NBA DFS Picks, Projections, Lineups, Injuries & More Today: Thursday Playbook
Published: Feb 20, 2025
Welcome back from the All-Star break! The first full slate of the second half features nine games on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Pour one out for Victor Wembanyama, who will miss the rest of the season.
Spurs will obviously be popular plays on this slate, and we have two other games that stand above the rest outside of that. The Grizzlies and Pacers square off in a matchup of two of the top six teams in pace, and the Knicks get a matchup with a team we have targeted for fantasy purposes all season in the now rebuilding Bulls.
Let's dive in and discuss some top plays, best pivots and more!
Before actually diving into the meat and potatoes, welcome to the NBA DFS season. If this is your first time reading our column on NBA DFS picks, I just want to welcome you and give you a few tips and tricks on what you should be looking for each night.
- News outlets: reliable sources that give us injury news & starting lineups
- Pace of play: who's playing fast vs. who's playing slow. Which teams get a pace-up spot (more possessions) vs. pace-down (fewer possessions)
- Usage rates: is a percentage of how many plays that player is being used in
- NBA DFS Projections
- Lineup Generator
- NBA Ownership
NBA DFS Picks & Daily Fantasy Playbook Today, February 20th
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Pre/Post-Lock Update
This section will be used for anything that changes from the morning until right up to roster lock.
Injury updates, players we’re higher on than we were in the morning and so much more.
6:00 PM ET
- Luka Doncic - OUT
- LeBron James - Q
- Big bumps for LeBron James (if active) and Austin Reaves
6:45 PM ET
- Norman Powell - OUT
- Amir Coffey starting
- Big usage bumps for Kawhi Leonard and James Harden
- Ben Simmons, Kris Dunn, and Bogdan Bogdanovic are intriguing salary savers
NBA Injuries, News & Updates Today, 2/20
- Eric Gordon - OUT
- Justin Edwards - OUT
- Jalen Suggs - OUT
- Ty Jerome - Available
- Isaac Okoro - Available
- Patrick Williams - OUT
- Josh Hart - OUT
- OG Anunoby - Q
- Norman Powell - OUT
- Giannis Antetokounmpo - Q
- Bobby Portis - OUT
- Andre Jackson - Q
- LaMelo Ball - OUT
- Mark Williams - OUT
- DaQuan Jeffries - Q
- Victor Wembanyama - OUT
- Deandre Ayton - OUT
- Jerami Grant - Q
- Scoot Henderson - Q
- Robert Williams - Q
NBA DFS Slate & Game Overviews
In the section below, I’m listing the most notable things we need to look at in Las Vegas, including notable O/U and spreads. Not every game is listed, but every game listed has the pace and defensive numbers listed.
Memphis Grizzlies vs. Indiana Pacers
- Total: 251
- Spread: MEM -2.5
Chicago Bulls vs. New York Knicks
- Total: 245
- Spread: NYK -12
Charlotte Hornets vs. Denver Nuggets
- Total: 229.5
- Spread: DEN -16.5
Phoenix Suns vs. San Antonio Spurs
- Total: 238
- Spread: PHO -2.5
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers
- Total: 227.5
- Spread: LAL -3
NBA DFS Core Player Pool & Lineup Picks
Here are the core players I’m looking at for my NBA DFS picks tonight. You can see the full analysis of tonight’s NBA DFS projections and player pool below or skip ahead to building the best lineups possible by locking these into the aforementioned lineup generator now.
High
- Nikola Jokic, LeBron Jame (if active), Joel Embiid, Karl-Anthony Towns, James Harden, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker
Mid
- Miles Bridges, Franz Wagner, Ja Morant, Jalen Brunson, Paolo Banchero, Austin Reaves, Tyrese Haliburton, De'Aaron Fox, Pascal Siakam, Desmond Bane, Kawhi Leonard, Precious Achiuwa, Donovan Clingan, Chris Paul
Value
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Stacks
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