Handicapping the NBA: Thursday Picks

Handicapping the NBA: Thursday Picks

This article is part of our NBA Picks series.

Alex Barutha: Nikola Jokic over 28.5 points (-115) vs. WAS -- BetMGM, 1:22 PM CT

I'm going back to the well with Jokic here. I took the over on his points prop when he was going up against the Blazers two days ago and he scored 41 points on 32 shots against the matador defense of Enes Kanter. The Wizards have worse frontcourt personnel, with Mo Wagner likely starting at center and Robin Lopez and Alex Len as the reserves. Jokic scored 33 points last time these two teams faced off on Feb. 17.

Joe Bartel: Michael Carter-Williams over 4.5 assists (+110) vs. BRO - DraftKings Sportsbook 11:12 AM CT

I love this from an odds perspective, but even if this was -110, it's still a pretty clear target for me. We know the Nets are susceptible to dominant big men, so in some ways, this is almost a bet on Nikola Vucevic doing what we expect he'll do against DeAndre Jordan and company. It's not as if Kyrie Irving and James Harden are a particularly defensive backcourt combo either, so while MCW likely won't score a ton, I do think he'll have enough room to facilitate comfortably. And if you need any more reinforcement, Carter-Williams is averaging 5.5 assists across six games since returning from his multi-month absence.

Jeff Edgerton: Nets (-8) vs. Magic - FanDuel Sportsbook, 7:07 a.m. CT

While Nikola Vucevic should give the Nets a bit of trouble, the Magic are woefully short-handed at the moment, and even without Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving should have little problem negating Orlando's slow pace.  

Brook Lopez OVER 11.5 POINTS vs. Pelicans - FanDuel Sportsbook, 7:07 a.m. CT

Lopez looks great in DFS models today, and he scored 16 points when he last played the Pelicans.  

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Joe Bartel
Joe Bartel is RotoWire's Operations Specialist and football contributor among many other things. When not at the office, he's probably playing a variety of Gen 4 console games or rooting on his beloved Green Bay Packers.
Alex Barutha
Alex is RotoWire's Chief NBA Editor. He writes articles about daily fantasy, year-long fantasy and sports betting. You can hear him on the RotoWire NBA Podcast, Sirius XM, VSiN and other platforms. He firmly believes Robert Covington is the most underrated fantasy player of the past decade.
Jeff Edgerton
Jeff has provided sports content for numerous sports outlets and has played fantasy sports since scores had to be tabulated via newspaper. He started working with RotoWire in 2017. Originally from South Carolina, he's a lifelong Clemson fan now enjoying the sun in Los Angeles.
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