Handicapping the NBA: Thursday Picks

Handicapping the NBA: Thursday Picks

This article is part of our NBA Picks series.

Alex Barutha

Jarrett Allen over 9.5 rebounds (-128) vs. GSW -- BetMGM (12:57 PM CT)

The Cavaliers are on the second night of a back-to-back, but I think Allen can still have a great game. The Warriors are tied for the worst-rebounding team in the NBA (47.8 opponent rebounds), and Allen thrives on the glass. Since the start of March, he's averaged 10.3 boards, and he has seven games this season where he's racked up at least 15 rebounds.

Nick Whalen

Cavaliers vs. Warriors under 224.5 points (-109) -- DraftKings (12:30 PM CT)

These are literally the two worst teams in the league when it comes to hitting the over on the second night of a back-to-back. They're a combined 17-7 in favor of the under, and the Warriors are 7-0 toward the under on the second game of a back-to-back on the road. Obviously, Curry is on fire, and the Warriors almost threw up 150 last night, but both of these teams have been surprisingly solid defenses of late.

Deandre Ayton to post a double-double (-167) vs. SAC -- DraftKings

The Kings are terrible and won't have Richaun Holmes tonight, so that means a lot of Hassan Whiteside and more Damian Jones than you'd like. Ayton has been somewhat disappointing on the whole, but he's been much better of late, putting up five double-doubles in his last six games. 

Joe Bartel

Celtics (vs. LAL) and Warriors (vs. CLE) both to win (-103) - DraftKings (12:51 PM CT)

Going back to the well after Wednesday's favorites-heavy parlay hit. Considering the tear Stephen Curry has been on, I'm not sure how the anemic defense of Collin Sexton and Darius Garland is really going to slow his roll. Back-to-back games for GS, plus the travel, certainly make me a bit hesitant, but I don't see a way in which the Warriors lose unless Curry has a dramatically off night. I feel even more confident regarding the Celtics, especially with LeBron James (ankle) and Anthony Davis (calf) still out of commission.

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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.
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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