NBA Daily Fantasy Picks & Playbook February 28
Published: Feb 28, 2024
The NBA is back on this Wednesday night with a six-game NBA DFS main slate. There are a few teams on back-to-backs tonight, but we also have a few great matchups. The two best matchups take place in the Western Conference tonight so they are both on late. We have a battle of the big men with Domantas Sabonis and the Sacramento Kings take on the Nikola Jokic-led Denver Nuggets. Then the last game of the night we have a battle of LA with Kawhi Leonard and James Harden squaring off against Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and the Lakers.
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Notable NBA Injury Updates
Out
- Jose Alvarado
- Dyson Daniels
- Doug McDermott
- John Konchar (Doubtful)
- Luke Kennard
- Torrey Craig
- Christian Wood
- Paul George
- Maxi Kleber
Questionable
- CJ McCollum
- Anthony Edwards
- Aaron Nesmith (OUT)
- Dante Exum
- Jakob Poeltl
- Kyle Anderson
- Karl-Anthony Towns
- De'Aaron Fox
- Hunter Tyson
- LeBron James
- Alex Caruso (OUT)
- Ivica Zubac
- Rudy Gobert
- Brandon Ingram
Teams on Back-to-Backs
Second Leg
First Leg
Pace Up Spots
Pace definition: Pace is the total number of possessions a team uses in a game.
*key* Green is elite pace of play, Blue is decent pace of play, & Red is slow pace of play.
Green = Fast Paced team
Blue = Neutral Paced team
Red = Slow Paced team
- New Orleans Pelicans 17th vs. Indiana Pacers 2nd
- Dallas Mavericks 10th vs. Toronto Raptors 13th
- Los Angeles Lakers 6th vs. Los Angeles Clippers 22nd
- Sacramento Kings 11th vs. Denver Nuggets 27th
- Cleveland Cavaliers 21st vs. Chicago Bulls 30th
- Memphis Grizzlies 18th vs. Minnesota Timberwolves 24th
Notable NBA Game Totals
- New Orleans Pelicans vs. Indiana Pacers (-5.5) Game Total: 239
- Dallas Mavericks vs. Toronto Raptors (+3) Game Total: 237.5
- Los Angeles Lakers vs. Los Angeles Clippers (-3.5) Game Total: 234.5
- Sacramento Kings vs. Denver Nuggets (-7.5) Game Total: 231
- Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Chicago Bulls (+5) Game Total: 216
- Memphis Grizzlies vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (-12) Game Total: 209.5
Top-Price Core Plays
Luka Doncic, PG, Dallas Mavericks
Luka Doncic is the most expensive player on the slate even with the likes of Nikola Jokic and and Domantas Sabonis. He is coming off a slate-breaking night last night scoring 87 fantasy points. He posted a 45-14-9 line in a tough matchup on paper against the Cavaliers. Now he gets a bottom-10 defensive team in this matchup against the Raptors. Luka could be in for another big one, but the downside is he did play 41 minutes last night.
Nikola Jokic, C, Denver Nuggets
Nikola Jokic is just $300 cheaper than Luka on DraftKings. Like Luka, he is also coming off a slate-breaking night a couple of nights ago finishing with 90 fantasy points. He posted a line of 32-16-16 in a good matchup against the Golden State Warriors. Now Jokic has another solid pace-up matchup against the Kings who can struggle defensively. The Nuggets are at home in this one where they are dominant. Jokic is a very good top-tier option tonight.
Domantas Sabonis, C, Sacramento Kings
Sabonis is a much cheaper option than Doncic and Jokic tonight, and he has just about the same ceiling as well. Sabonis has had a triple-double in four of his last five games and has double-digit rebounds in his last 14 games. Jokic is an intriguing matchup against Sabonis, but in the last matchup, he finished with 51 fantasy in the win on the road.
Scottie Barnes, PG/SF, Toronto Raptors
Scottie Barnes is the best option as a low-end top-priced tier sitting at $9,200 on DraftKings. He is playing a Dallas team that played last night and the game total is the second-highest on the slate. Barnes has been on fire as of late scoring at least 45 fantasy points in four straight games. He is also coming off a huge 21-12-12-5 line in a great matchup against the Pacers. It's not as juicy of a matchup, but Barnes should once again produce very well tonight.
Mid-Price Core Plays
Kawhi Leonard, SF/PF, Los Angeles Clippers
It seems as though Kawhi Leonard likes to play against the Lakers. Paul George is also out once again tonight for the Clippers, meaning the offense falls more on Leonard's shoulders. Against the Lakers this season he has averaged 26-8-5 and had a huge game against them in the last matchup going for 38 game points on 28 shot attempts for 63 fantasy points. I am expecting Leonard to have another big night tonight and will be in my lineup.
