NBA DFS Cheat Sheet Today: NBA DFS Picks for Friday, Feb. 28

We’ve got a 10-game NBA slate on Friday night for NBA DFS on PrizePicks, to close out an exciting February in the NBA. We’ve got everything you need to lock in on tonight’s NBA slate in today’s NBA DFS Cheat Sheet for PrizePicks below, including the PrizePicks NBA picks, top offense vs. defense mismatches, pace up spots, and today’s injury report.

Headlining the NBA Wednesday games, the top-two teams in the Eastern Conference face off to kick off the national TV slate. The Celtics currently lead the season series 2-1 and won their last meeting in Cleveland despite shooting only 40.8% from the field.

The second ESPN game sees the “Battle of Los Angeles” as the Clippers head to their former home, the Crypto.com Arena, to take on the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers will be on the second leg of a back-to-back after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night. 

LeBron James is only 46 points away from becoming the first player to hit the 50K point mark, so the countdown to that milestone will be the biggest NBA headline heading into the weekend.

PrizePicks is the easiest way to get real money action on tonight’s NBA games. Pick more or less on player stat projections — from points to combos to 3-pointers — and get paid if your picks are correct.

Let’s dive into the NBA Friday slate on PrizePicks below.

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NBA DFS Cheat Sheet Today for PrizePicks: 2/28

Below, find everything you need for the Friday NBA DFS slate on PrizePicks. Click each section to read more.

• NBA Offense vs. Defense Mismatches
• NBA Pace Report
• NBA PrizePicks Picks Today for NBA DFS
• NBA DFS Injury Report

NBA Offense vs. Defense Mismatches

Here are the top offense vs. defense mismatches across the NBA Friday games.

Thunder vs. Hawks — 7:30 p.m. ET

• Oklahoma City ranks fifth in offensive rating (118.9) on the season and second in their last 10 games (124.2). 
• The Atlanta Hawks rank 15th in defensive rating (114.8) this season but rank 21st over their last 10 games (116.1)
• The Hawks are allowing the fifth most average fantasy points in the league.
• Thunder PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander nearly had a triple-double in their first meeting with 35 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists.

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Utah Jazz — 9:30 p.m. ET

• Minnesota ranks 12th in offensive rating (114.5) on the season and 12th (114.9) over their last 10 games.
• Utah has the league’s worst defensive rating this season (119.5) and is 28th over its last 10 games (119.9). 
• Utah give up the second most fantasy points to their opposition this season.
• Timberwolves star guard Anthony Edwards is likely to miss the game due to suspension for picking up his 16th technical foul. He’ll be eligible to play if one of his technicals against the Lakers gets rescinded.

NBA Pace Report for NBA Friday Games

Here are the NBA games to target for quick-paced play with additional possessions on Friday for NBA DFS on PrizePicks. In parentheses are the team’s possessions per game.

Nuggets vs. Pistons — 7 p.m. ET

On the season, both the Nuggets and Pistons rank in the top half of the league in pace at fifth (100.2) and 11th (99.5) respectively. The Pistons have cranked up the pace over their last 10 games (102), ranking fourth fastest in the league over that time frame. Denver, on the other hand, is in the middle of the pack at 16th (100.6) over its last 10 games, but still remains right at season average with their pace. 

This is a pace-up game for the Nuggets, who are on a back-to-back after losing to the Bucks last night.

Thunder vs. Hawks — 7:30 p.m. ET

Both the Thunder (99.6) and Hawks (103.1) are top-10 in the league in pace this season, sitting at ninth and second respectively. Over the last 10 games, the Hawks remain second in the league (103.1) while the Thunder sit 17th (100.0). This will be a slight pace-up game for the Thunder, who were able to hang nearly 130 points on the Hawks in their first meeting.

