I have to say that I was disappointed with the baseball news on Monday, but it gives the NBA even more of the spotlight. It’s time for the baseball fiends to come over to the NBA side because we’re winding down to the final month of the season!
This has been a strange week. We haven’t had a large slate yet, and that’s the case again here. On the contrary, we have just seven games making up this Thursday card. That’s standard for a Thursday, and it gives us a smaller player pool to digest. There’s plenty to discuss, though, so let’s start with the schedule and odds.
View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
Schedule and Odds
- CHI at ATL (CHI -4.5) O/U: 231
- MEM at BOS (MEM -3) O/U: 224
- MIA at BKN (MIA -3.5) O/U: 221
- DET at TOR (TOR -8.5) O/U: 216
- GSW at DAL (GSW -2) O/U: 218.5
- SAC at SAS (SAS -6.5) O/U: 237
- LAL at LAC (LAC -3) O/U: 219
Check out our consensus game odds as well as the odds from each sportsbook at BettingPros
Injury Report
- Lonzo Ball (knee) OUT
- Alex Caruso (hand) OUT
- John Collins (foot) Doubtful
- Trae Young (ankle) Questionable
- Dillon Brooks (ankle) OUT
- Jaylen Brown (ankle) OUT
- Kyle Lowry (personal) Questionable
- Kevin Durant (knee) Probable
- Kyrie Irving (vaccine) OUT
- Ben Simmons (conditioning) Questionable
- Andre Drummond (knee) Questionable
- Fred VanVleet (knee) Questionable
- OG Anunoby (hand) Questionable
- Draymond Green (back) OUT
- Tim Hardaway Jr (foot) OUT
- Richaun Holmes (back) Questionable
- Anthony Davis (foot) OUT
- Paul George (elbow) OUT
- Kawhi Leonard (knee) OUT
- Norman Powell (foot) OUT
Core Plays
Ja Morant (PG – MEM): $10,200 DraftKings, $10,500 FanDuel
Ja has established himself as one of the best players in the NBA, and he’s currently amid the best stretch of his career. Over the last four games, Morant has been averaging 40.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game. That’s a truly absurd run, and it makes him impossible to fade since he’s not even Top-5 in terms of pricing.
Jakob Poeltl (C – SAS): $7,500 DraftKings, $8,000 FanDuel
Poeltl has quietly been one of the best centers since the opening months of the season. In fact, Jakob has at least 28 DraftKings points in 27 of his last 28 games, providing a 39-point average in that span. The best part of this is the matchup, though, with Sacramento sitting 29th in both defensive efficiency and points allowed. They’re also surrendering the second-most fantasy points to opposing centers as well!
Seth Curry (PG/SG – BKN): $6,100 DraftKings, $6,000 FanDuel
With Kyrie and Simmons expected to miss this game, Curry should be in for another ball-handling role. He’s been super in this expanded opportunity, scoring at least 32 fantasy points in five of his last seven games. The simple fact is, Seth is playing 30-35 minutes, taking 15-20 shots, and handling the ball regularly with so many players missing.
Cash Game Considerations
Dejounte Murray (PG – SAS): $10,600 DraftKings, $9,600 FanDuel
This FanDuel price is ridiculous. Dejounte has at least 31 DK points in 51 of 54 games this season, generating a 50-point average for the year. That’s truly absurd from a player in this price range, especially since he plays the second-worst defense in the NBA. In their two matchups this season, Murray has maintained a 48-point average.
Pascal Siakam (PF – TOR): $9,200 DraftKings, $8,100 FanDuel
Sia has been one of the best cash game players for two months now. He’s got at least 34 DK points in 38 of his last 40 games, providing a 45-point average in that span. That makes him one of the best bargains over on FanDuel, and he’d gain even more value if Anunoby and VanVleet miss this game. The matchup with Detroit is dandy, too, with the Pistons ranked 26th in points allowed and 27th in defensive efficiency ratings. He’s played them twice this season and is averaging over 50 DraftKings points per game!
Ayo Dosunmu (PG/SG – CHI): $5,300 DraftKings, $6,300 FanDuel
What’s with this price drop? Ayo has been one of the biggest surprises in the NBA, stepping up in the absence of Ball and Caruso. That has led to Dosumnu averaging 30 DK points per game across 37 minutes a night over his last 21 outings. Getting 37 minutes from someone this cheap is fantastic, and it’s hard to understand why he’s sitting this low against a 27th-ranked Hawks defense.
