Handicapping the NBA: Thursday Picks

Handicapping the NBA: Thursday Picks

This article is part of our NBA Picks series.

Alex Barutha: DeMarcus Cousins over 1.5 threes (-115) vs. MIA -- FanDuel 2:06 PM CT

The Heat allow the third most three-point attempts per game (40.2) in the NBA, so it's worth looking at a prop from the Rockets' side. Of the available options, I like Cousins the most to go over his number. With Christian Wood still sidelined, Cousins will start, and he's firing up 5.7 threes per start, hitting 2.0 (35.0%). I doubt he'll want to challenge Bam Adebayo consistently on the inside, so I'm looking for Cousins to generate offense from the perimeter.

Nick Whalen: Jerami Grant OVER 22.5 points (-110) vs. IND -- DraftKings Sportsbook

Grant has 32 points in back-to-back games, so this line feels like a trap. But I'm willing to take the bait and bank on Grant continuing to be one of the more dependable players in both fantasy and prop betting. He's scored at least 23 points in 16 of 24 games thus far, and he's worked his way to the line nearly eight times per game over his last 10 outings. In that span, Grant is shooting 88 percent at the line and north of 40 percent from three.

Ken Crites: I'm taking the Raptors (+3, -109) to cover at Boston on DraftKings

I know Toronto is in the second of a back-to-back, but the struggling Celtics are coming off a disheartening five game road trip. Toronto could also get a boost from OG Anunoby returning (GTD as of 11:45 AM ET). The Boston rotation is a mess as they have yet to figure out roles for their bench players. Plus Marcus Smart is still out, causing problems on defense. Toronto has won five of their last six and Pascal Siakam is heating up. The forward has averaged 25.7 points, 6.6 boards and 4.3 dimes over his last seven games. I also like the over on Siakam scoring 19.5 points.

Jeff Edgerton: Ben Simmons OVER 15.5 POINTS @ POR (DK Sportsbook, 7:49 a.m. ET)

This is an exploitable spot for Philly against a weak Portland defense, and the game also sports the highest O/U on the slate. Although he's only bested this total in four of his last 10 games, the pace of this game is too good to pass up.

Doug McDermott OVER 1.5 ASSISTS @ DET (WH Sportsbook, 7:49 a.m. ET)

It's an obscure category for the power forward, but his usage was low in the front-end of the back-to-back, which should lead to heavier involvement tonight.  He's beaten this number in three straight games. 

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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.
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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