NBA Grind Down: Celtics at Jazz - Saturday, March 18th
The Celtics have spent most of the season atop the East, but they’re looking up at the Bucks these days. Boston is still very much alive for that No. 1 seed, though the Sixers are also breathing down their necks. The Celts won in Portland last night, and they’re 4-point favorites over the Jazz in Utah this evening.
As usual, read all the way through for a breakdown of the top NBA DFS picks and a free PrizePicks entry for Celtics-Jazz.
Click here for the Grind Down Overview!
NBA DFS: Boston Celtics at Utah Jazz
| Boston Celtics | Utah Jazz | |||||||||||
 |
Vegas Total |  |
Vegas Total | |||||||||
| Vegas Spread | #N/A | Vegas Spread | #N/A | |||||||||
| Implied Team Total | Implied Team Total | |||||||||||
| Points +/- | -117.5 | Points +/- | -117.2 | |||||||||
| Position | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | Position | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Projected Starters | Marcus Smart | Derrick White | Jaylen Brown | Jayson Tatum | Blake Griffin | Projected Starters | Jordan Clarkson | Talen Horton-Tucker | Lauri Markkanen | Kelly Olynyk | Walker Kessler | |
| D EFF (L10) | 25 | 29 | 7 | 28 | 1 | D EFF (L10) | 13 | 6 | 18 | 8 | 9 | |
Boston Celtics NBA DFS Preview
Malcolm Brogdon missed last night’s game, while Marcus Smart played through an illness-related questionable tag. Al Horford is always iffy in back-to-back situations, as well. Boston can’t really afford to rest many regulars, but we’ll have to wait on that injury report.
Saturday NBA DFS Notes
Notable Injuries:
Al Horford (Doubtful)
Robert Williams (Out)
Payton Pritchard (Out)
Boston Celtics Stats:
Pace of Play: 99.2 (18 of 30)
Offensive Rating: 116.5 (4 of 30)
Implied Total: ( of 8)
Rebounding Rate: 50.4% (11 of 30)
UTA Matchup:
Pace of Play: 100.6 (12 of 30)
Defensive Rating: 115.7 (24 of 30)
Rebounding Rate: 51.2% (5 of 30)
Note: The team stats above are from the 2022-23 season.
We’re currently projecting Horford to sit, while Robert Williams is already out. That should mean a start for Grant Williams, who looks like one of the better values on the slate in 30 projected minutes. Smart and Derrick White should have very high minutes floors if Brogdon sits out again tonight, and they’re both appealing in the mid-$5,000s on DK. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are both pricey, but they both have usage rates north of 30%, as well. Tatum projects as the better point-per-dollar play even at his higher salaries, but he’s projecting for significantly more ownership as a result. That’ll make Brown a natural leverage play in tournaments.
Celtics Lineup – DraftKings & FanDuel Salaries
| Player | DK | POS | FD | POS | MIN/G | +/- | FP/G | +/- | USG% | +/- | TS% | +/- | DK/M | +/- | FD/M | +/- | MIN (P) | DK (P) | DK/$ | FD (P) | FD/$ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcus Smart | $5,300 | PG | $5,600 | PG | 32.4 | 0.6 | 28.7 | -9.1 | 18% | 0% | 53% | -13% | 0.89 | -0.29 | 0.87 | -0.30 | 34 | 27.0 | 5.09 | 26.7 | 4.77 | |
