After a quiet Thursday night, we're set for a typically busy Friday in the Association, one that features seven games on the main slate. The injury report is relatively abbreviated for the amount of games on the schedule, and there are multiple matchups with postseason implications.
Slate Overview
For the latest spreads and over-unders, visit RotoWire's NBA Odds page. There, you can also find player props, futures, picks articles and sportsbook bonus codes.
Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Friday, March 27 at 12:30 a.m. ET:
- Los Angeles Clippers (-9.5) at Indiana Pacers (O/U: 238.5)
- Miami Heat at Cleveland Cavaliers (-5.5) (O/U: 242.5)
- Atlanta Hawks at Boston Celtics (-5) (O/U: 224.5)
- Chicago Bulls at Oklahoma City Thunder (-20.5) (O/U: 235.5)
- Houston Rockets (-12.5) at Memphis Grizzlies (O/U: 226.5)
- New Orleans Pelicans at Toronto Raptors (-8.5) (O/U: 227.5)
- Utah Jazz at Denver Nuggets (-18.5) (O/U: 248.5)
The betting metrics paint an interesting mix Friday, as there are two massive favorites, another fairly sizable one, and four other games that should have a solid chance of being competitive. The best combination of spread and projected total is found in the Heat-Cavaliers clash, which could very well produce several stellar DFS performances. The Hawks-Celtics game is arguably the second-most attractive game for DFS purposes, given the high-upside talent on either side.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Jaylen Brown, BOS (calf): QUESTIONABLE
If Brown can't suit up, Jayson Tatum should see a big usage boost, while Baylor Scheierman could draw a spot start at two-guard.
Derrick White, BOS (knee): QUESTIONABLE
If White is out, Payton Pritchard will likely draw a spot start at point guard.
Trey Murphy, NOP (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
If Murphy remains out Friday, DeAndre Jordan could remain in the starting five, while the likes of Zion Williamson and Saddiq Bey will see extra usage.
Other notable injuries:
Lauri Markkanen, UTA (hip): OUT
Ty Jerome, MEM (ankle): OUT
Immanuel Quickley, TOR (foot): OUT
Keyonte George, UTA (hamstring): OUT
Isaiah Collier, UTA (hamstring): OUT
Jarrett Allen, CLE (knee): QUESTIONABLE
Jaime Jaquez, MIA (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
Neemias Queta, BOS (thumb): QUESTIONABLE
Kyle Filipowski, UTA (illness): PROBABLE
Elite Players
We have five players with five-figure salaries on Friday's slate – Nikola Jokic ($13,000), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,600), Jalen Johnson ($10,300), Alperen Sengun ($10,100) and Kawhi Leonard ($10,000).
Jokic has scored over 61 FD points in four of the last five games, including in three straight, with the high point of that stretch a 78.7 tally against the Mavericks on Wednesday.
Gilgeous-Alexander has exceeded 41 FD points in all but one game since his return from injury March 4, and he has a particularly appealing matchup against the Bulls, albeit with plenty of blowout risk.
Johnson posted 49.6 FD points against the Pistons on Wednesday in his return from a two-game absence, and his minutes should be secure in a marquee matchup against the Celtics.
Sengun has eclipsed 40 FD points in four of the last five games, including 73.6 and 52.7 FD points in the last two contests.
Kawhi has scored at least 25 actual points in 11 straight games, and he has a premium matchup against the Pacers.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Jamal Murray, DEN ($9,600)
Murray just erupted 53 actual points and 62.2 FD points on Wednesday against the Mavericks, and he has over 45 FD points in three of the last five contests overall.
Donovan Mitchell, CLE ($9,500)
Mitchell will play an integral role in what could be the best game environment of the night, and he's scored over 41 FD points in four of the last six games.
James Harden, CLE ($9,500)
Harden continues to fit in seamlessly alongside Mitchell in the Cavs backcourt and has gone over 44 FD points in four of the last five games.
Bam Adebayo, MIA ($9,400)
Adebayo has eclipsed 44 FD points in four of the last five games, which should make him very popular in what should be a wire-to-wire battle between the Heat and Cavaliers.
Kevin Durant, HOU ($9,300)
Durant has scored more than 48 FD points in three of the last four games, which, when paired with his name value, should ensure his popularity Friday.
Key Values
Jabari Smith, HOU at MEM ($6,300)
The injury-ravaged Grizzlies have been very targetable for DFS purposes throughout most of the season, and Friday is certainly no exception. Smith makes for a very viable cost-effective way to exploit Memphis' porous frontcourt defense, as the versatile forward checks in averaging 29.9 FD points, 16.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists across 36.7 minutes over his last 10 contests. Smith has also shot 57.1 percent, including 44.4 percent from behind the arc, in two games against Memphis season, and the Grizzlies are surrendering the fourth-highest offensive efficiency rating to power forwards (28.6) on the season.
Aaron Gordon, DEN vs. UTA ($5,900)
Gordon is off the injury report after missing the Nuggets' win over the Mavericks on Wednesday due to a hamstring issue, and the veteran forward returns to an outstanding matchup against the fast-paced, tanking and sieve-like Jazz. Gordon is already averaging 26.8 FD points on 50.7 percent shooting, including 50.0 percent from behind the arc, over the last seven games, and he's facing a Utah squad allowing a Western Conference-high 51.5 FD points per contest to power forwards over the last 15 games. The Jazz are also conceding 49.2 percent shooting on the road, as well as a Western Conference-high 15.2 made threes per contest in that split. Despite the blowout risk associated with the game, Gordon's salary is certainly reasonable enough to consider him for your tournament lineups.
John Collins, LAC at IND ($5,400)
Collins was scoreless over 22 minutes in his return from a one-game absence Wednesday against the Raptors, but that is clearly an outlier that he'll be well-positioned to bounce back from Friday. The Pacers have been trampled by power forwards all season, and they come into Friday's interconference clash having allowed the second-most FD points per game to the position in the last 30 games (51.2). Prior to Wednesday's dud, Collins averaged 27.7 FD points in the previous 16 games while shooting 55.4 percent. The Pacers are also giving up the second-most rebounds per contest on the season (56.1), making Collins' case all the stronger at a salary he's delivered over a 5x return on in 23 games this season.
ALSO CONSIDER: Jakob Poeltl, TOR vs. NOP ($5,900)
Try our FanDuel NBA Lineup Optimizer to discover more expert recommendations, customize the player pool, set exposure percentage and mass-enter DFS lineups.
