NBA Grind Down: Sixers at Pacers - Saturday, March 18th
The evening hours bring a 6-game main slate that will tip off at 7 ET. We’ll start with the Sixers, who are a game back of second and 2.5 games behind Milwaukee for first in the East with a few weeks left in the campaign. Philly will head to Indy for a date with a Pacers squad that will be without Tyrese Haliburton again tonight. Read on for the best NBA DFS picks and a PrizePicks pick, free of charge.
Click here for the Grind Down Overview!
NBA DFS: Philadelphia 76ers at Indiana Pacers
| Philadelphia 76ers | Indiana Pacers | |||||||||||
 |
Vegas Total | 234.5 |  |
Vegas Total | 234.5 | |||||||
| Vegas Spread | -6.5 | Vegas Spread | 6.5 | |||||||||
| Implied Team Total | 120.5 | Implied Team Total | 114.0 | |||||||||
| Points +/- | 5.4 | Points +/- | -1.9 | |||||||||
| Position | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | Position | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Projected Starters | James Harden | Tyrese Maxey | Tobias Harris | P.J. Tucker | Joel Embiid | Projected Starters | Andrew Nembhard | Buddy Hield | Jordan Nwora | Aaron Nesmith | Myles Turner | |
| D EFF (L10) | 10 | 18 | 28 | 19 | 24 | D EFF (L10) | 16 | 24 | 11 | 3 | 3 | |
Philadelphia 76ers NBA DFS Preview
The 76ers went into Charlotte and obliterated the Hornets last night. James Harden was the only rotation player to crack 30 minutes, so they should be about as fresh as you can be on the second half of the back-to-back tonight.
Saturday NBA DFS Notes
Notable Injuries:
Jalen McDaniels (Questionable)
Philadelphia 76ers Stats:
Pace of Play: 97.7 (26 of 30)
Offensive Rating: 116.9 (3 of 30)
Implied Total: 120.5 (1 of 8)
Rebounding Rate: 49.5% (21 of 30)
IND Matchup:
Pace of Play: 101.4 (9 of 30)
Defensive Rating: 115.9 (26 of 30)
Rebounding Rate: 48.0% (28 of 30)
Note: The team stats above are from the 2022-23 season.
Joel Embiid (38% usage, 1.63 FP/min) put up a monster line last night in only 29 minutes against the Hornets’ undermanned frontcourt. Myles Turner is a solid defender, but he’s still nowhere near big enough to give Embiid much of a sweat. As was the case last night, there’s enough quality in the midrange to prevent Embiid from being a must-play tonight. As was also the case, though, he’s pretty clearly the top overall play on the slate, and someone I’d like to build around in all formats.
James Harden (1.34 FP/min) still stuffs the stat sheet every night, and the pace-up matchup against Indiana suits him well. I’ll look his way again in GPPs as a way to leverage what should be significant Embiid ownership. Tyrese Maxey is a better value on FD ($6,100) than he is on DK ($6,600), but the opposite is true of Tobias Harris, who looks nice for the dollar at $5,100 on DraftKings. Harris doesn’t have a high floor, but I’ll take my chances here in a plus matchup.
