes he's already averaging without his teammate on the floor.
Trey Murphy, NOP vs. IND ($5,800)
Murphy has offered some impressive contributions as a member of both units for the Pelicans this season, and he'll check into Friday averaging 32.3 FD points over his last eight contests (five starts). Murphy just produced 29.3 FD points in 31 minutes off the bench against these same Pacers on Wednesday in the first game of the home-and-home set, and Indiana comes in allowing an elevated 48.5 percent shooting to second-unit players. Indiana is also yielding the fourth-highest offensive efficiency rating to small forwards (24.9), along with league-high 51.4 percent shooting (43.4 percent from distance) to the position.
ALSO CONSIDER: Ziaire Williams, MEM vs. POR ($4,900); Lamar Stevens, MEM vs. POR ($4,600)