| Derrick White | $5,500 | PG/SG | $6,100 | PG/SG | 28.0 | 1.2 | 25.7 | 2.6 | 17% | -4% | 60% | 7% | 0.92 | 0.05 | 0.92 | 0.07 | 30 | 28.8 | 5.24 | 29.1 | 4.76 | |
| Jaylen Brown | $9,300 | SG/SF | $9,500 | SF/SG | 36.2 | 1.6 | 43.6 | 8.2 | 31% | 0% | 59% | 9% | 1.20 | 0.17 | 1.17 | 0.17 | 37 | 43.2 | 4.65 | 42.0 | 4.42 | |
| Jayson Tatum | $10,700 | SF/PF | $10,800 | PF/SF | 37.4 | 0.4 | 52.9 | -0.8 | 32% | -1% | 60% | -8% | 1.41 | -0.04 | 1.36 | -0.03 | 37 | 54.7 | 5.12 | 52.3 | 4.84 | |
| Blake Griffin | $3,300 | C | $4,200 | PF | 14.2 | -1.3 | 11.9 | 0.0 | 13% | -2% | 61% | 6% | 0.84 | 0.09 | 0.83 | 0.13 | 18 | 15.6 | 4.72 | 15.6 | 3.71 | |
| Malcolm Brogdon | $5,800 | PG | $6,000 | PG/SG | 25.8 | 2.5 | 27.4 | 0.7 | 22% | -1% | 62% | 6% | 1.06 | -0.07 | 1.03 | -0.06 | 28 | 27.4 | 4.72 | 26.7 | 4.44 | |
| Grant Williams | $3,800 | SF/PF | $4,900 | PF | 26.7 | -9.5 | 18.8 | -12.8 | 13% | -4% | 61% | -41% | 0.71 | -0.36 | 0.69 | -0.34 | 30 | 24.0 | 6.32 | 23.4 | 4.77 | |
| Sam Hauser | $3,100 | SG/SF | $4,400 | SF | 15.6 | -1.2 | 12.1 | -4.5 | 14% | 0% | 63% | 2% | 0.78 | -0.25 | 0.75 | -0.29 | 8 | 5.7 | 1.84 | 5.4 | 1.22 | |
| Luke Kornet | $3,000 | PF/C | $4,000 | PF | 11.4 | -2.5 | 9.7 | -0.7 | 11% | -1% | 72% | -22% | 0.85 | 0.16 | 0.90 | 0.22 | 18 | 12.1 | 4.03 | 13.2 | 3.31 | |
| Mike Muscala | $3,000 | C | $4,200 | C | 14.9 | 13.0 | 15% | 59% | 0.87 | 0.86 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
The +/- columns show the difference between this season’s averages and the last three games.
Top DraftKings & FanDuel Picks
Elite Plays – Jayson Tatum
Tournament Targets – Jaylen Brown
Viable Punts – Marcus Smart, Derrick White (DK), Grant Williams
Utah Jazz NBA DFS Preview
The Jazz haven’t played a game in 5 days, so apparently the NBA decided to give them their own little All-Star break. Jordan Clarkson is questionable with the finger injury that’s kept him out over the past few games, while Collin Sexton is still out.
Saturday NBA DFS Notes
Notable Injuries:
Jordan Clarkson (Questionable)
Collin Sexton (Out)
Utah Jazz Stats:
Pace of Play: 100.6 (12 of 30)
Offensive Rating: 115.9 (6 of 30)
Implied Total: ( of 8)
Rebounding Rate: 51.2% (5 of 30)
BOS Matchup:
Pace of Play: 99.2 (18 of 30)
Defensive Rating: 111.1 (4 of 30)
Rebounding Rate: 50.4% (11 of 30)
Note: The team stats above are from the 2022-23 season.
Boston is one of the toughest matchups in the league, though Utah obviously has a massive rest advantage here. Lauri Markkanen won’t come cheap, but he’s been dominating on a nightly basis all year long. This probably isn’t a great spot to be paying for him, but he will see a bit more usage if Clarkson’s still out. Talen Horton-Tucker and Kris Dunn will get the point guard minutes with Sexton out, but they look like dreadful values at these price points.
Kelly Olynyk and Walker Kessler are the closest things to good values from this team, but even they don’t look great. Olynyk (#revenge) is the Jazzman most on my radar at $5,500 on DraftKings and $5,700 on FanDuel given his solid starting role and still-decent production (0.92 FP/min).
