NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Friday, March 31

NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Friday, March 31

This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.

Slate Overview

OKC at IND: Pacers are on a four-game slide. 

TOR at PHI: Raptors have won three in a row. 

ORL at WAS: Wizards are 3-7 in their last 10 games. 

CHI at CHA: Hornets are on a three-game win streak. 

UTA at BOS: Celtics are 28-9 at home. 

NYK at CLE: Cavs are 30-8 at home. 

ATL at BKN: Hawks are 16-22 on the road. 

DET at HOU: Both teams have dropped seven straight games. 

LAL at MIN: Timberwolves are 21-17 at home. 

LAC at MEM: Shorthanded Clippers beat Grizzlies in Memphis on Wednesday. 

SAS at GSW: Warriors are 31-8 at home. 

SAC at POR: Trail Blazers are 1-9 in their last 10 games. 

DEN at PHX: Suns have won three straight. 

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       

OKC - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (ankle): OUT

IND - Myles Turner (back): Questionable / Tyrese Haliburton (ankle), Chris Duarte (ankle): OUT 

TOR - Gary Trent (elbow), Will Barton (ankle): Questionable 

WAS - Daniel Gafford (foot): Questionable / Bradley Beal (knee), Kyle Kuzma (ankle): OUT 

CHI - Alex Caruso (foot), Andre Drummond (personal), Javonte Green (knee): Questionable  

CHA - Kelly Oubre (shoulder), Dennis Smith (toe): Questionable / Gordon Hayward (thumb): Doubtful / Terry Rozier (foot): OUT

UTA - Kelly Olynyk (illness): Questionable / Lauri Markkanen (hand), Jordan Clarkson (finger), Collin Sexton (hamstring): OUT 

NYK - Julius Randle (ankle): OUT   

CLE - Jarrett Allen (groin): Questionable / Isaac Okoro (knee): OUT 

ATL - De'Andre Hunter (knee): Questionable 

DET - Killian Hayes (leg): Questionable / Rodney McGruder (foot), Bojan Bogdanovic (Achilles), Alec Burks (foot), Hamidou Diallo (ankle), Isaiah Stewart (shoulder): OUT  

HOU - Kenyon Martin (hip): Questionable / Jae'Sean Tate (knee): OUT    

LAL - Anthony Davis (foot): Probable / LeBron James (foot): Questionable

MIN -  Kyle Anderson (illness), Anthony Edwards (illness) and Karl-Anthony Towns (calf): Probable / Naz Reid (wrist), Taurean Prince (illness), Jaylen Nowell (knee), Austin Rivers (illness): Questionable 

LAC - Kawhi Leonard (personal): Questionable / Paul George (knee), Marcus Morris (COVID-19): OUT 

MEM - Steven Adams (knee), Ziaire Williams (foot): OUT 

SAS - Doug McDermott (elbow): Probable / Keldon Johnson (foot), Romeo Langford (thigh), Devin Vassell (knee): Questionable / Zach Collins (knee), Jeremy Sochan (knee): OUT 

GSW -  Andrew Wiggins (personal): Doubtful 

POR - Trendon Watford (ankle): Questionable / Ryan Arcidiacono (back), Cam Reddish (back): Doubtful / Jerami Grant (quadriceps), Damian Lillard (out for season), Jusuf Nurkic (knee), Anfernee Simons (foot): OUT

DEN - Nikola Jokic (calf): Questionable  

Elite Players

Guards

De'Aaron Fox, Kings ($8,000) at Trail Blazers  

Fox is averaging 23.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.0 steals through 10 games, including two with more than 55 DK points. He faces a good chance to keep rolling against the Trail Blazers, who give up the league's ninth-most free throws per game and are significantly shorthanded in the backcourt. 

Josh Giddey, Thunder ($8,700) at Pacers

GIddey will continue to see extra usage in the absence of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (ankle), and he has a favorable matchup against the Pacers' shorthanded backcourt. Giddey is averaging 22.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 6.6 assists over five outings, including a high of 58.5 DK points. 

Forwards/Centers

Jaylen Brown, Celtics ($9,200) vs. Jazz 

Brown has been dominant lately, averaging 29.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists, with a high of 63.8 DK points in the last 10 games. He should continue to prosper against the Jazz, who give up the league's seventh-most points per game and are shorthanded at the wing positions. 

Pascal Siakam, Raptors ($8,900) at 76ers 

Siakam is averaging 21.7 points, 8.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists, with a high of 57.5 DK points in the last 10 games. He must continue to bring a complete effort to help his team have the best chance heading into the postseason. Siakam also came up huge with a total of 68.3 DK points in the previous encounter with the 76ers. 

Domantas Sabonis, Kings ($10,400) at Trail Blazers  

Sabonis is coming off a quieter outing but is averaging 20.0 points, 13.5 rebounds and 8.5 assists through 10 games, including six with more than 53 DK points and a high of 71.3. He has an excellent chance to shine against the Trail Blazers, who give up the league's seventh-most points in the paint and are shorthanded in the frontcourt. 

Expected Chalk 

Stephen Curry, Warriors ($10,500) vs. Spurs 

Curry delivered 69 DK points in the previous game and is averaging 29.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.0 steals over the last 10. He faces a great opportunity to excel against the Spurs, who give up the league's most points per game and also allow opponents to shoot an average of 39.3 percent from long range. 

Value Picks

Cameron Payne, Suns ($4,100) vs. Nuggets 

Payne is averaging 9.0 points, 2.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists across five games, with a high of 28 DK points. He should find room to thrive against the Nuggets, who face the second game of a back-to-back and give up the league's sixth-most points per game to point guards. 

Patrick Beverley, Bulls ($4,300) at Hornets 

Beverley was quiet in the last outing but is averaging 4.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steals over five games, including three with at least 19 DK points. He has a good chance to stuff the stat sheet against the Hornets, who give up the league's ninth-most points per game and are shorthanded in the backcourt.

Bogdan Bogdanovic, Hawks ($4,600) at Nets 

Bogdanovic is averaging 12.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists over five games, including three with more than 20 DK points. He also amassed 41.5 DK points in the previous encounter with the Nets.

Jarred Vanderbilt, Lakers ($4,900) at Timberwolves 

Vanderbilt generated a high of 38.5 DK points, while averaging 7.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.1 steals in the last 10 games. He faces a good chance to stand out against the Timberwolves, who give up the league's fourth-most offensive rebounds per game. 

Sandro Mamukelashvili, Spurs ($5,000) at Warriors 

Mamukelashvili has been impressive lately, averaging 10.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 24.5 minutes per game over the last 10 outings, including a high of 37.3 DK points. He faces a good chance to keep up the production against the Warriors, who give up the league's fifth-most points per game to centers. 

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.
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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.
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