76ers Lineup – DraftKings & FanDuel Salaries
| Player | DK | POS | FD | POS | MIN/G | +/- | FP/G | +/- | USG% | +/- | TS% | +/- | DK/M | +/- | FD/M | +/- | MIN (P) | DK (P) | DK/$ | FD (P) | FD/$ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Harden | $9,800 | PG | $10,100 | SG/PG | 36.9 | 0.5 | 50.2 | -1.0 | 25% | -1% | 62% | 0% | 1.36 | -0.04 | 1.29 | -0.04 | 37 | 51.2 | 5.23 | 48.5 | 4.81 | |
| Tyrese Maxey | $6,600 | PG/SG | $6,100 | PG/SG | 32.9 | 0.2 | 30.9 | -8.1 | 24% | -7% | 59% | 8% | 0.94 | -0.25 | 0.91 | -0.27 | 30 | 27.7 | 4.19 | 26.9 | 4.41 | |
| Tobias Harris | $5,100 | SF/PF | $5,800 | PF | 33.0 | -6.2 | 29.2 | -10.4 | 18% | 2% | 59% | -18% | 0.89 | -0.18 | 0.88 | -0.15 | 33 | 26.7 | 5.24 | 26.6 | 4.58 | |
| P.J. Tucker | $3,300 | PF | $3,900 | PF | 25.8 | -0.1 | 11.2 | 3.8 | 6% | -1% | 57% | -10% | 0.43 | 0.15 | 0.43 | 0.19 | 28 | 13.7 | 4.14 | 13.8 | 3.53 | |
| Joel Embiid | $11,400 | C | $12,000 | C | 35.0 | 0.6 | 57.8 | 6.2 | 37% | 1% | 65% | 5% | 1.65 | 0.15 | 1.64 | 0.22 | 35 | 61.4 | 5.38 | 60.8 | 5.07 | |
| De’Anthony Melton | $4,200 | SG/SF | $5,000 | PG/SG | 27.9 | -8.1 | 23.9 | -4.2 | 16% | -5% | 57% | 26% | 0.86 | 0.14 | 0.88 | 0.13 | 20 | 16.5 | 3.92 | 16.9 | 3.38 | |
| Jalen McDaniels | $3,000 | SF/PF | $4,000 | PF/SF | 24.6 | -15.7 | 20.8 | -13.3 | 17% | 3% | 56% | 8% | 0.85 | 0.00 | 0.85 | -0.01 | 12 | 10.5 | 3.49 | 10.4 | 2.61 | |
| Georges Niang | $3,200 | PF | $4,000 | PF | 19.3 | 0.0 | 14.8 | -2.7 | 16% | -4% | 62% | 17% | 0.77 | -0.14 | 0.73 | -0.14 | 16 | 11.6 | 3.64 | 10.9 | 2.73 | |
| Shake Milton | $3,400 | PG/SG | $4,100 | PG | 20.2 | -4.4 | 16.4 | -3.0 | 18% | -5% | 59% | 15% | 0.81 | 0.04 | 0.78 | 0.04 | 18 | 13.1 | 3.85 | 13.0 | 3.17 | |
| Paul Reed | $3,000 | C | $4,500 | C | 10.0 | -1.2 | 10.4 | -0.2 | 15% | 8% | 59% | -14% | 1.04 | 0.12 | 1.13 | 0.09 | 8 | 9.0 | 2.98 | 9.6 | 2.13 |
The +/- columns show the difference between this season’s averages and the last three games.
Top DraftKings & FanDuel Picks
Elite Plays – Joel Embiid
Tournament Targets – James Harden, Tyrese Maxey
Viable Punts – Tobias Harris (DK)
Indiana Pacers NBA DFS Preview
Not only will the Pacers be down Haliburton tonight, but Bennedict Mathurin and Chris Duarte are still out, too. Indy is a 6.5-point underdog on their home floor, though they should have the fresher legs with the Sixers having played in Charlotte last night.
Saturday NBA DFS Notes
Notable Injuries:
Tyrese Haliburton (Out)
Bennedict Mathurin (Out)
Chris Duarte (Out)
Indiana Pacers Stats:
Pace of Play: 101.4 (9 of 30)
Offensive Rating: 113.6 (18 of 30)
Implied Total: 114.0 (5 of 8)
Rebounding Rate: 48.0% (28 of 30)
PHI Matchup:
Pace of Play: 97.7 (26 of 30)
Defensive Rating: 112.5 (8 of 30)
Rebounding Rate: 49.5% (21 of 30)
Note: The team stats above are from the 2022-23 season.
Jordan Nwora started in Haliburton’s spot in the last game with Andrew Nembhard taking over the starting point guard duties. I have minimal interest in a priced-up Nembhard, but Nwora (1.02 FP/min) looks like a decent value here in an elevated role. TJ McConnell is the real priority, as he’s been a per-minute beast (1.32 FP/min) with Hali on the bench all season. Even if he comes off the bench, McConnell is a priority for me on this slate.