Jazz Lineup – DraftKings & FanDuel Salaries
| Player | DK | POS | FD | POS | MIN/G | +/- | FP/G | +/- | USG% | +/- | TS% | +/- | DK/M | +/- | FD/M | +/- | MIN (P) | DK (P) | DK/$ | FD (P) | FD/$ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Clarkson | $7,800 | PG/SG | $7,400 | PG/SG | 32.6 | 33.6 | 27% | 56% | 1.03 | 0.97 | 30 | 29.9 | 3.84 | 28.1 | 3.79 | |||||||
| Talen Horton-Tucker | $6,800 | SG/SF | $6,800 | SG/SF | 18.5 | 11.4 | 19.3 | 23.9 | 23% | 9% | 51% | 7% | 1.04 | 0.40 | 1.03 | 0.33 | 28 | 29.7 | 4.37 | 28.7 | 4.21 | |
| Lauri Markkanen | $9,600 | SF | $9,200 | PF/SF | 34.4 | 1.1 | 42.3 | 3.6 | 26% | 5% | 65% | -12% | 1.23 | 0.06 | 1.18 | 0.08 | 35 | 43.6 | 4.54 | 41.4 | 4.50 | |
| Kelly Olynyk | $5,500 | PF | $5,700 | C/PF | 28.2 | -0.2 | 26.5 | -1.2 | 17% | -5% | 64% | 11% | 0.94 | -0.03 | 0.92 | -0.04 | 30 | 26.8 | 4.87 | 26.3 | 4.62 | |
| Walker Kessler | $6,900 | C | $8,000 | C | 22.4 | 8.8 | 25.6 | 8.9 | 13% | -1% | 71% | 13% | 1.14 | -0.04 | 1.23 | -0.10 | 30 | 30.6 | 4.43 | 31.8 | 3.98 | |
| Kris Dunn | $5,300 | PG | $5,800 | PG | 22.2 | -2.4 | 28.8 | -0.4 | 20% | 1% | 60% | -4% | 1.30 | 0.13 | 1.34 | 0.14 | 18 | 20.1 | 3.79 | 20.4 | 3.51 | |
| Ochai Agbaji | $3,500 | SG/SF | $4,000 | SG | 17.6 | 13.8 | 10.5 | 9.5 | 13% | 4% | 58% | 0% | 0.60 | 0.04 | 0.58 | 0.03 | 24 | 14.1 | 4.04 | 13.2 | 3.31 | |
| Rudy Gay | $3,100 | PF | $3,900 | PF/SF | 14.6 | -0.3 | 11.6 | -2.4 | 17% | 1% | 47% | -8% | 0.79 | -0.15 | 0.80 | -0.17 | 14 | 11.8 | 3.81 | 11.5 | 2.94 | |
| Damian Jones | $3,000 | C | $3,700 | C | 9.8 | 3.8 | 8.0 | -2.9 | 11% | -5% | 67% | 21% | 0.81 | -0.44 | 0.85 | -0.51 | 14 | 8.8 | 2.94 | 9.2 | 2.47 | |
| Simone Fontecchio | $3,700 | SF/PF | $4,800 | SF | 12.1 | 9.6 | 9.1 | 17.3 | 19% | 5% | 50% | 19% | 0.75 | 0.47 | 0.72 | 0.49 | 10 | 7.0 | 1.89 | 6.7 | 1.39 |
The +/- columns show the difference between this season’s averages and the last three games.
Top DraftKings & FanDuel Picks
Elite Plays – None
Tournament Targets – Lauri Markkanen, Talen Horton-Tucker, Walker Kessler
Viable Punts – Kelly Olynyk
NBA PrizePicks Selection: Kelly Olynyk More Than 16.5 Points + Rebounds
Image Credit: Getty Images
The Celtics have spent most of the season atop the East, but they’re looking up at the Bucks these days. Boston is still very much alive for that No. 1 seed, though the Sixers are also breathing down their necks. The Celts won in Portland last night, and they’re 4-point favorites over the Jazz in Utah this evening.
As usual, read all the way through for a breakdown of the top NBA DFS picks and a free PrizePicks entry for Celtics-Jazz.
Click here for the Grind Down Overview!
NBA DFS: Boston Celtics at Utah Jazz
| Boston Celtics | Utah Jazz | |||||||||||
| |
Vegas Total | |
Vegas Total | |||||||||
| Vegas Spread | #N/A | Vegas Spread | #N/A | |||||||||
| Implied Team Total | Implied Team Total | |||||||||||
| Points +/- | -117.5 | Points +/- | -117.2 | |||||||||
| Position | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | Position | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Projected Starters | Marcus Smart | Derrick White | Jaylen Brown | Jayson Tatum | Blake Griffin | Projected Starters | Jordan Clarkson | Talen Horton-Tucker | Lauri Markkanen | Kelly Olynyk | Walker Kessler | |
| D EFF (L10) | 25 | 29 | 7 | 28 | 1 | D EFF (L10) | 13 | 6 | 18 | 8 | 9 | |
Boston Celtics NBA DFS Preview
Malcolm Brogdon missed last night’s game, while Marcus Smart played through an illness-related questionable tag. Al Horford is always iffy in back-to-back situations, as well. Boston can’t really afford to rest many regulars, but we’ll have to wait on that injury report.
Saturday NBA DFS Notes
Notable Injuries:
Al Horford (Doubtful)
Robert Williams (Out)
Payton Pritchard (Out)
Boston Celtics Stats:
Pace of Play: 99.2 (18 of 30)
Offensive Rating: 116.5 (4 of 30)
Implied Total: ( of 8)
Rebounding Rate: 50.4% (11 of 30)
UTA Matchup:
Pace of Play: 100.6 (12 of 30)
Defensive Rating: 115.7 (24 of 30)
Rebounding Rate: 51.2% (5 of 30)
Note: The team stats above are from the 2022-23 season.
