This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We're primed for a solid seven-game main slate Saturday night, one highlighted by a trio of matchups between teams with winning records. The injury report is somewhat robust, however, so as is customary during the stretch run of the season, monitoring news leading up to lineup lock will be prudent.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Saturday, 3/15 @ 12:30 a.m. EDT:
Oklahoma City Thunder (-6.5) at Detroit Pistons (O/U: 234.5)
Indiana Pacers at Milwaukee Bucks (-5) (O/U: 235.5)
Miami Heat at Memphis Grizzlies (-8) (O/U: 228.0)
Chicago Bulls at Houston Rockets (-9.5) (O/U: 231.0)
New York Knicks at Golden State Warriors (-6.5) (O/U: 229.0)
New Orleans Pelicans (-3.5) at San Antonio Spurs (O/U: 237.0)
Washington Wizards at Denver Nuggets (-14) (O/U: 239.5)
On paper, it seems we're in store for a mostly competitive main slate Saturday night, with the fact there are multiple games between contending teams helping in that regard. Additionally, with the Bulls, Pacers and Wizards in action, we're guaranteed multiple elevated totals, and the Pelicans-Spurs clash also falls into that category.
The Thunder-Pistons matchup is yet another game with heightened offensive expectations despite OKC's defensive prowess, and the potential wire-to-wire battle sets up high-salaried options like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Cade Cunningham for what should be a full workload.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Jalen Williams, OKC (hip): OUT
In Williams' ongoing absence, Kenrich Williams or Aaron Wiggins (questionable-illness) will likely draw the start at power forward, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the rest of the starting five should be in line for increased usage.
Jalen Brunson, NYK (ankle): OUT
In Brunson's ongoing absence, Miles McBride should continue starting at point guard while the rest of the starting five will enjoy increased opportunities.
Josh Giddey, CHI (ankle): DOUBTFUL
With Giddey likely sidelined again, Tre Jones should continue to handle the starting point guard role.
Chet Holmgren, OKC (rest): OUT
With Holmgren out, Isaiah Hartenstein is due for a start at center.
Other notable injuries:
Amen Thompson, HOU (ankle): OUT
Bilal Coulibaly, WAS (hip): OUT
Brandin Podziemski, GSW (back): OUT
Bobby Portis, MIL (suspension): OUT
Santi Aldama, MEM (calf): QUESTIONABLE
Coby White, CHI (toe): PROBABLE
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL (calf): PROBABLE
Damian Lillard, MIL (groin): PROBABLE
Elite Players
We have four players with five-figure salaries on Saturday's slate: Nikola Jokic ($12,800), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($11,600), Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,500) and Cade Cunningham ($10,600).
Jokic has scored 63.1 to 73.6 FD points in three of the past five games, and he crossed the 50 FD-point threshold (51.9) for the eighth time in the last 10 contests Friday night against the Lakers. The matchup against the Wizards is also a premium one, as Washington ranks No. 30 in offensive efficiency rating allowed to centers (38.1).
SGA will once again take the floor without Jalen Williams as well as Chet Holmgren, a scenario in which he's sporting a 39.8 percent usage rate and averaging 64 FD points per 36 minutes.
Antetokoummpo hasn't scored fewer than 47.3 FD points in the last 10 games, a stretch where he's averaging 55.5 FD points per contest and has a pair of matching 62.3 tallies.
Cunningham is coming off a 64.8 FD-point effort versus the Wizards and is averaging 50.5 FD points in his last six games overall. However, it bears noting he'll have a tough defensive matchup against the Thunder.
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Karl-Anthony Towns, NYK ($9,600)
Towns has recorded at least 41 FD points in three straight and will once again operate without Jalen Brunson on Saturday, which should ensure his popularity.
Zion Williamson, NOP ($9,200)
Williamson had a triple-double two games ago against the Clippers that netted 50 FD points, and he draws a favorable matchup against the Spurs that should help keep him rostered at an elevated clip.
Tyrese Haliburton, IND ($8,900)
Haliburton has back-to-back 14-point, 10-assist double-doubles and a favorable matchup against the Bucks' backcourt, which should keep him popular at his salary.
Damian Lillard, MIL ($8,800)
Lillard just put up 50.2 FD points against the Lakers on Thursday and draws another marquee matchup Saturday, factors that should help him find his way into plenty of lineups.
Coby White, CHI ($7,600)
White is very likely to take the floor without Josh Giddey again Saturday and scored 45.4 FD points against the Nets without his teammate Thursday, so he should be very popular at his salary.
Key Values
Russell Westbrook, DEN vs. WAS ($6,300)
Westbrook put an exclamation point on the Nuggets' thrilling victory over the Lakers -- and another impressive performance for him -- on Friday night, slamming home Los Angeles' final points of the night on a steal of an inbounds pass. That left the veteran guard with 33.7 FD points, his third straight game with more than 30 FD points. What was particularly encouraging about his production against Los Angeles was that it came off the bench in 28 minutes following Aaron Gordon's return to the lineup, and Westbrook now has a highly appealing matchup Saturday against the Wizards. Washington ranks No. 29 in offensive efficiency rating given up to point guards (31.2) and No. 30 in that category surrendered to second-unit players (49.4), while also giving up the sixth-most assists (28.4) and steals (9.1) per game overall.
Brook Lopez, MIL vs. IND ($5,900)
Lopez comes into Saturday's clash against the Pacers off matching 23-point efforts that have netted 34.9 and 50.3 FD points. The former came against this same Indiana squad and qualified as Lopez's third tally of over 25 FD points in as many games versus the Pacers this season. Indiana went into Friday night's action ranked No. 20 in offensive efficiency rating surrendered to centers (33.7) and allowing 55.5 FD points per contest to the position in the previous 15 games, and the Pacers then proceed to surrender 33.8 FD points (16 points, nine rebounds, two steals, one block) to 76ers rookie Adem Bona. Then, there is a big disparity in the amount of blocks the Pacers allow per game on the road (5.3) compared to at home (3.7), worth keeping in mind when considering Lopez due to his penchant for supplementing his fantasy production in that category.
Jabari Smith, HOU vs. CHI ($5,300)
Smith continues to sport an eye-catching salary for a player of his upside, and he went into Friday's win over the Mavericks averaging a solid 25.3 FD points in the previous six games. The third-year forward then provided 29.6 FD points versus Dallas across a modest 24 minutes, his third tally of at least 26.5 FD points off the bench in the last seven contests. The Bulls make for enticing targets as well, considering their No. 30 ranking in offensive efficiency rating conceded to power forwards (28.7) and No. 26 ranking versus second-unit players (45.6). Chicago is also surrendering a robust 48.8 FD points per game to fours on the season and the second-most total rebounds per game (55.1) overall, furthering Smith's already strong case.
ALSO CONSIDER: Tre Jones, CHI at HOU ($6,200); Jonathan Kuminga, GSW vs. NYK ($5,500)
