This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
It's another typically busy Friday night in the Association with nine games on tap. Going by point spreads, the slate shapes up as largely competitive, with the majority of matchups sporting lines of 7.5 points or fewer. The injury report is also encouragingly light in terms of short-term absences for such a large slate, which should make for a fun night of roster construction with the majority of the player pool available.
Slate Overview
Indiana Pacers (-3.5) at Detroit Pistons (O/U: 230.5 points)
Atlanta Hawks (-2.5) at Washington Wizards (O/U: 225.0 points)
Cleveland Cavaliers at Philadelphia 76ers (-7.5) (O/U: 215.5 points)
Milwaukee Bucks (-3.5) at Chicago Bulls (O/U: 240 points)
Orlando Magic at Toronto Raptors (-7) (O/U: 219.0 points)
Minnesota Timberwolves (-8) at Oklahoma City Thunder (O/U: 230.5 points)
Utah Jazz (-3.5) at New Orleans Pelicans (O/U: 223.0 points)
Houston Rockets at Denver Nuggets (-13.5) (O/U: 239.0 points)
New York Knicks at Phoenix Suns (-9.5) (O/U: 222.5 points)
The stretch run usually features at least a handful of games each night with potential postseason implications, and Friday is no exception. The Hawks-Wizards, Cavaliers-76ers, Bucks-Bulls and Jazz-Pelicans are all matchups where both teams are still vying for playoff spots or positioning.
The Pacers-Pistons and Jazz-Pelicans clashes are also solid candidates for producing under-the-radar positive DFS environments. Both Indiana and Detroit have trouble slowing the opposition down and offer multiple explosive young players, while New Orleans looks like a completely different team since the All-Star break and boasts the firepower to compete with Utah.
Injury Situations to Monitor
NOTE: Injury reporting is especially fluid in the NBA, where the status of multiple players can change during the course of a day. Therefore, although the following is a foundation for the latest injury report as of the time the article is written, check back throughout the course of the day with RotoWire for the latest news regarding the status of all players on that night's slate, including those carrying injury designations that aren't listed in this section.
Devin Booker, PHO (COVID-19 protocols): OUT
In Booker's ongoing absence Friday, Landry Shamet and Aaron Holiday could log heavy minutes at point guard while the usage for the remainder of the starting five should be particularly elevated.
Josh Giddey, OKC (hip): DOUBTFUL
With Giddey likely sidelined, Aaron Wiggins (ankle) and Tre Mann could see the majority of minutes at shooting guard.
Fred VanVleet, TOR (knee): QUESTIONABLE
If VanVleet sits again, Malachi Flynn, who has produced 19.1 to 36.3 FD points in his last three games, would likely draw another start at point guard.
Anthony Edwards, MIN (knee): OUT
In Edwards' absence, Jaden McDaniels and Malik Beasley could handle the majority of small forward minutes while D'Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns should both see their usage rise.
John Collins, ATL (foot): DOUBTFUL
Should Collins miss out, Danilo Gallinari should draw another start at power forward.
Other notable injuries:
Chris Paul, PHO (thumb): OUT
Caris LeVert, CLE (foot): OUT
Zion Williamson, NOP (knee): OUT
Kristaps Porzingis, WAS (knee): OUT
Lonzo Ball, CHI (knee): OUT
Luguentz Dort, OKC (shoulder): GTD
Dennis Schroder, HOU (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
Elite Players
We have five players with five-figure salaries on Friday's slate – Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,300), Nikola Jokic ($11,000), Joel Embiid ($10,800), James Harden ($10,400) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,200).
Giannis has posted over 60 FD points in five of the last six games and put up 54.9 on the Bulls the last time he faced them. Chicago has also struggled against power forwards all season, making Giannis particularly appealing.
Jokic has recorded between 44.5 and 65.9 FD points over eight of the last nine games and draws a premium matchup against a Rockets squad that's allowed the highest offensive efficiency to centers on the season (37.0 percent).
Embiid has scored at least 51.5 FD points and as many as 76.8 across six of his last seven, a sample that includes James Harden's first three games with the team.
Harden has produced 47.3 to 77 FD in his first three games with the 76ers and is facing a Cavs side yielding 44.7 percent three-point shooting in its last three matchups.
Gilgeous-Alexander has registered 46.9 to 64.4 FD points in his last three games since returning from his ankle injury and boasts a 37.0 percent usage rate with an average of 54.5 FD points per 36 minutes with Josh Giddey and Luguentz Dort off the floor.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
DeMar DeRozan, CHI ($9,800)
DeRozan has tallied 44.4 to 51.9 FD points over three of his last four games and produced 45.7 in 38 minutes in his one prior outing against Milwaukee this season.
Karl-Anthony Towns, MIN ($9,300)
Towns carries a 33.0 percent usage rate and averages 50.9 FD points per 36 minutes without Edwards on the floor while managing at least 48.7 FD points in four of the last seven games overall.
Trae Young, ATL ($9,100)
Young just exploded for 62.1 FD points on Thursday against the Bulls on the strength of a 39-point, 13-assist double-double, his second tally north of 60 in the last three games.
Kyle Kuzma, WAS ($9,000)
Kuzma has flashed a ceiling over 60 FD points this season and comes into Friday having scored at least 41.8 in four of the last five.
Tyrese Haliburton, IND ($8,600)
Haliburton has registered over 40 FD points in seven straight games, a level of production that should make him very popular in a favorable matchup against the Pistons.
Key Values
Kevin Porter, HOU at DEN ($5,900)
Porter returned from missing four of the previous five games by hanging 41.8 FD points on the Jazz in an overtime loss Wednesday, and he also posted 27.8 to 45.6 FD points across the previous three games. The mercurial point guard draws a favorable matchup in the Nuggets, which have allowed the 12th-highest offensive efficiency to PGs (25.9 percent) and 48 FD points per game to ones. Porter has delivered at least a 5x return on current salary in just under half (20) of his 41 games, making him an intriguing tournament play in particular.
Jalen Smith, IND at DET ($5,800)
Smith should continue to enjoy a solid workload in the ongoing absence of Myles Turner (foot), as he's averaged a solid 27.3 FD points with expanded opportunity over his last seven games. The young big has impressive tallies of 34.4 and 37 FD points in that span, and that type of upside makes him especially appealing in a plus matchup against a Pistons team allowing the eighth-highest offensive efficiency to frontcourt players (82.1 percent) and the third highest to second-unit players (45.4 percent). Detroit is also giving up 51.1 FD points per game to centers, furthering Smith's case.
Raul Neto, WAS vs. ATL ($5,200)
Neto has taken well to starting point guard duties since the trade of Spencer Dinwiddie , averaging 27.3 FD points on the strength of 12.9 points, 5.3 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals across 28.3 minutes in eight straight turns with the first unit. The veteran is shooting a highly efficient 52.1 percent over that span, including 41.7 percent from behind the arc. The Hawks are a likely candidate to facilitate another strong performance, considering they've allowed the eighth-highest offensive efficiency to PGs (26.5 percent) and 48.2 FD points per game to ones. The Hawks are also conceding the sixth-highest three-point percentage (36.0), which certainly bodes well for a player with Neto's long-range marksmanship.
