<
>

Fantasy basketball picks and betting tips for Friday

Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers scored 19 points on Tuesday against the Dallas Mavericks. AP Photo/Matt Slocum

There are seven games on Friday's slate following a chaotic trade deadline, including the Philadelphia 76ers taking on the Detroit Pistons at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. The 76ers, currently 11th in the Eastern Conference and the Pistons, currently seventh, will face off for the third and final time this season, with the series tied 1-1. Joel Embiid was dominant in his last game out and should have an advantage on Friday night. Here are the fantasy streamers and bets to look out for tonight.

Friday's fantasy stream team

Vit Krejci, PG, Atlanta Hawks (available in 98.6% of ESPN leagues) Krejci is a solid streaming option in deeper formats after the Hawks traded De'Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic at the deadline. With new additions Terance Mann and Bones Hyland unlikely to play, Krejci should help fill the void against the Bucks. He has averaged 13.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists per 40 minutes this season.

Nikola Jovic, PF, Miami Heat (84.1%) Jovic has taken on an expanded role for the Heat recently, and that should continue for the remainder of the season now that Jimmy Butler is a Warrior. Jovic has scored 29 or more fantasy points in five of his past six games, including two games with 45 or more. He has averaged 34.1 minutes per game over that stretch and is a reliable source of points, rebounds, and assists. He should find success against a Nets defense that has struggled this season.

Onyeka Okongwu, C, Atlanta Hawks (52.4%) Okongwu became a starter on Jan. 20 and has been excellent ever since. He has recorded 28 or more fantasy points in five straight games. Okongwu contributes across nearly every statistical category, making him a strong streaming option for Friday night.

Moody's favorite bets for Friday

Scottie Barnes under 20.5 points (-115) The Thunder are nearly 19.5-point favorites, making blowout potential high. They lead the league in defensive rating and allow the second-fewest points to power forwards. Chet Holmgren's return, even in limited minutes, will make scoring tougher for Barnes, who had just 12 points in a 37-point loss to OKC in December.

Joel Embiid over 43.5 points, rebounds and assists (-105) Embiid should be well-rested for Friday night's game after sitting out against the Heat on Wednesday. He has hit this line in six of his past 10 games and three of his past four when coming off a day's rest this season. He has also had success against the Pistons, surpassing this line in four straight matchups. With a narrow 4.5-point spread, this game projects to be competitive.

De'Aaron Fox over 7.5 assists (+105) Fox had 19 potential assists and finished with 13 assists in his Spurs debut against the Hawks on Wednesday. Fox fits well in San Antonio's offensive system. The Spurs love to run in transition, play at a fast pace and create spot-up opportunities, which plays to his strengths. He also has a great matchup against a Charlotte Hornets defense that has struggled against point guards, giving up a high number of assists over the last month. This is a strong spot for Fox.

play
0:54
Shams breaks down Jusuf Nurkic-Cody Martin trade

Shams Charania reacts to the news that the Suns are trading Jusuf Nurkic and a 2026 first-round pick to the Hornets for Cody Martin, Vasilije Micic and a 2026 second-round pick.

Projections and Injury Reports

Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Odds by ESPN BET

Players in italics are available in a majority of ESPN Leagues


San Antonio Spurs at Charlotte Hornets
7 p.m. ET

Line: Spurs -10.5 (-110) | Hornets 10.5 (-110)
Money line: Spurs -500 | Hornets +360
Total: 228.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Spurs by 11.9, straight up 83%, 219.3 total points.

Injury Report:
Spurs: Charles Bassey, (OUT - Knee); Riley Minix, (OUT - Shoulder)
Hornets: Cam Reddish, (GTD - Personal); Dalton Knecht, (GTD - Not Injury Related); Josh Green, (GTD - Calf); Josh Okogie, (OUT - Hamstring); Brandon Miller, (OUT - Wrist); Grant Williams, (OUT - Knee); Tre Mann, (OUT - Back)

Spurs projections:

Hornets projections:

  • LaMelo Ball, PG: 46.4 FPTS (26.7 pts, 4.5 reb, 6.6 ast, 4.0 3PM)

  • Miles Bridges, SF/PF: 36.9 FPTS (20.7 pts, 6.7 reb, 4.2 ast, 2.1 3PM)

  • Nick Smith Jr., SG: 19.9 FPTS (11.7 pts, 2.7 reb, 2.3 ast, 1.9 3PM)

  • Moussa Diabate, PF: 18.1 FPTS (8.4 pts, 5.9 reb, 1.2 ast)