Buddy Hield has actually posted a lower usage rate with Haliburton and Mathurin off the floor, which is a bit of a surprise. $6,700 on DraftKings for Buddy is fine given his big-minute role, but he doesn’t get a major boost here. Myles Turner played just 25 minutes in his return from a back injury, and there’s a pretty good chance Embiid puts him in the torture chamber tonight. Jalen Smith seems to be back in Rick Carlisle’s good graces, but we know the rug can get pulled out from under him at any time. Aaron Nesmith (0.87 FP/min) has played well lately, but his salaries have risen to reflect as much.
Pacers Lineup – DraftKings & FanDuel Salaries
| Player | DK | POS | FD | POS | MIN/G | +/- | FP/G | +/- | USG% | +/- | TS% | +/- | DK/M | +/- | FD/M | +/- | MIN (P) | DK (P) | DK/$ | FD (P) | FD/$ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Nembhard | $6,400 | PG/SG | $5,900 | SG/PG | 26.9 | 5.3 | 20.1 | 12.9 | 15% | 10% | 52% | 1% | 0.75 | 0.28 | 0.74 | 0.22 | 30 | 26.0 | 4.07 | 25.5 | 4.32 | |
| Buddy Hield | $6,700 | SF | $7,500 | SG/SF | 31.7 | -3.8 | 31.5 | 1.3 | 20% | 0% | 61% | -5% | 0.99 | 0.18 | 0.95 | 0.21 | 32 | 33.0 | 4.93 | 31.2 | 4.16 | |
| Jordan Nwora | $5,400 | SF/PF | $5,900 | PF/SF | 17.3 | 9.7 | 15.1 | 12.4 | 18% | 4% | 55% | 6% | 0.87 | 0.15 | 0.85 | 0.13 | 31 | 27.5 | 5.09 | 26.0 | 4.41 | |
| Aaron Nesmith | $5,300 | PF | $5,700 | SF/PF | 24.8 | 2.7 | 19.1 | 7.6 | 17% | 2% | 56% | 13% | 0.77 | 0.20 | 0.77 | 0.18 | 31 | 24.0 | 4.53 | 23.5 | 4.13 | |
| Myles Turner | $7,800 | C | $7,700 | C | 29.6 | -4.4 | 35.9 | -9.9 | 22% | -1% | 65% | -19% | 1.21 | -0.18 | 1.24 | -0.27 | 26 | 31.8 | 4.07 | 33.0 | 4.29 | |
| T.J. McConnell | $6,100 | PG | $5,900 | PG | 19.9 | 10.0 | 21.2 | 22.0 | 17% | 3% | 58% | 21% | 1.07 | 0.38 | 1.07 | 0.30 | 30 | 32.7 | 5.36 | 32.4 | 5.49 | |
| George Hill | $4,000 | PG/SG | $4,300 | PG | 18.7 | 0.1 | 12.6 | 4.1 | 11% | 3% | 60% | 14% | 0.67 | 0.21 | 0.67 | 0.20 | 22 | 13.5 | 3.37 | 13.5 | 3.13 | |
| Jalen Smith | $4,900 | PF/C | $4,800 | PF/C | 18.5 | 4.5 | 20.2 | 8.1 | 20% | 0% | 56% | -2% | 1.09 | 0.14 | 1.10 | 0.16 | 20 | 21.9 | 4.46 | 21.5 | 4.47 | |
| Oshae Brissett | $3,500 | PF | $4,500 | SF | 16.2 | 3.3 | 12.5 | 3.1 | 14% | 2% | 53% | -6% | 0.77 | 0.03 | 0.77 | 0.07 | 14 | 11.9 | 3.39 | 11.7 | 2.61 | |
| Isaiah Jackson | $4,700 | C | $5,500 | PF | 15.3 | 2.8 | 16.2 | 6.7 | 16% | 0% | 60% | 10% | 1.06 | 0.21 | 1.14 | 0.21 | 2 | 2.3 | 0.49 | 2.5 | 0.45 |
The +/- columns show the difference between this season’s averages and the last three games.
