NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Friday, March 22

NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Friday, March 22

This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.

Slate Overview

BOS at DET: Celtics on seven-game win streak; Pistons on four-game slide 

OKC at TOR: Thunder have won three straight; Raptors on eight-game slide 

NOP at MIA: Pelicans 7-3 in last 10 games; Heat 17-15 at home

CLE at MIN: Cavs 21-12 on road; Timberwolves 23-9 home  

MEM at SAS: Grizzlies on four-game slide; Spurs 4-6 in last 10 games

IND at GSW: Pacers 5-5 in last 10 games; Warriors 5-5 in last 10 games

LAC at POR: Clippers 21-15 on road; Trail Blazers 2-8 in their last 10 games

PHI at LAL: 76ers 4-6 in last 10 games; Lakers 25-12 at home 

For the latest spreads and over/unders, visit RotoWire's NBA Odds page. There you can also find player props, futures, picks, articles and sportsbook bonus codes.

Injuries to Monitor  

For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report       

BOS - Sam Hauser (ankle): Probable; Jaylen Brown (ankle), Al Horford (toe), Kristaps Porzingis (hamstring), Jayson Tatum (ankle): Questionable; Jrue Holiday (shoulder): OUT
Payton Pritchard and Luke Kornet could be in line for more playing time.   

DET - Simone Fontecchio (toe), Quentin Grimes (knee): OUT 
Tosan Evbuomwan is expected to start. Evan Fournier, James Wiseman and Marcus Sasser should also see a boost.   

TOR - Gary Trent (back): Questionable; RJ Barrett (personal), Chris Boucher (knee), Scottie Barnes (hand), Jakob Poeltl (finger), Immanuel Quickley (personal): OUT
Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, Gradey Dick and Ochai Agbaji continue to see bigger roles.       

NOP - Dyson Daniels (knee), Brandon Ingram (knee): OUT
Jose Alvarado and Naji Marshall have to step up.     

MIA - Bam Adebayo (back): Questionable; Kevin Love (heel), Tyler Herro (foot), Duncan Robinson (back): OUT
Haywood Highsmith, Delon Wright, Thomas Bryant and Jaime Jaquez are up for more playing time. 

CLE - Dean Wade (knee), Donovan Mitchell (nose), Evan Mobley (ankle), Max Strus (knee): OUT
Caris LeVert, Georges Niang and Isaac Okoro should see big minutes.   

MIN - Anthony Edwards (finger), Naz Reid (head), Rudy Gobert (ribs): Questionable; Karl-Anthony Towns (knee): OUT
Kyle Anderson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker may pick up extra opportunities.   

MEM - Scotty Pippen (leg), John Konchar (heel): Questionable; Vince Williams (knee), Desmond Bane (back): Doubtful; Luke Kennard (personal), Lamar Stevens (thigh), Marcus Smart (finger), Ziaire Williams (hip): OUT
GG Jackson and John Konchar continue to handle greater roles. Trey Jemison and Jake LaRavia also get more action.       

SAS - Zach Collins (concussion): Questionable 
Cedi Osman and Dominick Barlow could pick up a boost.

GSW - Draymond Green (back): Probable; Moses Moody (knee): Questionable 
Trayce Jackson-Davis could be up for a bigger role.  

LAC - Terance Mann (shoulder), Norman Powell (leg): Questionable; Russell Westbrook (hand): OUT
Amir Coffey and Bones Hyland are in line for more action.   

POR - Anfernee Simons (knee): Probable; Matisse Thybulle (ankle): Questionable; Jerami Grant (hamstring): Doubtful; Malcolm Brogdon (elbow): OUT
Kris Murray, Scoot Henderson and Dalano Banton are up for more playing time.       

PHI - Tobias Harris (ankle): Questionable; Robert Covington (knee), Joel Embiid (knee), De'Anthony Melton (back): OUT
Mo Bamba, Kyle Lowry and Kelly Oubre are expected to start.   

LAL - Anthony Davis (Achilles): Probable; LeBron James (ankle): Questionable; Jarred Vanderbilt (foot), Christian Wood (knee): OUT
Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes should see more opportunities.  

Elite Players

Guards

James Harden, Clippers ($8,500) at Trail Blazers 

Harden faces the second of back-to-back meetings with the Trail Blazers after he delivered 49.5 DK points in the last game, with 19 points, four rebounds, 14 assists and a block. He is likely to thrive once again as the Blazers continue to deal with injury trouble in the backcourt. The Trail Blazers also give up the league's sixth-most free throws per game. 

