We made it. The final values article of the NBA regular season, on the penultimate slate. We’ve scoured many injury reports and suffered through many back-to-backs in 2023-24, all in the name of saving salary. Fortunately, we miss a majority of tonight’s B2Bs on DraftKings’ 11-game featured slate. It’s a small consolation prize, I guess.
Let’d dive into the action on the hardcourt one more time.
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SG/SF Jaden Springer, Boston Celtics vs. Charlotte Hornets, $3,000
We don’t yet have an injury report for the Celtics, but I assume it’s going to be lengthy. Boston zigged when everyone expected a zag on Thursday. The team had initially listed its entire starting lineup as questionable against the Knicks, with most assuming we’d seen a pretty familiar pattern to close out the week. One where the Celtics rested a couple of their key guys versus New York, then rested different key guys on Friday versus Charlotte. Instead, Boston played all their usuals last night, setting up a scenario where I assume the likes of Jayson Tatum ($9,900), Kristaps Porzingis ($8,200) and Jaylen Brown ($8,200) will be joining Al Horford ($5,300) on the bench in back-to-back bubblewrap — especially considering the Celtics have nothing left to gain in the standings. For our purposes, Springer is simply a placeholder. It could be Luke Kornet ($4,300). It could be Oshae Brissett ($3,000). This point is: This starting lineup is going to be weird.
SF/PF Jae Crowder, Milwaukee Bucks at Oklahoma City Thunder, $4,300
Much like the Celtics, the Bucks are projecting like a team that will be missing most of its usual starters on Friday. Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) is obviously out for the remainder of the regular season, while Damian Lillard ($9,600; adductor) is doubtful. Then there’s Khris Middleton ($7,900; ankle), who is listed as questionable for tonight’s festivities along with Bobby Portis ($6,900) and Brook Lopez ($5,900) — both designated for rest purposes. To me, that last part is a pretty strong indicator of where things are going. There’s going to be opportunities for using assets at the bare minimum here, as Thanasis Antetokounmpo ($3,000) and Andre Jackson ($3,000) seem to be in line for as many minutes as they can handle. However, I’ll give a quick shoutout to Crowder, who logged 30.3 minutes and registered 23.5 DKFP in Wednesday’s victory against the Magic.
PG/SG Dante Exum, Dallas Mavericks vs. Detroit Pistons, $4,200
The Mavericks are one of seven teams that have officially clinched a playoff spot as we enter action on Friday, and though they could still fight for home court advantage in the first round, it seems like Jason Kidd is prioritizing rest. Kyrie Irving (hamstring) will miss his first contest since early February, while Luka Doncic ($12,900; ankle) is questionable to suit up. The last time one of Dallas’ superstars missed a game was last week, with Doncic sitting out a win against the Warriors. In his place, Exum started and logged 33.2 minutes. The former lottery pick also managed 11 points and seven assists. Obviously, Exum’s ceiling as an asset increases if Doncic is again unavailable, but with the Pistons allowing 118.9 points per 100 possessions in April, the guard is viable either way.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $100K Fadeaway [$20K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is theglt13) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
