PICKS & PARLAYS

The Portland Trail Blazers (29-31) limp into Spectrum Center to face the Charlotte Hornets (29-31) on Saturday, February 28, tipping off at 1:00 PM ET, with Deni Avdija listed as doubtful for a third straight game due to a back issue and Shaedon Sharpe confirmed out with a stress reaction in his left fibula and Donovan Clingan questionable after missing Portland's last game with an illness, putting a Trail Blazers squad that runs the league's worst turnover rate against a Charlotte team that has transformed into one of the NBA's hottest outfits since the calendar flipped to 2026, now leading the league in net rating since January 1 and covering at the best clip in the Association over the last 20 games. The Hornets open as 7.5-point home favorites in what could easily be a ten-point game the moment the official injury designations drop Saturday morning.

The New Orleans Pelicans (18-42) make the short trip back to Delta Center on Saturday, February 28 for a rematch against the Utah Jazz (18-41), tipping off at 9:30 PM ET, with Lauri Markkanen confirmed out after a practice injury and Keyonte George questionable with an ankle issue that has already cost him six straight games, while Dejounte Murray sits this one out for New Orleans after playing Thursday for the first time since January 2025, as two of the Western Conference's worst teams run it back 48 hours after the Pelicans won 129-118 in this exact building, with the market opening New Orleans as a 6.5 to 7-point road favorite and a total of 245 that sits 12 points above what these rosters actually average together on a given night.

The Los Angeles Lakers (34-24) enter Saturday night as 3.5-point road favorites at Chase Center against the Golden State Warriors (31-28), tipping off at 8:30 PM ET with Luka Doncic and LeBron James healthy and desperate to snap a three-game losing streak against a Golden State roster missing Stephen Curry for the 11th consecutive game, Jimmy Butler for the rest of the season, Seth Curry, and likely Kristaps Porzingis, leaving the Warriors to piece it together through Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, and De'Anthony Melton in a primetime ABC showdown that doubles as a Pacific Division seeding battle with real playoff implications for both clubs.

The New York Knicks (37-22), sitting third in the Eastern Conference, travel to Fiserv Forum to face the Milwaukee Bucks (26-31) on Friday, February 27, tipping off at 8:00 PM ET, with Giannis Antetokounmpo listed as day-to-day with a left calf injury and Taurean Prince confirmed out with a neck issue, this matchup puts a Knicks squad that has covered just once in their last six games and lost 94-109 to Cleveland in their most recent outing against a Milwaukee team that has won eight of their last ten and is riding genuine momentum through the Porter Jr. and Rollins backcourt, as New York arrives as a 7.5 to 8-point road favorite trying to grab a seeding edge while the Bucks fight for a play-in spot at home in what shapes up as one of the trickier spreads on the Friday slate.

The Denver Nuggets (37-22), fourth in the Western Conference, travel to Paycom Center to face the Oklahoma City Thunder (45-15) on Friday, February 27, tipping off at 9:30 PM ET, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander confirmed back after a nine-game absence and Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Alex Caruso all cleared from the injury report, while Denver arrives missing Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson with Jamal Murray listed as questionable due to illness, and this matchup puts the league's top offense against a suddenly-healthy Thunder squad riding its first-place perch atop the West with the San Antonio Spurs just 1.5 games back. OKC opened as an 8.5-point home favorite, and the return of SGA explains the number, but a team that is 4-9 against the spread when favored by at least that much laying it to a Nikola Jokic team that is 4-0 ATS as dogs of this size is one of the sneakiest value spots on the Friday slate.