NBA betting: Four picks for Thursday’s slate
Now, let’s dive into my first betting recommendation, which happens to be from this game.
Jimmy Butler over 22.5 points.
Teams often rely more on their superstars on the road, so there’s no reason why Miami would shy away from Butler, given his recent performances. The Mavericks are only 4.5-point favorites over the Heat, so this should be a competitive game where Jimmy Buckets sees plenty of minutes. He has exceeded 22.5 points in 61% of the games where he’s played 34 or more minutes. The Heat are one of the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference right now, winning 11 of their past 14 games and have a great opportunity to secure a win on the road against a struggling Mavericks team.
Cade Cunningham over 20.5 points, over 1.5 3-pointers.
Cunningham has been in excellent form lately, exceeding 20.5 points and 1.5 3-pointers in four of his past five games. He faces a Nets team on Thursday night that ranks 22nd in points allowed per game and 24th in 3-pointers allowed per game to point guards. Tonight represents a great opportunity for Cunningham, especially with Cameron Johnson, Ben Simmons, and Cam Thomas ruled out for the Nets.
Draymond Green over 19.5 points, rebounds and assists.
The Warriors are coming off of a commanding win over the Bucks on Wednesday night. While Green only played 25 minutes last night, he has surpassed 19.5 points, rebounds and assists in eight of his past 10 games. He faces a Bulls team on Thursday night that has struggled defensively, ranking 28th in points allowed per game and 30th in rebounds allowed per game to power forwards.
Nikola Jokic over 24.5 points.
In a heavyweight battle between the top two teams in the league, I’d be shocked if Jokic doesn’t come up big on Thursday night. He scored 34 points against the Boston Celtics back on Jan. 19 and has averaged he’s averaged 27.8 PPG in his past five games against the Celtics.
Odds provided by ESPN BET. Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com.
Brooklyn Nets at Detroit Pistons
7 p.m. ET, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit
Records (Against the Spread)
Nets: 25-37 (28-31-3)
Pistons: 9-52 (30-30-1)
Line: Nets (-2.5) Total: 216.5
Money Line: Nets (-135), Pistons (+115)
BPI Projection: Pistons by 0.8, straight up 53%, 223.3 total points.
Injury Report:
Nets: Day’Ron Sharpe, (GTD – Wrist); Cam Thomas, (OUT – Ankle); Cameron Johnson, (OUT – Ankle); Ben Simmons, (OUT – Back); Dariq Whitehead, (OUT – Lower Leg)
Pistons: Quentin Grimes, (OUT – Knee)
Minnesota Timberwolves at Indiana Pacers
7 p.m. ET, Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
Records (Against the Spread)
Timberwolves: 43-19 (30-29-3)
Pacers: 35-28 (33-28-2)
Line: Pacers (-1.5) Total: 227.5
Money Line: Timberwolves (+100), Pacers (-120)
BPI Projection: Timberwolves by 1.7, straight up 56%, 232.6 total points.
Injury Report:
Timberwolves: Jordan McLaughlin, (GTD – Illness); Jaylen Clark, (OUT – Achilles); Karl-Anthony Towns, (OUT – Knee)
Pacers: Bennedict Mathurin, (OUT – Shoulder); Doug McDermott, (OUT – Calf)
Miami Heat at Dallas Mavericks
7:30 p.m. ET, American Airlines Center, Dallas
Records (Against the Spread)
Heat: 35-26 (30-30-1)
Mavericks: 34-28 (33-29-0)
Line: Mavericks (-4.5) Total: 229.5
Money Line: Heat (+160), Mavericks (-190)
BPI Projection: Mavericks by 2.1, straight up 58%, 223.5 total points.
Injury Report:
Heat: Kevin Love, (OUT – Heel); Tyler Herro, (OUT – Knee); Josh Richardson, (OUT – Shoulder)
Mavericks: Luka Doncic, (GTD – Ankle); Maxi Kleber, (GTD – Knee)
Toronto Raptors at Phoenix Suns
9 p.m. ET, Footprint Center, Phoenix
Records (Against the Spread)
Raptors: 23-39 (29-33-0)
Suns: 36-26 (26-35-1)
Line: Suns (-10.5) Total: 233.5
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Money Line: Raptors (+380), Suns (-500)
BPI Projection: Suns by 9.2, straight up 80%, 229.6 total points.
Injury Report:
Raptors: Ochai Agbaji, (GTD – Knee); Bruce Brown, (OUT – Knee); Jakob Poeltl, (OUT – Finger); Scottie Barnes, (OUT – Hand)
Suns: Josh Okogie, (OUT – Abdomen); Devin Booker, (OUT – Ankle); Nassir Little, (OUT – Knee); Damion Lee, (OUT – Knee)
Boston Celtics at Denver Nuggets
10 p.m. ET, Ball Arena, Denver
Records (Against the Spread)
Celtics: 48-13 (31-27-3)
Nuggets: 42-20 (27-33-2)
Line: Nuggets (-1.5) Total: 220.5
Money Line: Celtics (-110), Nuggets (-110)
BPI Projection: Celtics by 5.5, straight up 69%, 228.8 total points.
Injury Report:
Celtics: Jaylen Brown, (GTD – Pelvis); Neemias Queta, (OUT – Knee)
Nuggets: Vlatko Cancar, (OUT – Knee)
Chicago Bulls at Golden State Warriors
10 p.m. ET, Chase Center, San Francisco
Records (Against the Spread)
Bulls: 30-32 (32-29-1)
Warriors: 33-28 (33-26-2)
Line: Warriors (-7.5) Total: 223.5
Money Line: Bulls (+270), Warriors (-340)
BPI Projection: Warriors by 6.9, straight up 73%, 234.3 total points.
Injury Report:
Bulls: Torrey Craig, (GTD – Knee); Dalen Terry, (OUT – Personal); Lonzo Ball, (OUT – Knee); Patrick Williams, (OUT – Foot); Zach LaVine, (OUT – Foot)
Warriors: None reported
San Antonio Spurs at Sacramento Kings
10 p.m. ET, Golden 1 Center, Sacramento
Records (Against the Spread)
Spurs: 13-49 (29-32-1)
Kings: 35-26 (32-28-1)
Line: Kings (-10.5) Total: 235.5
Money Line: Spurs (+425), Kings (-550)
BPI Projection: Kings by 8.5, straight up 77%, 243.8 total points.
Injury Report:
Spurs: Victor Wembanyama, (OUT – Ankle); Charles Bassey, (OUT – Knee)
Kings: Sasha Vezenkov, (OUT – Ankle)