GPP Targets
Malik Monk (SG – LAL): $4,700 DraftKings, $4,900 FanDuel
Monk’s role has been in flux all season long, but we love that he started with LeBron at center on Tuesday. Monk actually had the best stretch of his career when James was starting at center earlier in the year, averaging 30 DK points per game between December 28 and February 8. Anthony Davis was also out for most of that stretch, and Monk’s usage and minutes should be on the rise with the superstar out of the lineup.
Robert Covington (PF – LAC): $4,200 DraftKings, $5,100 FanDuel
It was unclear what RoCo’s role would look like in LA, but they’re finally starting to give him the playing time he deserves. Covington has at least 23 DraftKings points in five of his last six games, seeing his minutes rise throughout that stretch. We’ve seen this guy play at a $7K level in the past, and the Clippers need him to play big minutes with Kawhi, PG13, and Powell all sidelined. Not to mention, he faces a Lakers team that ranks fifth in pace and 24th in total defense.
Malachi Flynn (PG/SG – TOR): $4,200 DraftKings, $6,200 FanDuel
This is a GPP play because we don’t know the status of VanVleet. If the stud guard is out, Flynn is one of the best plays on the board. In the last two games without VanVleet, Malachi has scored at least 35 DK points in both, playing 77 combined minutes. That means they’re not really taking him off the floor, which makes him tough to avoid with Detroit surrendering the third-most fantasy points to opposing guards. With all that said, stay away if FVV suits up.
Value Plays
Keldon Johnson (SF/PF – SAS): $5,800 DraftKings, $5,900 FanDuel
Why is KJ still below $6K? Johnson has scored at least 25 DraftKings points in 18 of his last 21 games, averaging nearly 30 fantasy points per game in that span. That’s all you can ask for from a sub-$6K player, particularly against one of the worst defenses in the NBA. KJ has at least 38 DK points in his two meetings with the Kings this year and should be $1,000 more on each site!
Gabe Vincent (PG – MIA): $4,500 DraftKings, $4,900 FanDuel
Talk about another mispricing. Vincent was Miami’s second-best player on Wednesday and has been a stud in this starting role all season long. He’s been starting for Lowry, scoring at least 21 DK points in 19 of his 21 starts. He’s also fitting with a 30-point average in that span, which is ridiculous from a player in this price range.
Trey Lyles (PF – SAC): $4,000 DraftKings, $4,700 FanDuel
Predicting Lyles role is really tough, but we love that he’s started the last two games for the Kings. He has one dud and one amazing game, but we’re willing to take the risk because of how cheap he is. The matchup with San Antonio is the best part of this, though, with the Spurs sitting fourth in pace and 27th in points allowed.
Advantageous Pricing
- Dejounte Murray (PG – SAS): $10,600 DraftKings, $9,600 FanDuel
- Pascal Siakam (PF – TOR): $9,200 DraftKings, $8,100 FanDuel
- Ayo Dosunmu (PG/SG – CHI): $5,300 DraftKings, $6,300 FanDuel
- Malachi Flynn (PG/SG – TOR): $4,200 DraftKings, $6,200 FanDuel
- Trae Young (PG – ATL): $10,400 DraftKings, $9,300 FanDuel
- Brandon Clarke (PF/C – MEM): $4,300 DraftKings, $5,600 FanDuel
- Kyle Anderson (SF/PF – MEM): $4,400 DraftKings, $5,600 FanDuel
- Bam Adebayo (C – MIA): $8,600 DraftKings, $9,900 FanDuel
- Luka Doncic (PG – DAL): $12,200 DraftKings, $10,700 FanDuel
- Stephen Curry (PG – GSW): $11,100 DraftKings, $9,700 FanDuel
- Lonnie Walker (SG/SF – SAS): $4,600 DraftKings, $5,800 FanDuel
- Russell Westbrook (PG – LAL): $8,200 DraftKings, $7,000 FanDuel
- Reggie Jackson (PG – LAC): $7,900 DraftKings, $6,900 FanDuel
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.