We have a relatively subdued night for a Friday, as there are just six games on FanDuel's main slate. We have multiple teams on the second night of a back-to-back set, and the night is expected to feature the noteworthy season debut of the Celtics' Jayson Tatum just 10 months removed from last May's Achilles tear.
Slate Overview
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Listed spreads/totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook and current as of Friday, March 6 at 1:00 a.m. EST:
- Dallas Mavericks at Boston Celtics (-15.5) (O/U: 222.5)
- Miami Heat at Charlotte Hornets (-6.5) (O/U: 228.5)
- Portland Trail Blazers at Houston Rockets (-6) (O/U: 221.5)
- New York Knicks (-1) at Denver Nuggets (O/U: 229.5)
- New Orleans Pelicans at Phoenix Suns (-6) (O/U: 224.5)
- Los Angeles Clippers at San Antonio Spurs (-8) (O/U: 224.5)
Projected totals are somewhat subdued Friday, as we have the rare instance of a mid-size slate with sub-230-point figures across the board. However, point spreads present a more encouraging picture overall, with the Celtics' massive projected advantage over the Mavericks a notable exception.
Injury Situations to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
Deni Avdija, POR (back): DOUBTFUL
In Avdija's likely absence, the rest of the Trail Blazers starting five should continue to see elevated usage, while Matisse Thybulle and Siddy Cissoko could log most of the small forward minutes.
Jayson Tatum, BOS (Achilles): QUESTIONABLE
Tatum is likelier than not to make his season debut Friday per sources, and if he indeed suits up, he'll likely operate off the second unit and with a minutes restriction.
LeBron James, LAL (elbow): OUT
In James' absence, Jarred Vanderbilt and Rui Hachimura are likely to absorb the majority of power forward minutes.
Other notable injuries:
Dejounte Murray, NOP (rest): OUT
Norman Powell, MIA (groin): OUT
Darius Garland, LAC (toe): OUT
Aaron Gordon, DEN (hamstring): OUT
John Collins, LAC (neck): OUT
Mark Williams, PHO (foot): OUT
Josh Hart, NYK (back): QUESTIONABLE
Brandon Williams, DAL (quadriceps): QUESTIONABLE
Trey Murphy, NOP (neck): PROBABLE
Elite Players
We have four players with five-figure salaries on Friday's slate – Nikola Jokic ($12,600), Victor Wembanyama ($11,800), Jaylen Brown ($10,100) and Kawhi Leonard ($10,000).
Jokic went off for 58.9 FD points over 37 minutes in the hard-fought win over the Lakers on Thursday, his sixth game in the last seven with more than 52 FD points.
Wembanyama exploded for 76.7 FD points across 38 minutes against the Pistons on Thursday and has eclipsed 48 FD points in eight of the last 10 contests overall, but fatigue could be at least a slight factor Friday considering his workload versus Detroit and the fact it's the third game in four nights.
Brown appears likely to welcome Jayson Tatum back to the floor Friday, but the latter will undoubtedly be on a minutes limit and Brown is averaging a robust 45.7 FD points per contest.
Leonard has 43.6 and 44.6 FD points in his last pair of contests, but he does draw a tough defensive matchup against his old Spurs squad.
Go to RotoWire's NBA Daily Starting Lineups and NBA News for up-to-the-minute information!
Expected Chalk
Other likely chalk plays include:
Alperen Sengun, HOU ($9,800)
Sengun's production has been a bit up and down of late, but he draws a matchup against a Blazers squad he scored 68.5 FD points in one prior meeting this season.
Jamal Murray, DEN ($9,500)
Murray recorded 41.3 FD points Thrusday against the Lakers, and he also has tallies of 58.4 and 64.6 FD points within his last four games.
Kevin Durant, HOU ($9,400)
Durant posted 46.7 FD points in Thursday's OT loss to the Warriors, his third game over 46 FD points within the last four.
Jalen Brunson, NYK ($8,700)
Brunson has eclipsed 42 FD points in back-to-back tough matchups against the Raptors and Thunder, so he should be highly rostered in a much more palatable scenario against the Nuggets.
Cooper Flagg, DAL ($8,200)
Flagg recorded 46 FD points in only 25 minutes during his return from a foot injury Thursday against the Magic, so he's likely to be very popular Friday with a projected increase in minutes.
Key Values
Miles Bridges, CHA vs. MIA ($6,500)
Bridges admittedly turned in quite the clunker against the Celtics on Wednesday, scoring only 15.6 FD points over 30 minutes in a tough matchup. However, the veteran forward had scored 25.1 to 38.1 FD points in three of the previous four games, and he's facing a Heat team that he's averaged 15.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.0 blocks and 32.6 FD points against in two prior meetings this season. Miami continues to make for a good target, considering the Heat are allowing the fourth-most FD points per game to power forwards (49.1), including 51.9 over the last 15 games. The Heat is also conceding the fifth-most rebounds per game (55.5), adding to Bridges' appeal.
Jabari Smith, HOU vs. POR ($6,100)
Smith returned from a two-game absence due to an ankle injury Thursday against the Warriors, and he finished with 20.2 FD points across 42 minutes. However, in an 11-game span between Jan. 29 and Feb. 23, Smith averaged 36.5 FD points while shooting 53.8 percent, including 47.0 percent from behind the arc. The versatile forward could be in a good spot to get back to that type of production Friday, as he boasts tallies of 32.5 and 38.1 FD points in two of three matchups against the Trail Blazers this season. Then, Portland is conceding 45.3 FD points per contest to power forwards in the last 15 games, and the Blazers are also surrendering over three more rebounds per game on the road (54.3) than at home (51.2).
Jayson Tatum, BOS vs. DAL ($5,500)
As mentioned earlier, Tatum is expected to make his season debut Friday, and it's likely the star forward is probably limited to 20 minutes or thereabouts in his first game action in 10 months. Tatum has been participating in 5-on-5 scrimmages for more than a week without any restrictions, so he should hit the floor with a certain degree of confidence. Even when factoring in rust, Tatum has the ability to generate strong per-minute production, and needless to say, his salary will not remain this low moving forward. The Mavericks are also on the second night of a back-to-back after a wire-to-wire battle against the Magic on Thursday, and Dallas was already allowing the sixth-most FD points per game to PFs over the last 15 games (49.6) going into that matchup.
ALSO CONSIDER: Coby White, CHA vs. MIA ($5,400)
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