  • Josh Green, SG/SF: 17.2 FPTS (8.7 pts, 2.6 reb, 1.5 ast)

  • Cody Martin, SG: 17.0 FPTS (7.6 pts, 3.4 reb, 1.8 ast)

  • KJ Simpson, PG: 16.9 FPTS (8.5 pts, 2.3 reb, 2.4 ast)


Cleveland Cavaliers at Washington Wizards
7 p.m. ET

Line: Cavaliers -17.5 (-105) | Wizards 17.5 (-115)
Money line: Cavaliers -2000 | Wizards +1000
Total: 235.5 (-105 O, -115 U)
BPI Projection: Cavaliers by 13.8, straight up 86%, 237.3 total points.

Injury Report:
Cavaliers: Caris LeVert, (GTD - Not Injury Related); Georges Niang, (GTD - Not Injury Related); Donovan Mitchell, (GTD - Shoulder); Isaac Okoro, (OUT - Shoulder); Luke Travers, (OUT - Ankle); Sam Merrill, (OUT - Personal); Dean Wade, (OUT - Knee)
Wizards: Johnny Davis, (GTD - Not Injury Related); Marvin Bagley III, (GTD - Knee); Patrick Baldwin Jr., (GTD - Not Injury Related); AJ Johnson, (GTD - Not Injury Related); Khris Middleton, (GTD - Ankle); Alex Sarr, (OUT - Ankle); Malcolm Brogdon, (OUT - Foot); Saddiq Bey, (OUT - Knee)

Cavaliers projections:

  • Donovan Mitchell, PG/SG: 41.9 FPTS (23.3 pts, 4.1 reb, 4.6 ast, 3.3 3PM)

  • Darius Garland, PG: 38.9 FPTS (21.7 pts, 2.6 reb, 6.3 ast, 2.8 3PM)

  • Evan Mobley, PF/C: 33.3 FPTS (17.5 pts, 9.6 reb, 3.0 ast, 1.5 blk)

  • Jarrett Allen, C: 30.8 FPTS (14.0 pts, 11.1 reb, 2.0 ast)

  • Caris LeVert, SG/SF: 22.3 FPTS (10.7 pts, 2.4 reb, 3.7 ast)

  • Ty Jerome, PG: 21.2 FPTS (10.3 pts, 2.5 reb, 3.0 ast)

  • Max Strus, SG/SF: 21.0 FPTS (9.2 pts, 4.2 reb, 2.4 ast, 2.0 3PM)

Wizards projections:


Milwaukee Bucks at Atlanta Hawks
7:30 p.m. ET

Line: Bucks -5.5 (-110) | Hawks 5.5 (-110)
Money line: Bucks -225 | Hawks +190
Total: 242.5 (-105 O, -115 U)
BPI Projection: Hawks by 1.8, straight up 56%, 235.4 total points.

Injury Report:
Bucks: MarJon Beauchamp, (GTD - Not Injury Related); Brook Lopez, (GTD - Knee); Damian Lillard, (GTD - Groin); Giannis Antetokounmpo, (GTD - Calf); Jericho Sims, (GTD - Not Injury Related); Kyle Kuzma, (GTD - Not Injury Related); Liam Robbins, (OUT - Undisclosed)
Hawks: Trae Young, (GTD - Achilles); Clint Capela, (OUT - Personal); Daeqwon Plowden, (OUT - Illness); Jalen Johnson, (OUT - Shoulder); Kobe Bufkin, (OUT - Shoulder); De'Andre Hunter, (GTD - Not Injury Related); Cody Zeller, (GTD - Personal); Bogdan Bogdanovic, (GTD - Not Injury Related)

Bucks projections:

Hawks projections:


Miami Heat at Brooklyn Nets
7:30 p.m. ET

Line: Heat -6.5 (EVEN) | Nets 6.5 (-120)
Money line: Heat -230 | Nets +195
Total: 210.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Nets by 1.6, straight up 55%, 213.1 total points.