Top DraftKings & FanDuel Picks
Elite Plays – TJ McConnell, Jordan Nwora
Tournament Targets – Andrew Nembhard, Buddy Hield
Viable Punts – Aaron Nesmith
NBA PrizePicks Selection: Buddy Hield More Than 4.5 Rebounds
Image Credit: Getty Images
The evening hours bring a 6-game main slate that will tip off at 7 ET. We’ll start with the Sixers, who are a game back of second and 2.5 games behind Milwaukee for first in the East with a few weeks left in the campaign. Philly will head to Indy for a date with a Pacers squad that will be without Tyrese Haliburton again tonight. Read on for the best NBA DFS picks and a PrizePicks pick, free of charge.
Click here for the Grind Down Overview!
NBA DFS: Philadelphia 76ers at Indiana Pacers
| Philadelphia 76ers | Indiana Pacers | |||||||||||
| |
Vegas Total | 234.5 | |
Vegas Total | 234.5 | |||||||
| Vegas Spread | -6.5 | Vegas Spread | 6.5 | |||||||||
| Implied Team Total | 120.5 | Implied Team Total | 114.0 | |||||||||
| Points +/- | 5.4 | Points +/- | -1.9 | |||||||||
| Position | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | Position | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Projected Starters | James Harden | Tyrese Maxey | Tobias Harris | P.J. Tucker | Joel Embiid | Projected Starters | Andrew Nembhard | Buddy Hield | Jordan Nwora | Aaron Nesmith | Myles Turner | |
| D EFF (L10) | 10 | 18 | 28 | 19 | 24 | D EFF (L10) | 16 | 24 | 11 | 3 | 3 | |
Philadelphia 76ers NBA DFS Preview
The 76ers went into Charlotte and obliterated the Hornets last night. James Harden was the only rotation player to crack 30 minutes, so they should be about as fresh as you can be on the second half of the back-to-back tonight.
Saturday NBA DFS Notes
Notable Injuries:
Jalen McDaniels (Questionable)
Philadelphia 76ers Stats:
Pace of Play: 97.7 (26 of 30)
Offensive Rating: 116.9 (3 of 30)
Implied Total: 120.5 (1 of 8)
Rebounding Rate: 49.5% (21 of 30)
IND Matchup:
Pace of Play: 101.4 (9 of 30)
Defensive Rating: 115.9 (26 of 30)
Rebounding Rate: 48.0% (28 of 30)
Note: The team stats above are from the 2022-23 season.
Joel Embiid (38% usage, 1.63 FP/min) put up a monster line last night in only 29 minutes against the Hornets’ undermanned frontcourt. Myles Turner is a solid defender, but he’s still nowhere near big enough to give Embiid much of a sweat. As was the case last night, there’s enough quality in the midrange to prevent Embiid from being a must-play tonight. As was also the case, though, he’s pretty clearly the top overall play on the slate, and someone I’d like to build around in all formats.
James Harden (1.34 FP/min) still stuffs the stat sheet every night, and the pace-up matchup against Indiana suits him well. I’ll look his way again in GPPs as a way to leverage what should be significant Embiid ownership. Tyrese Maxey is a better value on FD ($6,100) than he is on DK ($6,600), but the opposite is true of Tobias Harris, who looks nice for the dollar at $5,100 on DraftKings. Harris doesn’t have a high floor, but I’ll take my chances here in a plus matchup.
