NBA DFS Preview – First Look (3/25)

Friday’s NBA DFS slate features seven games, which is a nice size. This certainly isn’t the most exciting slate of games of the season, but more news will drop.

Be sure to check out the FTN NBA Optimizer. 

NBA Vegas Data for March 25 | NBA DFS First Look

Utah Jazz @ Charlotte Hornets

UTA -4, total: 228.5
Pace: UTA (19th), CHA (4th)

Situations to monitor:

• Bojan Bogdanovic will remain out for Utah, while Hassan Whiteside is listed as questionable.

Washington Wizards @ Detroit Pistons

DET -4.5, total: 221
Pace: WAS (25th), DET (12th)

Situations to monitor:

• Hamidou Diallo remains out for the Pistons.
• Kyle Kuzma is questionable for Washington. 

Golden State Warriors @ Atlanta Hawks

ATL -2.5, total: 221
Pace: GSW (15th), ATL (18th)

Situations to monitor:

• Stephen Curry will remain sidelined for the Warriors.
• John Collins remains out for the Hawks.

New York Knicks @ Miami Heat

MIA -6.5, total: 215.5
Pace: NYK (24th), MIA (26th)

Situations to monitor:

• Julius Randle (quad) and Mitchell Robinson (back) are listed as questionable for New York.
• For Miami, Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler are once again listed as questionable. Victor Oladipo has been ruled out.

Dallas Mavericks @ Minnesota Timberwolves

MIN -2.5, total: 228.5
Pace: DAL (30th), MIN (1st)

Situations to monitor:

• Karl-Anthony Towns (forearm) is listed as questionable. He’s been playing through the ailment.

Houston Rockets @ Portland Trail Blazers

HOU -4, total: 234
Pace: HOU (2nd), POR (13th)

Situations to monitor:

• Seemingly Portland’s entire roster remains out for Friday.

Philadelphia 76ers @ Los Angeles Clippers

PHI -5.5, total: 219.5
Pace: PHI (26th), LAC (16th)

Situations to monitor:

• Some of Los Angeles’ key players will see their minutes limited going forward, including Reggie Jackson, Marcus Morris and Nicolas Batum.

Matchups to Target | NBA DFS First Look

Rudy Gobert vs. Charlotte Hornets

Gobert finds himself in an absolute smash spot Friday, facing a Charlotte defense that has struggled to slow down opposing centers for years now. That hasn’t changed in 2022, as the Hornets are coughing up the second-most points (25.5) and second-most rebounds per game (17.43) to opposing centers. Meanwhile, no team in the NBA is allowing more putback points per game than Charlotte (7.6), which bodes well for Gobert, who is averaging 3.6 points per game off putbacks, good for the second-most in all of basketball. Finally, the Hornets are also allowing the third-most offensive rebounds per game (11.4). Look for Gobert, who is averaging 8.4 offensive rebounding opportunities per game, to take advantage of this matchup.

Klay Thompson vs. Atlanta Hawks

Thompson is coming off a rest day but will be back in the lineup Friday. And with the Warriors without Stephen Curry, Thompson should see plenty of usage. In fact, with Curry off the court this season, Thompson is sporting a very healthy 28.6% usage rate, while averaging 1.11 fantasy points per minute in the split. This is a pretty favorable matchup for Thompson, as the Hawks are coughing up the third-most points per game (5.0), the most points per possession (1.12) and the worst field goal percentage (46.9%) to opposing shooters off screens this season. Thompson, meanwhile, is averaging 4.1 points per game off screens, second-most in all of basketball behind Curry. Meanwhile, his 25.6% frequency rate off the play type is the second-highest rate in the NBA.

Value Plays | NBA DFS First Look

Royce O’Neale vs. CHA — We don’t have amazing value at the moment, but O’Neale is guaranteed to play 30-plus minutes, which makes him interesting, especially when he is under $4,000 on DraftKings. And with Bojan Bogdanovic still sidelined for the Jazz, the minutes should remain solid.