Entering the final month and a half of the season, the Western Conference playoff race is pretty nail-biting, with just half a game separating the sixth-seeded LA Clippers and the 10th-seeded Dallas Mavericks. In the East, the tightest playoff battle is between the Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers, and Detroit Pistons for the fourth seed.
Monday, March 3 offers a seven-game featured slate at DraftKings. I’ll take you through every game, including stats and key injuries, to help you fill out the best lineups possible tonight.
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Warriors at Hornets
Charlotte has been truly awful in its last 10 games, with the league’s worst net rating across that span by more than 10 points per 100 possessions, and the struggles have extended to point guard LaMelo Ball ($9,700), who’s averaged just 12.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists (27.6 FPTS) per game on 26-25-91 shooting splits over his last three games. Meanwhile, Stephen Curry ($9,200) is in incredible form, dropping a season-high 56 points and 12 made three-pointers (73.5 FPTS) in a 121-115 win over the Orlando Magic on Thursday and then following it up with a season-high 13 assists (59.25 FPTS) two nights later against the Philadelphia 76ers. The key variable in this game is the health of Jimmy Butler ($7,600), who missed the Philadelphia game with a back injury. For the Hornets, Miles Bridges ($8,500) — who’s been arguably the team’s best player over the last few weeks — is questionable while dealing with an illness.
Trail Blazers at 76ers
With Joel Embiid now ruled out for the season with his knee issues, Philadelphia’s chances rest on Tyrese Maxey ($9,000) and Paul George ($7,500), the latter of whom is questionable with groin soreness. Maxey had an awful shooting game on Saturday against the Warriors, shooting just two-for-14 from the field and scoring a season-low five points, although he made up for it with 11 assists (28.25 FPTS). In that game, it was Quentin Grimes ($5,800) who posted a career-high 44 points (63.0 FPTS), leading the 76ers to a surprising win. For the Trail Blazers, Deni Avdija ($6,700) posted his first career triple-double in an overtime defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers last night, scoring 32 points to go along with 12 rebounds and 10 assists (62.5 FPTS), and I wouldn’t be surprised if he goes off again against a team that has the league’s fifth-worst defensive rating in its last 10 games.
Wizards at Heat
Washington has won two of its last three games, beating Charlotte, 113-100, on Saturday despite missing Jordan Poole ($7,200) with an elbow injury. With Poole sidelined, Carlton Carrington ($5,000) drew the start and was okay, scoring 11 points, grabbing five rebounds, and dishing out four assists (28.75 FPTS). The fact that the Wizards will be without their leader in usage rate should also benefit Bilal Coulibaly ($6,300), who posted a 25.7% usage rate on Saturday, his fifth-highest of the season, and scored 17 points (35.25 FPTS). For Miami, Tyler Herro ($8,800) has scored 20 or more points in six of his last seven games, although he shot the ball inefficiently in yesterday’s 116-112 loss to the New York Knicks. His co-star, Bam Adebayo ($8,400), had 30 points (45.25 FPTS) last night and could go off again tonight, especially if Andrew Wiggins ($6,800) misses his third straight game with an ankle injury.
Hawks at Grizzlies
This game should be an exciting one, given that Memphis and Atlanta play at the league’s fastest and second-fastest pace, respectively. Trae Young ($9,600) has posted three consecutive rough shooting outings, but I like him to bounce back tonight against a Grizzlies team led by Ja Morant ($8,300), who’s not exactly an elite defender and is questionable with the shoulder injury that relegated him to the bench during Saturday’s loss. If Morant sits, Defensive Player of the Year favorite Jaren Jackson Jr. ($8,000) should garner a huge load. On Saturday, Jackson posted a season-high 42 points, two blocks, and two steals (59.5 FPTS) and should be valuable again tonight, especially if backup power forward Santi Aldama ($6,400) misses the game with a calf injury. The Hawks have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards.
Rockets at Thunder
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Houston and Oklahoma City are two of the league’s four best defensive teams, so this one might be a gritty, ugly battle. Several key players have injury designations; for the Thunder, Chet Holmgren ($7,100) missed last night’s win over the San Antonio Spurs with an ankle injury and is questionable for tonight, while the Rockets’ Alperen Sengun ($8,900) and Amen Thompson ($8,200) are questionable as well. If both Şengün and backup Steven Adams ($3,800), who’s been in and out of the rotation with an ankle injury, can’t suit up, Jock Landale ($3,000) might get a few more minutes. If Thompson can’t play, Houston will probably turn more to Tari Eason ($5,500), who’s also questionable with a leg injury. Meanwhile, in Holmgren’s absence, Cason Wallace ($4,300) slid into Oklahoma City’s starting lineup and dropped 19 points (32.3 FPTS).
Kings at Mavericks
Kyrie Irving ($9,500) has continued to serve as Dallas’ solo star while Anthony Davis ($10,000) remains sidelined with an adductor injury. The Mavericks will also be without P.J. Washington ($7,200), who sprained his ankle in Saturday’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Over his last five games, Irving has averaged 28.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.0 assists (47.8 FPTS) per game, although he shot the ball poorly in Saturday’s defeat. I’m in on Zach LaVine ($7,800), too; not only has he scored 20 or more points in seven of his 10 games since arriving in Sacramento, his co-star Domantas Sabonis ($9,400) suffered a hamstring strain in Saturday’s defeat to the Rockets and will miss at least the next week. With Sabonis shelved, Jonas Valanciunas ($5,400) will slide into the starting lineup; after his compatriot left the game in the first minute, Valanciunas dropped 15 points and snagged 14 boards (49.0 FPTS) and should be a valuable asset against a team whose only healthy center is Dwight Powell ($3,900), who’s on a 12-minute-per-game restriction.
Pistons at Jazz
Detroit’s red-hot form took a bit of a hit when the team suffered a 134-119 home loss to the Denver Nuggets on Friday, but there’s hardly any shame in losing to Nikola Jokić, and the Pistons bounced back with a 115-94 victory over the Brooklyn Nets the following night. Cade Cunningham ($10,100) has struggled in the last two games, averaging just 32.75 FPTS across that span, but he’s a prime candidate to bounce back against a Utah team that allows the most fantasy points to opposing point guards. As has been the case all season, the Jazz’s injury report is lengthy; Lauri Markkanen ($6,900), Walker Kessler ($6,800), John Collins ($6,600), Jordan Clarkson ($6,200), and Collin Sexton ($6,100) all carry injury designations. Of the three; I’d expect Collins and Sexton to play and the other three to sit out. Sexton’s availability might help Isaiah Collier ($6,500), who posted a career-high 14 assists while playing alongside him on Friday. For Detroit, Tobias Harris ($5,800) will be out for personal reasons, so lottery pick Ron Holland II ($3,500) and Simone Fontecchio ($3,200) could be deep value plays.