Brandon Ingram, SG/SF, New Orleans Pelicans
It will be interesting to see he suits up for the Pelicans tonight with it being on the second night of a back-to-back. That is always a question with Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum did not play in the Pelicans last game. In 15 games with CJ out of the lineup this season Brandon Ingram's PPG go from 20 a game to 25, and shoots five more attempts. The matchup also doesnt get any better than against the Pacers as well. Ingram is a great option tonight.
Jamal Murray, PG, Denver Nuggets
Jamal Murray is back in the lineup for the Nuggets and playing well. He is underpriced on DraftKings in my opinion tonight against the Kings sitting at just $7,800. In the past two games since being back, Murray hasn't skipped a beat. He has scored 38 and 44 fantasy points respectfully. This game should be a high-intensity playoff-feel type of matchup between these two teams, and I like Murray tonight.
Myles Turner, C, Indiana Pacers
Getting Myles Turner under 7K on DraftKings seems a bit like stealing. He has a good matchup against Jonas Valanciuans as Turner should be able to use his driving ability on the slower Vally and use his length to shoot over him. Plus, his floor is great as he has scored over 36 fantasy points in five straight games.
Trey Murphy, SG/SF, New Orleans Pelicans
Staying in the same game once again, Trey Murphy brings tremendous value in my eyes tonight. The rotation could be a bit thin tonight for the Pelicans, and we have seen Murphy's minutes jump as of late. He has played at least 31 minutes in five straight games and is coming off a 45 fantasy point performance last night against the Knicks. The matchup gets even better tonight against the Pacers, and I am once again going back to the well with Murphy tonight.
Value Tier Core Plays
Ayo Dosunmu, PG/SG, Chicago Bulls
I do not want any stars in this ugly Cleveland-Chicago matchup tonight, but I am ok taking a role guy like Ayo. He gets after it defensively as he has grabbed seven steals over his past three games. But he also gets after it in transition on the offensive end as well leading to assists in the fast break, as he has dished out at least six assists in four of his past five games. Dosunmu has struggled against Cleveland this season in the three matchups against them scoring over 20 fantasy points once. However, with him playing the amount of minutes he is playing, he should have a solid night and return value.
Russell Westbrook, PG, Los Angeles Clippers
Can I interest anyone in a Russell Westbrook revenge game narrative against the Lakers tonight? In the last matchup against the Lakers, he finished with 32 fantasy points in just 18 minutes. He came out in that game playing like his hair was on fire. With Paul George sitting this one out, Westbrook will be even more imperative for this Clippers team tonight.
Rui Hachimura, SF/PF, Los Angeles Lakers
With Rui getting much more run as of late for the Lakers, he has been much better for DFS purposes. He has a 40-point ceiling nightly, but we have also seen him be inconsistent and have the floor fall out at times. In the 30 minutes he played against the Clippers in the last matchup he finished with 22 fantasy points. It's nothing flashy, but he could be solid for you tonight.
Andre Drummond, C, Chicago Bulls
Andre Drummond isn't getting quite the minutes he once was this season but this could be a good matchup for him. With the Cavs playing two bigs at a time in Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley Andre Drummond may be very useful tonight. He is also coming off a big game last night against the Pistons posting a 20-11 double-double. Drummond could be in line for some extra run tonight which he will produce with.
Max Strus, SG/SF, Cleveland Cavaliers
Max Strus is not a sure-fire thing every night because he goes, as his falls. He has finished with over 30 fantasy points in three of his past five games but failed to score over 20 in the other two games. In the last matchup against the Chicago Bulls, Strus killed them. He took 17 shots from behind the arc knocking down five of them for 26 points. The Cavs were short-handed in that matchup, and I do not expect that to happen again, but he could catch fire.
Kevin Huerter, SG, Sacramento Kings
Kevin Heurter is priced under 5K on DraftKings and that's where I like my Huerter to be priced at. De'Aaron Fox is questionable heading into this one, which would lead to having the ball in his hands a bit more. Plus, even if Fox does play Huerter will be fine. He has scored at least 22 fantasy points in four straight games. We have also seen post much bigger numbers at times this season as well. In the last matchup against the Nuggets, he finished with 24 fantasy points, and you will take that from someone priced under 5K.
Tune into the 5pm ET Livestream
Roster Lock Updates
- Aaron Nesmith is OUT tonight. Benedict Mathurin is a core play tonight now.
- All of the Pelicans are in, zapping any potential value.
- Alex Caruso is out. If Andre Drummond is starting he is a must-play
Player Pool
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Stacks
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