This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We have another busy Friday night on tap, and with it being the third-to-last one of the regular season, the stakes are increasingly higher for a number of clubs in both conferences. There are also plenty of big names on the injury report, which makes it an especially important day to keep up with the latest news on RotoWire leading up to lineup lock.
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, 3/29 @11:00 a.m. EDT:
Los Angeles Clippers (-1.5) at Orlando Magic (O/U: 212.5)
Los Angeles Lakers at Indiana Pacers (-4) (O/U: 243.5)
Detroit Pistons at Washington Wizards (-3.5) (O/U: 228.0)
Golden State Warriors (-13) at Charlotte Hornets (O/U: 220.0)
Chicago Bulls (-3) at Brooklyn Nets (O/U: 215.0)
Philadelphia 76ers at Cleveland Cavaliers (-8.5) (O/U: 212.0)
Phoenix Suns (-2) at Oklahoma City Thunder (O/U: 228.0)
Portland Trail Blazers at Miami Heat (-14) (O/U: 209.5)
New York Knicks (-9) at San Antonio Spurs (O/U: 213.5)
*denotes team on second night of back-to-back set
We usually have a pretty eclectic mix of betting lines whenever there are as many games on a slate as Friday's, and tonight is no exception. The pair of double-digit spreads isn't unusual for this time of year when you have two contenders with plenty of incentive facing two teams playing out the string, as is the case with Warriors-Hornets and Blazers-Heat. The rest of the lines are pretty favorable for DFS purposes, however, especially with four spreads of four points or less as of Friday morning.
Projected totals tilt slightly more to the lower side, as there are six games with figures of 220 points or fewer. That means the three games with totals of 228 points or higher could feature plenty of heavily rostered players, although with nine games on the ledger, there should still be many ways to differentiate even if gravitating toward some of the chalk options.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Anthony Davis, LAL (knee): QUESTIONABLE
If Davis were to sit out and LeBron James suited up, the latter would be the biggest beneficiary. Meanwhile, Jaxson Hayes and Rui Hachimura could also reap the benefits of a Davis absence with extra playing time and rebounding opportunities.
LeBron James, LAL (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
If LeBron can't suit up and Davis does, then the latter will stand to benefit the most. Additionally, Taurean Prince would likely draw a start at small forward and D'Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves would also see their usage rise.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC (quadriceps): DOUBTFUL
If Gilgeous-Alexander sits out as appears likely, the usage for the likes of Josh Giddey, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren should see a major bump. Meanwhile, Cason Wallace and Isaiah Joe could handle the bulk of point guard duties.
Donovan Mitchell, CLE (nose): QUESTIONABLE
If Mitchell remains out Friday, Caris LeVert and Sam Merrill should continue handling the majority of shooting guard duties.
Cade Cunningham, DET (injury management): QUESTIONABLE
If Cunningham can't suit up, Marcus Sasser could draw the start at point guard, while the rest of the starting five will be in for elevated usage.
Other notable injuries:
Jimmy Butler, MIA (illness): PROBABLE
Darius Garland, CLE (ankle): PROBABLE
Ayo Dosunmu, CHI (illness): PROBABLE
Alex Caruso, CHI (ankle): PROBABLE
Deandre Ayton, POR (elbow): QUESTIONABLE
Jusuf Nurkic, PHO (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
Jonathan Kuminga, GSW (knee): QUESTIONABLE
Jaden Ivey, DET (ankle): QUESTIONABLE
Jerami Grant, POR (hamstring): DOUBTFUL
Anfernee Simons, POR (knee): OUT
Julius Randle, NYK (shoulder): OUT
Tyler Herro, MIA (foot): OUT
Tyus Jones, WAS (back): OUT
Elite Players
We have four players with five-figure salaries that have a chance to play on Friday's slate – Anthony Davis ($11,800), Victor Wembanyama ($11,200), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,900) and LeBron James ($10,300).
If Davis is able to play through his ankle injury, he'll look to build on the 78.6 FD points he posted in the double-OT win over the Bucks, and the pair of 60+ FD-point tallies he'd posted in the two previous games.
Wembanyama has earned the salary bump with some recent breakout performances, although it's worth noting he comes into Friday with totals of 23 and 46.6 FD points in his last two games.
As mentioned previously, SGA is unlikely to play Friday, while LeBron, if he can suit up, may be doing so without Davis for a second straight game after producing 56.8 FD points over 34 minutes in his teammate's absence versus the Grizzlies on Wednesday.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Devin Booker, PHO ($9,700)
Booker has a pair of 50+ FD-point tallies in his last three games and will be an integral part of a game with one of the narrowest spreads of the night, factors that should make him very popular Friday.
Jalen Brunson, NYK ($9,300)
Brunson continues to offer a very safe floor and has a very appealing positional matchup against the Spurs, which should lead to a high roster rate.
Tyrese Maxey, PHI ($8,900)
Maxey is coming off having scored 53.4 FD points against the Clippers on Wednesday has eclipsed 40 in three of his last four games overall, which should make him very popular at his salary.
Jalen Williams, OKC ($8,300)
Williams is coming off having scored 48 FD points against the Rockets on Wednesday and is very likely to take the floor without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, which should make him a very popular mid-salary play.
Josh Giddey, Thunder ($7,400)
Giddey has upped his production of late by scoring 38.8 to 50.4 FD points in his last three games, and like Williams, he also stands to be a major beneficiary of Gilgeous-Alexander's likely absence.
Key Values
Trayce Jackson-Davis, GSW at CHA ($6,400)
Jackson-Davis returned from a one-game absence due to a knee injury and delivered nicely as a spot starter against the Magic on Wednesday, recording 35.3 FD points with the help of 14 rebounds. The rookie has put together plenty of similar performances throughout March, averaging 29.4 FD points over his last 12 games while eclipsing 30 FD points on five occasions overall during the sample. Jonathan Kuminga is questionable once again Friday due to his own knee issue, meaning Jackson-Davis could be set for another turn with the first unit; however, even if he's in a reserve role, he's already proven capable of delivering equally impressive returns and is facing a Hornets squad that's allowed the third-highest offensive efficiency rating (90.0) to frontcourt players this season, as well as the second highest (46.9) and third-most rebounds (16.4) per game to bench players.
Miles McBride, NYK at SAN ($6,300)
McBride continues to enjoy a starting role due to the ongoing absence of OG Anunoby and is making excellent use of the opportunity, averaging 33.9 FD points per contest on the strength of 21.6 points (on 55.2 percent shooting, including 48.9 percent from three-point range), 3.8 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.0 steals per contest during his current five-game stint with the first unit. The strong production has led to a bump in salary, but McBride remains very worthy of consideration in a matchup against a Spurs team that's allowed the fourth-highest offensive efficiency rating to small forwards (23.5), along with 37.4 percent three-point shooting to the position.
Marvin Bagley, WAS vs. DET ($6,100)
Richaun Holmes will sit out Friday's game for the Wizards with a toe injury, teeing up Bagley for a start at center against one of his old squads. The 2018 second overall pick has tallies of 24.6 and 28.2 FD points within his last three games while coming off the bench, and he's averaging a solid 29.5 over his last 12 games overall. Bagley is in a favorable matchup on paper against Detroit as well, considering the Pistons are conceding 57.7 FD points per contest to centers in the last 30 games. With what should be robust allotment of minutes, Bagley should have a good chance of delivering a strong return on investment.
ALSO CONSIDER: Andre Drummond, CHI at BKN ($6,500); Rui Hachimura, LAL at IND ($6,100); Precious Achiuwa, NYK at SAN ($6,100)