Trail Blazers vs. Ners — 7:30 p.m. ET

The Nets rank dead last in pace both on the season (96.0) and in their last 10 games (94.8). Portland on the other hand has seen an increase in its pace over the last 10 games (101.4) compared to their season average (98.9). This is a pace-down spot for the Trail Blazers, playing the slowest team in the league.

Cavaliers vs. Celtics — 7:30 p.m. ET

The Celtics rank towards the bottom of the league in pace both on the season (96.9) and in their last 10 games (96.5). Cleveland ranks sixth in pace on the season (100.1) and 10th in their last 10 games (100.9). This will be a pace-up game for the Celtics, who have shown in their three meetings with Cleveland they are not afraid to match their pace.

Knicks vs. Grizzlies — 8 p.m. ET

Memphis is the fastest team in the NBA this season (104.1) and in the last 10 games (103.4). The Knicks are in the bottom 10 of the league in pace this season (97.4) but have seen a slight increase over their season average in the last 10 games (99.6). This will be a pace-up game for the Knicks, who look to hang with the league’s fastest team.

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NBA PrizePicks Picks Today for NBA DFS

Here are four of the top NBA DFS picks for today for PrizePicks on Friday, February 28..

Nuggets C Nikola Jokic — Pts+Asts

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• In their first meeting against the Pistons, Nuggets C Nikola Jokic had 37 points and 8 assists. 
• Jokic had 13 potential assist opportunities in their first meeting, but only ended up with eight total.
• This season, the Pistons are 10th in points allowed to centers and second in assists allowed.
• Over the last 15 games, the Pistons remain second in assists allowed, They remain in the top-half of the league in points allowed to centers over this time frame despite a slight improvement in defense.
• Jokic is averaging 26.8 and 11.2 assists in his last 15 games. 

Suns C Nick Richards — Rebounds

• The Suns played the Pelicans last night and C Nick Richards finished with 18 rebounds.
• Richards had 25 potential rebound opportunities in last night’s game.
• The Pelicans are allowing the most rebounds to opposing centers this season and the second most over the last 15 games.
• Richards has grabbed more than 10 rebounds 3-of-4 times when he sees at least 30 minutes of action vs. the Pelicans.

Pacers G Tyrese Haliburton — Assists

• Pacers PG Tyrese Haliburton is averaging 12 assists this season against the Heat, including two games with 13+ assists. 
• Haliburton is averaging 15.3 potential assists per game against the Heat this season.
• Miami is allowing the fifth-most assists to opposing point guards this season.
• The Heat just played league-leading assist man Trae Young twice this week, giving up an average of 11 assists in two games to him. In one of those games, Young racked up 14 assists.

Cavaliers G Donovan Mitchell — Pts+Rebs+Asts

• Cavs SG Donovan Mitchell has enjoyed playing the Celtics this year, averaging 33.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 4 assists in their three games. 
• Their most recent meeting saw Mitchell have his highest rebounds and assist output, finishing with 16 Rebs+Asts.
• The Celtics are allowing the 10th most rebounds to shooting guards this season.
• Despite the Celtics’ elite defense against shooting guards this season (3rd least points allowed), the Celtics are allowing the 10th most points to opposing shooting guards in their last 15 games. 

NBA DFS Injury Report Today

Below, find all of the NBA DFS Injury news for the NBA Wednesday games.

Notable Players Out

• Thunder G Alex Caruso (rest) will miss Friday’s game against the Hawks. Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins will both see extra minutes.
• Blazers C DeAndre Ayton (calf) remains out after picking up a non-contact injury against the Nuggets. Rookie Donovan Clingan remains the starter.
• Heat F Nikola Jovic (hand) suffered a fracture and will be out for some time. F Kyle Anderson will now get a larger role off the bench while Jaime Jaquez or Haywood Highsmith may work their way back into the rotation.
• Nets G D’Angelo Russell (ankle) remains out. Ball-handling duties will be split between Keon Johnson and Killian Hayes.
• Bulls F Patrick Williams (quad) remains sidelined. Rookie Matas Buzelis is now the starting power forward with Julian Phillips and Dalen Terry taking on larger roles off the bench.
• Timberwolves G Anthony Edwards (suspension) is out against the Jazz due to picking up his 16th technical foul of the year. Timberwolves C Rudy Gobert (back) and Julius Randle (groin) also did not play on Thursday against the Lakers.