Injury Report:
Heat: Andrew Wiggins, (GTD - Not Injury Related); Davion Mitchell, (GTD - Not Injury Related); Haywood Highsmith, (GTD - Achilles); Kevin Love, (GTD - Knee); Kyle Anderson, (GTD - Not Injury Related); Nikola Jovic, (GTD - Calf); Dru Smith, (OUT - Achilles)
Nets: Bojan Bogdanovic, (OUT - Foot); Cam Thomas, (OUT - Hamstring); Maxwell Lewis, (OUT - Lower Leg); Noah Clowney, (OUT - Ankle); De'Anthony Melton, (OUT - Knee)

Heat projections:

  • Tyler Herro, PG/SG: 44.1 FPTS (25.2 pts, 5.6 reb, 5.8 ast, 3.6 3PM)

  • Bam Adebayo, PF/C: 40.0 FPTS (19.5 pts, 9.8 reb, 4.7 ast)

  • Andrew Wiggins, SF/PF: 27.6 FPTS (16.8 pts, 3.9 reb, 2.4 ast, 2.0 3PM)

  • Nikola Jovic, PF: 23.2 FPTS (11.5 pts, 4.1 reb, 3.1 ast, 1.8 3PM)

  • Terry Rozier, PG/SG: 22.3 FPTS (12.5 pts, 3.4 reb, 2.6 ast)

  • Kel'el Ware, C: 18.8 FPTS (7.7 pts, 7.4 reb, 1.2 ast)

  • Duncan Robinson, SF: 17.0 FPTS (8.8 pts, 1.8 reb, 2.4 ast, 2.1 3PM)

Nets projections:


Philadelphia 76ers at Detroit Pistons
7:30 p.m. ET

Line: 76ers -4.5 (-110) | Pistons 4.5 (-110)
Money line: 76ers -185 | Pistons +155
Total: 226.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: 76ers by 2.5, straight up 58%, 223.0 total points.

Injury Report:
76ers: Andre Drummond, (GTD - Toe); Guerschon Yabusele, (GTD - Knee); Quentin Grimes, (GTD - Not Injury Related); Jared McCain, (OUT - Knee)
Pistons: Cade Cunningham, (GTD - Ankle); Lindy Waters III, (GTD - Not Injury Related); Malik Beasley, (GTD - Shoulder); Tobias Harris, (GTD - Leg); Jaden Ivey, (OUT - Lower Leg)

76ers projections:

Pistons projections:


Toronto Raptors at Oklahoma City Thunder
8 p.m. ET

Line: Raptors 19.5 (-115) | Thunder -19.5 (-105)
Money line: Raptors +1200 | Thunder -3000
Total: 231.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Thunder by 17.6, straight up 91%, 226.8 total points.

Injury Report:
Raptors: Brandon Ingram, (GTD - Ankle); P.J. Tucker, (GTD - Not Injury Related); Jakob Poeltl, (OUT - Hip); RJ Barrett, (OUT - Concussion)
Thunder: Cason Wallace, (OUT - Shoulder); Ousmane Dieng, (OUT - Calf); Ajay Mitchell, (OUT - Toe); Nikola Topic, (OUT - Knee)

Raptors projections:

Thunder projections:


Utah Jazz at Phoenix Suns
10 p.m. ET

Line: Jazz 8.5 (-105) | Suns -8.5 (-115)
Money line: Jazz +290 | Suns -380
Total: 232.5 (-115 O, -105 U)
BPI Projection: Suns by 5.3, straight up 67%, 234.0 total points.

Injury Report:
Jazz: Dennis Schroder, (GTD - Not Injury Related); Cody Williams, (GTD - Ankle); Jordan Clarkson, (OUT - Foot); Collin Sexton, (OUT - Ankle); Taylor Hendricks, (OUT - Lower Leg)
Suns: Bradley Beal, (GTD - Toe); Kevin Durant, (GTD - Ankle); Ryan Dunn, (GTD - Ankle)

Jazz projections:

Suns projections:

  • Devin Booker, PG/SG: 48.1 FPTS (29.6 pts, 4.0 reb, 6.7 ast, 2.7 3PM)

  • Kevin Durant, PF: 39.9 FPTS (26.1 pts, 5.7 reb, 4.4 ast, 2.2 3PM)

  • Bradley Beal, SG/SF: 27.5 FPTS (15.9 pts, 2.9 reb, 3.5 ast, 1.8 3PM)

  • Tyus Jones, PG: 23.9 FPTS (10.4 pts, 2.0 reb, 4.5 ast)

  • Grayson Allen, PG/SG: 21.0 FPTS (10.2 pts, 3.4 reb, 2.1 ast, 2.2 3PM)

  • Royce O'Neale, SF: 18.7 FPTS (7.4 pts, 4.2 reb, 1.9 ast, 1.9 3PM)

  • Jusuf Nurkic, C: 17.7 FPTS (8.4 pts, 5.2 reb, 2.0 ast)