Handicapping the NBA: Thursday Picks

Handicapping the NBA: Thursday Picks

This article is part of our NBA Picks series.

Alex Barutha

3-Leg Parlay: Bucks to win + Giannis over 5.5 assists + Giannis over 0.5 threes (+471) -- FanDuel, 2:06 PM CT

I don't have any strong leanings on today's slate like I did yesterday, so I'm throwing together a pro-Bucks parlay based on some past numbers. In three appearances against the Nets this season, Giannis is averaging 7.3 assists and averaging 5.0 three-point attempts. I'll play the numbers there while adding in a Bucks win for some more plus money.

Nick Whalen

Milwaukee Bucks +2.0 at Brooklyn Nets – DraftKings Sportsbook, 1:30 PM CT

Milwaukee was in a similar situation earlier this week against Philadelphia and came through with an impressive road victory on a night when both Joel Embiid and James Harden played well. Facing the Nets with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant in the lineup presents perhaps an even tougher challenge, but beyond those top two, the Bucks' roster is significantly deeper and more consistent. Durant, especially, should be able to get his points, but I like Milwaukee's chances to limit the Nets' role players en route to a second straight statement victory.

Utah Jazz -13.5 vs. LA Lakers – DraftKings Sportsbook, 1:30 PM CT

Here we go again. This is essentially becoming an auto-bet any night the Lakers are on the slate. LeBron James is out, Anthony Davis is out – things have gotten so dire for LA that Wenyen Gabriel being healthy is now headline news. The Jazz aren't exactly rolling after blowing a massive lead against the Clippers in their last game, but facing off against this Lakers team is the perfect medicine. Back the Jazz at home.  

Ken Crites

I'm taking the OVER on Donovan Mitchell scoring 25.5 versus the Lakers (-105) -- PointsBet, 11:47 PM CT

The Lakers D stinks. Mitchell dropped 37 points on them in late February. And now LeBron and AD are out. Mitchell is worried about Utah's recent poor play and is going to take matters into his own hands versus Austin Reaves and Malik Monk.  I like his chances.

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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.
Ken
An early RotoWire contributor from the 90's, K-Train returns with the grace of Gheorghe Muresan and the wisdom of Joe Gibbs. Ken is a two-time FSWA award winner and a co-host on the RW NBA Podcast. Championships incude: 2016 RW Staff NBA Keeper, 2019 RW Staff NFL Ottoneu Keeper, 2022-23 SiriusXM NBA Experts, 2022-23 SiriusXM NBA Kamla Keeper and 2023-24 FSGA NBA Expert Champions. Ken still owns a RotoNews shirt.
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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