Derrick White, Celtics ($7,600) at Pistons 

White is thriving lately, averaging 14.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 6.9 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.8 blocks over his last 10 appearances, including eight games with more than 30 DK points and a high of 61.5 in his previous encounter with the Pistons. He is likely to prosper once again, as the Pistons give up the league's fifth-most points and second-most free throws per game. 

Forwards/Centers

Jimmy Butler, Heat (8,200) vs. Pelicans 

Butler returned from a two-game absence to deliver a 30-point performance and 50.5 DK points in the last game. He is averaging 22.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.7 steals through his last 10 appearances, including five with more than 45 DK points. He has a good chance to shine against the Pelicans, who face the second game of a back-to-back and are shorthanded at the wing. 

Kawhi Leonard, Clippers ($8,600) at Trail Blazers

Leonard faces the second of back-to-back encounters with the Trail Blazers after he totaled 24 points, four rebounds, two assists and four steals in their previous meeting. He is likely to pad his stats with steals once again, as the Blazers give up the league's third-most turnovers per game. Leonard is averaging 23.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.7 steals on the season. 

Jaren Jackson, Grizzlies ($8,300) at Spurs 

Despite the Grizzlies' turbulent season, Jackson remains a point of reliability, averaging 21.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.6 blocks across his last five appearances. He faces a good chance to stand out against the Spurs, who give up the league's most points and fourth-most rebounds per game to opposing centers. Jackson is averaging 18.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 2.0 steals in two games against the Spurs this season. 

Expected Chalk 

Stephen Curry, Warriors ($8,600) vs. Pacers

Curry is coming off a subdued performance but is averaging 21.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists across his last 10 outings, including two with more than 50 DK points. He is up for a prime opportunity to pad his stats against the Pacers, who give up the league's third-most points and second-highest field-goal percentage per game. Curry finished with 54 DK points in his previous clash with the Pacers. 

Mid-Range Money 

Chris Paul, Warriors ($5,600) vs. Pacers

Paul is on a roll, averaging 10.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.1 steals over the last 10 games, including two with more than 40 DK points. He faces an excellent opportunity to keep it going against the Pacers, who give up the league's seventh-most points per game to opposing point guards.

Myles Turner, Pacers ($6,500) at Warriors 

Turner is averaging 15.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 2.2 blocks over the last 10 games, including two with more than 40 DK points. He has a good chance to stand out against the Warriors, who give up the league's seventh-most points per game to opposing centers and the league's third-most offensive rebounds per game. 

Value Picks

Buddy Hield, 76ers ($4,900) at Lakers

Hield is averaging 11.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists over a six-game stretch since moving back to a bench role. He faces a favorable matchup and chance to get his shot going against the Lakers, who give up the league's third-most three-pointers per game.  

Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Timberwolves ($4,900) vs. Cavaliers 

Alexander-Walker is averaging 11.0 points 2.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 0.9 steals over the last 10 games, including three with more than 35 DK points. He has a good chance to come out on the higher side of his potential with an opportunity to pick up additional playing time while the Timberwolves are struck by a bit of injury trouble.

Naji Marshall, Pelicans ($3,800) at Heat 

Marshall is averaging 7.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals over the last 10 games, including five with at least 20 DK points and a high of 30.5. He faces a tough matchup against the Heat but is expected to see increased playing time in the absence of Ingram. 

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Dan Bruno plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: duelingdan.
RotoWire Community
Join Our Subscriber-Only NBA Chat
Chat with our writers and other RotoWire NBA fans for all the pre-game info and in-game banter.
Join The Discussion
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dan Bruno
Dan has been writing all things NBA for RotoWire since 2014. He is an active fantasy sports player, with a love for DFS. Dan is a certified Coach with the Ontario Basketball Association and is a recreation professional in his home city.
Best NBA Bets Today: Free Picks and Player Props for Sunday, December 15
Best NBA Bets Today: Free Picks and Player Props for Sunday, December 15
NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Sunday, December 15
NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Sunday, December 15
NBA DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Lineup Strategy for Sunday, December 15
NBA DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Lineup Strategy for Sunday, December 15
NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Lineup Strategy for Saturday, December 14
NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Lineup Strategy for Saturday, December 14
NBA DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Strategy for Saturday, December 14
NBA DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Strategy for Saturday, December 14
Best NBA Bets Today: Free Picks and Player Props for Saturday, December 14
Best NBA Bets Today: Free Picks and Player Props for Saturday, December 14