Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane dribbles during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers Sunday, March 5, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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Opponent - SA
Proj Pts FD - 37.37 DK - 39.46
Opponent - SA
Proj Pts FD - 42.26 DK - 45.88
The Grizzlies draw the best matchup on the slate in the Spurs and are still going to be without Ja Morant for the next few games at least. Tyus Jones and Desmond Bane make a pretty clear backcourt stack in this one and really neither is prices all the way up for what they mean to the Memphis offense right now. Jones has seen the usage drop off a bit over the last three games, getting up just around double-digit shot attempts over that stretch, but he’s in too good a spot to fade here against the league’s worst defense in the Spurs who run the fourth-fastest pace.
Meanwhile, Bane has also seen the shot attempts drop some in the short-term, but some of that was minutes’ based and he’s still pretty clearly the team’s #1 option on offense when Ja is out of the mix. If anything, the recent play has kept his price in check which is a good thing when considering running him for cash games. Again, these two should drive most of the offense for the Grizzlies and stacking Memphis in general is a high-floor play on this slate.
Opponent - LAL
Proj Pts FD - 33.64 DK - 36.23
Opponent - LAL
Proj Pts FD - 38.66 DK - 42.37
We are going to be in a weird spot with the Mavericks when it comes to Friday night’s slate of games. That’s because some of the biggest injury news we will be waiting on comes from this team and the game starts 3.5 hours after lineup lock. Luka Doncic is already out, but whether Kyrie Irving and Tim Hardaway Jr. play has major impact on what to do with the rest of the lineup. If they were to sit out again then obviously Josh Green and Jalen Hardy become nearly must plays.
Both have been running major minutes with the Mavericks superstars out of the mix, and just last game both went over 20 points in Dallas’s overtime win against the Spurs. The prices on both have climbed in the short-term, for good reason, but both would still be in play because of the run and the usage for Dallas in an iteration without Luka and Kyrie.
Opponent - ATL
Proj Pts FD - 26.61 DK - 28.99
Opponent - ATL
Proj Pts FD - 22.14 DK - 24.06
Draymond Green is suspended for this game after picking up too many technical fouls on the season and that, along with Andrew Wiggins remaining out, should open up some minutes on the wing for the Warriors. It looks like Jonathan Kuminga could get the start and would make for an interesting DraftKings option were he in that role for this game. He’s shown the ability to score when given the opportunity and it stands to reason he’d be able to get after it on the glass here as well. He’s averaging about five rebounds per 24 minutes over the short-term.
And then Donte DiVincenzo remains in the starting lineup, playing more than 30 minutes per game over the last 12, sticking with the run even with Stephen Curry back in the mix. The numbers aren’t overwhelming, but he’s gotten to double-digit scoring in each of the last three and has taken 25 threes over that stretch. He’s able to rebound the position well enough and I do think he has a high-ish floor with Draymond out here.
Opponent - SA
Proj Pts FD - 50.21 DK - 48.54
Look, like we said before, the Memphis Grizzlies are in just too good a matchup to pass up on Friday and even on a big slate can be fully stacked almost across the board. Over the last nine games, Jaren Jackson Jr. is running a little over 30 minutes per and is averaging 19 points, 6.6 rebounds, and just about three blocks+steals per game. The usage has been there without Ja in the lineup and he has as much defensive upside as anyone in basketball when it comes to that side of the floor. I actually don’t think the price is an issue at all on DraftKings and on FanDuel, with the added weight to the defensive stats, makes a pretty easy plat as well.
Consider Xavier Tillman Sr. (FD 5400 DK 5200) as long as he stays in the starting lineup.
Opponent - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 30.91 DK - 33.87
The Pelicans are obviously in a death spiral right now and desperately need to win just about every game from here on out. They draw a great matchup against the Rockets on Friday and I do think we can take a risk on Valanciunas in this matchup. His minutes are completely all over the place, which does make him a sizable risk, but I think this is a game that sees him play mid-20s minutes. If that’s the case then he has the upside to easily outperform these prices.
Power forward and really center are pretty thin today. If the Mavericks are down a bunch of players again then Christian Wood (FD 6900 DK 6700) would make for a good value even coming off the bench. But we might not have that information in time.
Clint Capela (FD 6800 DK 6000) and John Collins (FD 5000 DK 4600) are moderately interesting options against an undermanned Warriors team as well.
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