Handicapping the NBA: Thursday Picks

Handicapping the NBA: Thursday Picks

This article is part of our NBA Picks series.

Alex Barutha

3-way parlay: Hornets (vs. DET) + Nets (vs. BOS) + Hawks (@ TOR) to win (+361) -- DraftKings, 12:52 PM CT

It's surprising the odds for all these teams are short enough to get nearly 4-to-1 odds. The Hornets, who are likely getting Devonte' Graham back, are going up against one of the NBA's worst teams. The Celtics are getting Marcus Smart back, but he'll be on a minutes limit, and the Nets are still a superior team, even without Kevin Durant. The Raptors are still missing Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam, so I'm also expecting the Hawks to be able to take care of business.

Nick Whalen

Magic-Heat UNDER 211.0 total points (-109) -- DraftKings Sportsbook

This is the lowest number on the board tonight by a fair margin, but we're looking at a pair of teams missing key players. Miami will be without Bam Adebayo, while the banged-up Magic are still missing several regulars, including Evan Fournier and Cole Anthony. There's a chance Aaron Gordon could make his return, but even if that's the case, he'd likely be limited. Entering the break, Miami scored 109, 80 and 103 points over its final three games. It also held each of its opponents under 100 points in all three contests. Adebayo's absence will be a hit to the Heat's defense, but it's also a major loss on the offensive end. I like Miami to win at home, and I see this being a relatively ugly game that's decided in the high-90s or low-100s.

Jeff Edgerton

Wendell Carter UNDER 7.5 REBOUNDS vs. Sixers (FD Sportsbook)

Without Joel Embiid in the lineup, I'd expect the Bulls to get their fair share of rebounds inside, opposite Dwight Howard.  Carter is Chicago's starter under the basket, but Lauri Markkanen's return will eat into his rebound totals.

ROCKETS (-4.5) over Kings (FD Sportsbook)

Neither of these teams are defensive powerhouses, but John Wall and Victor Oladipo will simply outplay and outscore De'Aaron Fox and the Kings tonight. 

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
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.
Nick Whalen
Now in his 10th year with the company, Nick is RotoWire's Senior Media Analyst, a position he took on after several years as the Head of Basketball Content. A multi-time FSGA and FSWA award winner, Nick co-hosts RotoWire's flagship show on Sirius XM Fantasy alongside Jeff Erickson, as well as The RotoWire NBA Show on Sirius XM NBA with Alex Barutha. He also co-hosts RotoWire's Football and Basketball podcasts. You can catch Nick's NBA and NFL analysis on VSiN and DraftKings, as well as RotoWire's various social and video channels. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @wha1en.
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