ESPN's fantasy basketball and basketball betting tips cheat sheet is your pregame destination for basketball betting predictions and our best intel and data, featuring ESPN's proprietary Basketball Power Index (BPI) to help you make smart fantasy and wagering decisions. NBA game odds for Friday are provided by Caesars Sportsbook.
A three-game Friday schedule presents several paths to building lineups. There are several chalk options for both DFS picks and prop plays, such as Nikola Jokic with a reasonable path to 60 fantasy points or Jayson Tatum's continued dominance of the Atlanta Hawks.
While Donovan Mitchell is another obvious name on the board, I find his PRA prop (points + rebounds + assists) of 40.5 especially appealing given it's a number he's topped in five of his past eight direct matchups with the New York Knicks and in five of his past six games overall. New York will likely focus its point-of-attack defense on Mitchell, but an expectation for 40 minutes of play with a usage rate above 30% signals real value at this current PRA prop.
Past the superstar tier of players, my model digs some glue guys as real values, such as Bruce Brown being projected for nearly six fantasy points per $1,000 spent in DFS markets, which has long been a measure for elite efficiency. Atlanta's Onyeka Okongwu also qualifies, as he's the lone player of the slate I'm projecting above this threshold.
On a slate rife with star power, identifying productive complementary players could prove key. Immanuel Quickley, for instance, is one of Steve Alexander's top targets this evening just after being passed over for Sixth Man of the Year honors. Let our crew of analysts help decipher this fun Friday night of hoops.
— Jim McCormick
Boston
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