We’re currently projecting Horford to sit, while Robert Williams is already out. That should mean a start for Grant Williams, who looks like one of the better values on the slate in 30 projected minutes. Smart and Derrick White should have very high minutes floors if Brogdon sits out again tonight, and they’re both appealing in the mid-$5,000s on DK. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are both pricey, but they both have usage rates north of 30%, as well. Tatum projects as the better point-per-dollar play even at his higher salaries, but he’s projecting for significantly more ownership as a result. That’ll make Brown a natural leverage play in tournaments.
Celtics Lineup – DraftKings & FanDuel Salaries
| Player | DK | POS | FD | POS | MIN/G | +/- | FP/G | +/- | USG% | +/- | TS% | +/- | DK/M | +/- | FD/M | +/- | MIN (P) | DK (P) | DK/$ | FD (P) | FD/$ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcus Smart | $5,300 | PG | $5,600 | PG | 32.4 | 0.6 | 28.7 | -9.1 | 18% | 0% | 53% | -13% | 0.89 | -0.29 | 0.87 | -0.30 | 34 | 27.0 | 5.09 | 26.7 | 4.77 | |
| Derrick White | $5,500 | PG/SG | $6,100 | PG/SG | 28.0 | 1.2 | 25.7 | 2.6 | 17% | -4% | 60% | 7% | 0.92 | 0.05 | 0.92 | 0.07 | 30 | 28.8 | 5.24 | 29.1 | 4.76 | |
| Jaylen Brown | $9,300 | SG/SF | $9,500 | SF/SG | 36.2 | 1.6 | 43.6 | 8.2 | 31% | 0% | 59% | 9% | 1.20 | 0.17 | 1.17 | 0.17 | 37 | 43.2 | 4.65 | 42.0 | 4.42 | |
| Jayson Tatum | $10,700 | SF/PF | $10,800 | PF/SF | 37.4 | 0.4 | 52.9 | -0.8 | 32% | -1% | 60% | -8% | 1.41 | -0.04 | 1.36 | -0.03 | 37 | 54.7 | 5.12 | 52.3 | 4.84 | |
| Blake Griffin | $3,300 | C | $4,200 | PF | 14.2 | -1.3 | 11.9 | 0.0 | 13% | -2% | 61% | 6% | 0.84 | 0.09 | 0.83 | 0.13 | 18 | 15.6 | 4.72 | 15.6 | 3.71 | |
| Malcolm Brogdon | $5,800 | PG | $6,000 | PG/SG | 25.8 | 2.5 | 27.4 | 0.7 | 22% | -1% | 62% | 6% | 1.06 | -0.07 | 1.03 | -0.06 | 28 | 27.4 | 4.72 | 26.7 | 4.44 | |
| Grant Williams | $3,800 | SF/PF | $4,900 | PF | 26.7 | -9.5 | 18.8 | -12.8 | 13% | -4% | 61% | -41% | 0.71 | -0.36 | 0.69 | -0.34 | 30 | 24.0 | 6.32 | 23.4 | 4.77 | |
| Sam Hauser | $3,100 | SG/SF | $4,400 | SF | 15.6 | -1.2 | 12.1 | -4.5 | 14% | 0% | 63% | 2% | 0.78 | -0.25 | 0.75 | -0.29 | 8 | 5.7 | 1.84 | 5.4 | 1.22 | |
| Luke Kornet | $3,000 | PF/C | $4,000 | PF | 11.4 | -2.5 | 9.7 | -0.7 | 11% | -1% | 72% | -22% | 0.85 | 0.16 | 0.90 | 0.22 | 18 | 12.1 | 4.03 | 13.2 | 3.31 | |
| Mike Muscala | $3,000 | C | $4,200 | C | 14.9 | 13.0 | 15% | 59% | 0.87 | 0.86 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
The +/- columns show the difference between this season’s averages and the last three games.
Top DraftKings & FanDuel Picks
Elite Plays – Jayson Tatum
Tournament Targets – Jaylen Brown
Viable Punts – Marcus Smart, Derrick White (DK), Grant Williams
Utah Jazz NBA DFS Preview
The Jazz haven’t played a game in 5 days, so apparently the NBA decided to give them their own little All-Star break. Jordan Clarkson is questionable with the finger injury that’s kept him out over the past few games, while Collin Sexton is still out.
Saturday NBA DFS Notes
Notable Injuries:
Jordan Clarkson (Questionable)
Collin Sexton (Out)
Utah Jazz Stats:
Pace of Play: 100.6 (12 of 30)
Offensive Rating: 115.9 (6 of 30)
Implied Total: ( of 8)
Rebounding Rate: 51.2% (5 of 30)
BOS Matchup:
Pace of Play: 99.2 (18 of 30)
Defensive Rating: 111.1 (4 of 30)
Rebounding Rate: 50.4% (11 of 30)
Note: The team stats above are from the 2022-23 season.