Questionable or Game-Time Decisions

• Jaylen Brown (thigh) and Jrue Holiday (finger) are questionable for the Celtics. Holiday has had questionable availability over the last few weeks while Brown missed their most recent game against the Pistons. Sam Hauser and Al Horford are likely to make spot starts if they miss. Backup center Luke Kornet (personal) is also questionable. His absence will mean more minutes for Neemias Queta and Xavier Tillman in the backup center position.
• Deni Avdija (quad) and Jerami Grant (knee) are questionable to face the Nets. Avdija left their most recent game against his former team, the Washington Wizards, with a quad contusion. Shaedon Sharpe will get the start if Avdija misses time. Grant has played a majority of games this month despite battling knee soreness. Expect Kris Murray to get starting nod should Grant miss the game.
• Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu (shoulder) remains a game-time decision for today’s game. After injuring his shoulder last week against the Knicks, there is a chance he will miss his fourth straight game. With both Jalen Smith (concussion) and Nikola Vucevic (calf) questionable or doubtful for tonight’s game, Zach Collins is in line for another start at center for the Bulls.
• Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (hip) is questionable tonight and could miss a second straight game. Ochai Agbaji will be the main beneficiary if Barnes misses out.
• Bam Adebayo (calf) and Andrew Wiggins (ankle) are questionable for the Heat. Kel’el Ware and Kevin Love will take over at center should Bam miss time, while Duncan Robinson will take over for Wiggins.
• TJ McConnell (ankle) may miss tonight’s game. He has missed the previous two games due to his ankle injury. Andrew Nembhard and Ben Sheppard will see extended roles if McConnell misses again
• Karl-Anthony Towns (knee) and Josh Hart (knee) are questionable to face the Grizzlies. Hart has missed two games with this knee issue. With backup center Ariel Hukporti done for the season, Mitchell Robinson (ankle) who is also questionable may be thrust into a big role right away. Precious Achiuwa will also play a bigger role if KAT misses time.
• Desmond Bane (groin) will likely use pregame warmups to determine if he is good to go. Luke Kennard will slot in the shooting guard role if Bane misses the game.
• Bradley Beal (calf) could miss the second leg of a back-to-back against New Orleans. Ryan Dunn saw more minutes off the bench when Beal was ruled out last night.
• Three Jazz starters are questionable against the Timberwolves. Collin Sexton (ankle), Lauri Markkanen (back), and John Collins (back) all may return tonight. Sexton’s extended absence meant Johnny Juzang and Svi Mykhailiuk have seen more minutes. KJ Martin and Brice Sensabaugh have been the main replacements for Markannen and Collins in the front court.
• Rudy Gobert (back) and Julius Randle (groin) may return to game action Friday against the Jazz. Naz Reid and Jaylen Clark have filled in the starting roles while Terrance Shannon Jr. and Luka Garza have gotten extended roles off the bench.
• Norman Powell (knee) is questionable for today’s game against the Lakers. Derrick Jones Jr., Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Amir Coffey have all seen increased minutes with Powell out.

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Win Real Money on NBA DFS on PrizePicks

We’re past the All-Star break and as we wrap up February, all eyes turn to the NBA Playoff race. The place to play NBA DFS to win real money all the way through the 2025 NBA Finals is on PrizePicks.

Just pick more or less on player stat projections — from points to rebounds to combos — and lock in your Lineup to get in on the action. If your picks are correct, you’ll get paid out instantly when the games end.

Come back to the Playbook throughout the remainder of the NBA season for more basketball analysis for your PrizePicks and NBA DFS Lineups.