76ers Lineup – DraftKings & FanDuel Salaries
| Player | DK | POS | FD | POS | MIN/G | +/- | FP/G | +/- | USG% | +/- | TS% | +/- | DK/M | +/- | FD/M | +/- | MIN (P) | DK (P) | DK/$ | FD (P) | FD/$ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Harden | $9,800 | PG | $10,100 | SG/PG | 36.9 | 0.5 | 50.2 | -1.0 | 25% | -1% | 62% | 0% | 1.36 | -0.04 | 1.29 | -0.04 | 37 | 51.2 | 5.23 | 48.5 | 4.81 | |
| Tyrese Maxey | $6,600 | PG/SG | $6,100 | PG/SG | 32.9 | 0.2 | 30.9 | -8.1 | 24% | -7% | 59% | 8% | 0.94 | -0.25 | 0.91 | -0.27 | 30 | 27.7 | 4.19 | 26.9 | 4.41 | |
| Tobias Harris | $5,100 | SF/PF | $5,800 | PF | 33.0 | -6.2 | 29.2 | -10.4 | 18% | 2% | 59% | -18% | 0.89 | -0.18 | 0.88 | -0.15 | 33 | 26.7 | 5.24 | 26.6 | 4.58 | |
| P.J. Tucker | $3,300 | PF | $3,900 | PF | 25.8 | -0.1 | 11.2 | 3.8 | 6% | -1% | 57% | -10% | 0.43 | 0.15 | 0.43 | 0.19 | 28 | 13.7 | 4.14 | 13.8 | 3.53 | |
| Joel Embiid | $11,400 | C | $12,000 | C | 35.0 | 0.6 | 57.8 | 6.2 | 37% | 1% | 65% | 5% | 1.65 | 0.15 | 1.64 | 0.22 | 35 | 61.4 | 5.38 | 60.8 | 5.07 | |
| De’Anthony Melton | $4,200 | SG/SF | $5,000 | PG/SG | 27.9 | -8.1 | 23.9 | -4.2 | 16% | -5% | 57% | 26% | 0.86 | 0.14 | 0.88 | 0.13 | 20 | 16.5 | 3.92 | 16.9 | 3.38 | |
| Jalen McDaniels | $3,000 | SF/PF | $4,000 | PF/SF | 24.6 | -15.7 | 20.8 | -13.3 | 17% | 3% | 56% | 8% | 0.85 | 0.00 | 0.85 | -0.01 | 12 | 10.5 | 3.49 | 10.4 | 2.61 | |
| Georges Niang | $3,200 | PF | $4,000 | PF | 19.3 | 0.0 | 14.8 | -2.7 | 16% | -4% | 62% | 17% | 0.77 | -0.14 | 0.73 | -0.14 | 16 | 11.6 | 3.64 | 10.9 | 2.73 | |
| Shake Milton | $3,400 | PG/SG | $4,100 | PG | 20.2 | -4.4 | 16.4 | -3.0 | 18% | -5% | 59% | 15% | 0.81 | 0.04 | 0.78 | 0.04 | 18 | 13.1 | 3.85 | 13.0 | 3.17 | |
| Paul Reed | $3,000 | C | $4,500 | C | 10.0 | -1.2 | 10.4 | -0.2 | 15% | 8% | 59% | -14% | 1.04 | 0.12 | 1.13 | 0.09 | 8 | 9.0 | 2.98 | 9.6 | 2.13 |
The +/- columns show the difference between this season’s averages and the last three games.
Top DraftKings & FanDuel Picks
Elite Plays – Joel Embiid
Tournament Targets – James Harden, Tyrese Maxey
Viable Punts – Tobias Harris (DK)
Indiana Pacers NBA DFS Preview
Not only will the Pacers be down Haliburton tonight, but Bennedict Mathurin and Chris Duarte are still out, too. Indy is a 6.5-point underdog on their home floor, though they should have the fresher legs with the Sixers having played in Charlotte last night.
Saturday NBA DFS Notes
Notable Injuries:
Tyrese Haliburton (Out)
Bennedict Mathurin (Out)
Chris Duarte (Out)
Indiana Pacers Stats:
Pace of Play: 101.4 (9 of 30)
Offensive Rating: 113.6 (18 of 30)
Implied Total: 114.0 (5 of 8)
Rebounding Rate: 48.0% (28 of 30)
PHI Matchup:
Pace of Play: 97.7 (26 of 30)
Defensive Rating: 112.5 (8 of 30)
Rebounding Rate: 49.5% (21 of 30)
Note: The team stats above are from the 2022-23 season.
Jordan Nwora started in Haliburton’s spot in the last game with Andrew Nembhard taking over the starting point guard duties. I have minimal interest in a priced-up Nembhard, but Nwora (1.02 FP/min) looks like a decent value here in an elevated role. TJ McConnell is the real priority, as he’s been a per-minute beast (1.32 FP/min) with Hali on the bench all season. Even if he comes off the bench, McConnell is a priority for me on this slate.