Boston is one of the toughest matchups in the league, though Utah obviously has a massive rest advantage here. Lauri Markkanen won’t come cheap, but he’s been dominating on a nightly basis all year long. This probably isn’t a great spot to be paying for him, but he will see a bit more usage if Clarkson’s still out. Talen Horton-Tucker and Kris Dunn will get the point guard minutes with Sexton out, but they look like dreadful values at these price points.
Kelly Olynyk and Walker Kessler are the closest things to good values from this team, but even they don’t look great. Olynyk (#revenge) is the Jazzman most on my radar at $5,500 on DraftKings and $5,700 on FanDuel given his solid starting role and still-decent production (0.92 FP/min).
Jazz Lineup – DraftKings & FanDuel Salaries
| Player | DK | POS | FD | POS | MIN/G | +/- | FP/G | +/- | USG% | +/- | TS% | +/- | DK/M | +/- | FD/M | +/- | MIN (P) | DK (P) | DK/$ | FD (P) | FD/$ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Clarkson | $7,800 | PG/SG | $7,400 | PG/SG | 32.6 | 33.6 | 27% | 56% | 1.03 | 0.97 | 30 | 29.9 | 3.84 | 28.1 | 3.79 | |||||||
| Talen Horton-Tucker | $6,800 | SG/SF | $6,800 | SG/SF | 18.5 | 11.4 | 19.3 | 23.9 | 23% | 9% | 51% | 7% | 1.04 | 0.40 | 1.03 | 0.33 | 28 | 29.7 | 4.37 | 28.7 | 4.21 | |
| Lauri Markkanen | $9,600 | SF | $9,200 | PF/SF | 34.4 | 1.1 | 42.3 | 3.6 | 26% | 5% | 65% | -12% | 1.23 | 0.06 | 1.18 | 0.08 | 35 | 43.6 | 4.54 | 41.4 | 4.50 | |
| Kelly Olynyk | $5,500 | PF | $5,700 | C/PF | 28.2 | -0.2 | 26.5 | -1.2 | 17% | -5% | 64% | 11% | 0.94 | -0.03 | 0.92 | -0.04 | 30 | 26.8 | 4.87 | 26.3 | 4.62 | |
| Walker Kessler | $6,900 | C | $8,000 | C | 22.4 | 8.8 | 25.6 | 8.9 | 13% | -1% | 71% | 13% | 1.14 | -0.04 | 1.23 | -0.10 | 30 | 30.6 | 4.43 | 31.8 | 3.98 | |
| Kris Dunn | $5,300 | PG | $5,800 | PG | 22.2 | -2.4 | 28.8 | -0.4 | 20% | 1% | 60% | -4% | 1.30 | 0.13 | 1.34 | 0.14 | 18 | 20.1 | 3.79 | 20.4 | 3.51 | |
| Ochai Agbaji | $3,500 | SG/SF | $4,000 | SG | 17.6 | 13.8 | 10.5 | 9.5 | 13% | 4% | 58% | 0% | 0.60 | 0.04 | 0.58 | 0.03 | 24 | 14.1 | 4.04 | 13.2 | 3.31 | |
| Rudy Gay | $3,100 | PF | $3,900 | PF/SF | 14.6 | -0.3 | 11.6 | -2.4 | 17% | 1% | 47% | -8% | 0.79 | -0.15 | 0.80 | -0.17 | 14 | 11.8 | 3.81 | 11.5 | 2.94 | |
| Damian Jones | $3,000 | C | $3,700 | C | 9.8 | 3.8 | 8.0 | -2.9 | 11% | -5% | 67% | 21% | 0.81 | -0.44 | 0.85 | -0.51 | 14 | 8.8 | 2.94 | 9.2 | 2.47 | |
| Simone Fontecchio | $3,700 | SF/PF | $4,800 | SF | 12.1 | 9.6 | 9.1 | 17.3 | 19% | 5% | 50% | 19% | 0.75 | 0.47 | 0.72 | 0.49 | 10 | 7.0 | 1.89 | 6.7 | 1.39 |
The +/- columns show the difference between this season’s averages and the last three games.
Top DraftKings & FanDuel Picks
Elite Plays – None
Tournament Targets – Lauri Markkanen, Talen Horton-Tucker, Walker Kessler
Viable Punts – Kelly Olynyk