It’s been a fun week of basketball, but this slate features something we’ve never seen before. This is the opening night of the NBA In-Season tournament, and we all have much to learn about this format. I’m still unsure how it works from a structure standpoint, but all the games count towards normal standings and statistics. That shouldn’t change much for us, so let’s get into this Friday card!

View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet

NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer:

Schedule and Odds

• CLE at IND (CLE -4.5) O/U: 222.5
• NYK at MIL (MIL -6.5) O/U: 227.5
• BKN at CHI (CHI -4.5) O/U: 220
• WAS at MIA (MIA -9.5) O/U: 226.5
• GSW at OKC (GSW -5) O/U: 228
• DAL at DEN (DEN -7.5) O/U: 227.5
• MEM at POR (MEM -1.5) O/U: 220

Check out our consensus game odds and the odds from each sportsbook at BettingPros.

Injury Report

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (knee) OUT
• Kyrie Irving (foot) Questionable
• Tyrese Haliburton (ankle) Questionable
• Darius Garland (hamstring) Questionable
• RJ Barrett (knee) Questionable
• Spencer Dinwiddie (ankle) Questionable
• Jarrett Allen (ankle) Questionable
• Scoot Henderson (ankle) OUT
• Nic Claxton (ankle) OUT
• Cameron Johnson (calf) OUT
• Daniel Gafford (ankle) Questionable

Core Plays

Stephen Curry (PG/SG – GSW): $10,100 DraftKings, $9,700 FanDuel
Chef Curry has been cooking his opponents through the opening week, averaging nearly 50 DraftKings points per game. That’s on par with what we saw last season, and his 31 raw points per game indicates how well he’s gelling with Chris Paul. He also obliterated Oklahoma City last season, averaging 37.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 8.3 assists in their three matchups last year.

Jimmy Butler (SF/PF – MIA): $8,400 DraftKings, $8,300 FanDuel
It’s been a terrible start to the season for emo Jimmy, but this stud will get going sooner rather than later. He’s been a lock for 35-40 DraftKings points for a decade now and needs to play better to get this Miami team going. This is the best chance for him to start a hot streak because Washington is last in defensive efficiency while surrendering the most fantasy points to opposing forwards.

Josh Giddey (PG/SG – OKC): $8,400 DraftKings, $7,900 FanDuel
Giddey hasn’t been great this season, but it’s tough when there are so many weapons in this offense. The good news is that SGA is expected to sit here, which means Giddey should be the primary playmaker. With Gilgeous-Alexander off the floor this season, Giddey leads the team with a 31 percent usage rate while averaging 1.4 DK points per minute. That means we could be looking at 40-50 fantasy points if he plays the 35 minutes we’ve become accustomed to.

Cash Game Considerations

Nikola Jokic (C – DEN): $12,000 DraftKings, $11,900 FanDuel
The Joker is the safest option on every slate. This two-time MVP has scored at least 40 fantasy points in all but a handful of games over the last three years, averaging over 60 DraftKings points per game in that span. His stat-stuffing makes him the safest option on every slate, and we love that he faces a Dallas team surrendering the second-most fantasy points to opposing centers.

Luka Doncic (PG – DAL): $13,000 DraftKings, $12,500 FanDuel
This pricing is hard to believe, but Doncic has been the best player in DFS through the opening 10 days. The Slovenian has scored at least 72 fantasy points in all but one game, leading the league with a 68-point average. That’s hard even to fathom because there’s only been a few 68-point games across the NBA this season. Denver is a daunting matchup, but Doncic has dropped at least 56 DK points in four of their last five matchups.

Malcolm Brogdon (PG – POR): $6,500 DraftKings, $6,500 FanDuel
Brogdon has been a massive draft pick in season-long leagues at the end of drafts, and it’s scary to think how much usage he’ll be looking at here. Losing Damian Lillard was one thing, but injuries to Anfernee Simons and Scoot Henderson have crippled this backcourt. We’ve already seen Brogdon score at least 28 fantasy points every game this season, and that will be his floor since he’s the only ball-handler left on this roster. Not to mention, Memphis owns a 29th OPRK against opposing point guards.

GPP Targets

Mitchell Robinson (C – NYK): $5,500 DraftKings, $6,300 FanDuel
This guy doesn’t score much, but he provides excellent value through hustle statistics. Robinson is averaging 11.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks, posting a 33-point average on DraftKings since struggling in the opener. That’s an absurd total from such an affordable player, and NY needs him out there big minutes to oppose this massive Milwaukee team. We saw Mitch-Rob score 45 DraftKings points against them last season.

Dereck Lively (C – DAL): $5,700 DraftKings, $6,000 FanDuel
Lively is the best center on this roster, and we have to hope Dallas plays him for extended minutes. That’s why he’s in the GPP section because it’s always tough to trust a rookie. In any case, Lively has 35 DK points in two of four games this season, playing at least 31 minutes in both of those. He failed to crack 20 minutes in the other two, so it’s tough to know what to expect! We’ll bet on one of the upside games because the Mavs need Lively out there to cover Jokic.

Value Plays

Jalen Williams (SF/PF – OKC): $6,500 DraftKings, $6,700 FanDuel
With SGA missing this game, we expect Giddey and Williams to do everything for this offense. Williams was a breakout in his rookie season, and he comes into this matchup averaging over 30 fantasy points per game. He was even better in the final months of last year and flirted with a 40-point average when Gilgeous-Alexander was out last year. The matchup isn’t too shabby either, with Golden State posting a 23rd OPRK against opposing wings.

Deandre Ayton (C – POR): $6,600 DraftKings, $7,700 FanDuel
Ayton was atrocious in his first few games with Portland, but something has clicked this week. The big man has 44 and 49 DraftKings points in his two most recent outings. This team is starting to realize that he’s their best player, and we expect him to get more touches with Simons and Henderson both sidelined. The Grizzlies losing Steven Adams has killed their defense, too, ranked 22nd in defensive efficiency ratings.

Xavier Tillman (PF/C – MEM): $5,900 DraftKings, $5,400 FanDuel
We just talked about how Adams is out for Memphis, but missing Ja Morant and Santi Aldama has made Tillman an elite fantasy find. Xavier was held to just 14 minutes in a blowout in his most recent outing but had a 30-point average before that. We expect him to recapture that form here because the Blazers allow the most fantasy points to opposing centers. That makes this sub0$6K price tag hard to believe, especially since we might be looking at a close game for these struggling teams.

Advantageous Pricing

• Deandre Ayton (C – POR): $6,600 DraftKings, $7,700 FanDuel
• Buddy Hield (SG – IND): $6,300 DraftKings, $4,900 FanDuel
• Klay Thompson (SG – GSW): $6,900 DraftKings, $5,700 FanDuel
• Jordan Poole (PG/SG – WAS): $7,700 DraftKings, $6,700 FanDuel

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic | Breaker | Castbox | Pocket Casts