Buddy Hield has actually posted a lower usage rate with Haliburton and Mathurin off the floor, which is a bit of a surprise. $6,700 on DraftKings for Buddy is fine given his big-minute role, but he doesn’t get a major boost here. Myles Turner played just 25 minutes in his return from a back injury, and there’s a pretty good chance Embiid puts him in the torture chamber tonight. Jalen Smith seems to be back in Rick Carlisle’s good graces, but we know the rug can get pulled out from under him at any time. Aaron Nesmith (0.87 FP/min) has played well lately, but his salaries have risen to reflect as much.
Pacers Lineup – DraftKings & FanDuel Salaries
| Player | DK | POS | FD | POS | MIN/G | +/- | FP/G | +/- | USG% | +/- | TS% | +/- | DK/M | +/- | FD/M | +/- | MIN (P) | DK (P) | DK/$ | FD (P) | FD/$ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Nembhard | $6,400 | PG/SG | $5,900 | SG/PG | 26.9 | 5.3 | 20.1 | 12.9 | 15% | 10% | 52% | 1% | 0.75 | 0.28 | 0.74 | 0.22 | 30 | 26.0 | 4.07 | 25.5 | 4.32 | |
| Buddy Hield | $6,700 | SF | $7,500 | SG/SF | 31.7 | -3.8 | 31.5 | 1.3 | 20% | 0% | 61% | -5% | 0.99 | 0.18 | 0.95 | 0.21 | 32 | 33.0 | 4.93 | 31.2 | 4.16 | |
| Jordan Nwora | $5,400 | SF/PF | $5,900 | PF/SF | 17.3 | 9.7 | 15.1 | 12.4 | 18% | 4% | 55% | 6% | 0.87 | 0.15 | 0.85 | 0.13 | 31 | 27.5 | 5.09 | 26.0 | 4.41 | |
| Aaron Nesmith | $5,300 | PF | $5,700 | SF/PF | 24.8 | 2.7 | 19.1 | 7.6 | 17% | 2% | 56% | 13% | 0.77 | 0.20 | 0.77 | 0.18 | 31 | 24.0 | 4.53 | 23.5 | 4.13 | |
| Myles Turner | $7,800 | C | $7,700 | C | 29.6 | -4.4 | 35.9 | -9.9 | 22% | -1% | 65% | -19% | 1.21 | -0.18 | 1.24 | -0.27 | 26 | 31.8 | 4.07 | 33.0 | 4.29 | |
| T.J. McConnell | $6,100 | PG | $5,900 | PG | 19.9 | 10.0 | 21.2 | 22.0 | 17% | 3% | 58% | 21% | 1.07 | 0.38 | 1.07 | 0.30 | 30 | 32.7 | 5.36 | 32.4 | 5.49 | |
| George Hill | $4,000 | PG/SG | $4,300 | PG | 18.7 | 0.1 | 12.6 | 4.1 | 11% | 3% | 60% | 14% | 0.67 | 0.21 | 0.67 | 0.20 | 22 | 13.5 | 3.37 | 13.5 | 3.13 | |
| Jalen Smith | $4,900 | PF/C | $4,800 | PF/C | 18.5 | 4.5 | 20.2 | 8.1 | 20% | 0% | 56% | -2% | 1.09 | 0.14 | 1.10 | 0.16 | 20 | 21.9 | 4.46 | 21.5 | 4.47 | |
| Oshae Brissett | $3,500 | PF | $4,500 | SF | 16.2 | 3.3 | 12.5 | 3.1 | 14% | 2% | 53% | -6% | 0.77 | 0.03 | 0.77 | 0.07 | 14 | 11.9 | 3.39 | 11.7 | 2.61 | |
| Isaiah Jackson | $4,700 | C | $5,500 | PF | 15.3 | 2.8 | 16.2 | 6.7 | 16% | 0% | 60% | 10% | 1.06 | 0.21 | 1.14 | 0.21 | 2 | 2.3 | 0.49 | 2.5 | 0.45 |
The +/- columns show the difference between this season’s averages and the last three games.
Top DraftKings & FanDuel Picks
Elite Plays – TJ McConnell, Jordan Nwora
Tournament Targets – Andrew Nembhard, Buddy Hield
Viable Punts – Aaron Nesmith