Fantasy basketball tips and NBA betting picks for Friday

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, March 31 are provided by Caesars Sportsbook, and fantasy advice is based on ESPN 10-team leagues.

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All but six teams are active this evening, offering one of the larger player pools of the season. Sifting through point totals during such a big night can help identify the strongest fantasy climates. Nine of Friday's 13 games enter with a total of at least 225 points, confirming there are plenty of positive offensive outcomes expected.

There are also a series of massive favorites present on Friday's schedule, making close matchups such as the Atlanta Hawks visiting the Brooklyn Nets appear attractive for building lineups. A total hovering around 240 points with Atlanta positioned as only slight road favorites offers the coveted blend of productive offense and heavy minutes for projectable contributors.

Several other games qualify in regards to having encouraging point totals and competitive spreads; the Lakers visit the Timberwolves and the Thunder in Indiana. Even Detroit facing the Rockets has some helium for fantasy purposes. Such a slate raises the bar for finding savvy streaming and DFS options, which our experts below help you accomplish.

— Jim McCormick

Records (Against the Spread) Knicks: 44-33 (43-33-1) Cavaliers: 48-29 (41-34-2)

Line: Cavaliers (-3.5)BPI Projection: Cavaliers: