Filip Tomic
Show Bio
There will be no shortage of excitement tonight as 18 teams hit the hardwood across the NBA. After cashing on Wednesday’s NBA mega parlay at +687 odds we are going for back-to-back winners with another 3-leg bet.
NBA TV has a doubleheader coming our way tonight, and one of those games is included. Head over to our NBA predictions for all our picks for Thursday’s slate. Let’s dive into my mega parlay now!
Bucks -8 (-110)
Lakers +7 (-112)
Clippers ML (+180)
Parlay odds: +911
Bucks -8 over Bulls (-110)
Right now, we are in midst of the best basketball the Milwaukee Bucks have played since acquiring Damian Lillard in the offseason. Although their wins against sub-par teams in Washington and Portland were by just 6 and 3 points, the Bucks have now won 8 of their last 9 games, while also covering the spread in 6 of their last 8 overall. Their offense has really picked it up during this stretch with them shooting better than 50% from the field in 6 of 8 games. They’ve enjoyed a ton of success against the Bulls lately, covering the spread in 14 of the last 16 visits to the United Center.
Not only are the Bulls on a 5-game losing streak, their two best players — DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine — are both questionable with ankle and foot injuries sustained in the 27-point loss at Boston. A major collapse would have to happen on the Bucks side of things for Chicago to stand a chance. Milwaukee is on a 3-game win streak in head-to-head meetings, winning by 9, 13 and 12 points. I like their chance to win this one by double digits.
Lakers +7 over Thunder (-112)
The Lakers will be playing on the second night of a back-to-back, but as they dominated the Pistons last night their two best players — LeBron James and Anthony Davis — played only 29 minutes each, so they should be fine. D’Angelo Russell played his best game of the season, finishing with 35 points and 9 assists on 13-for-17 shooting. The 7-point spread in OKC’s favor is a lot, considering the Lakers won the last 2 meetings by 5 and 6 points and are 7-3 SU in the last 10 head-to-head.
These teams are neck and neck if we look at just talent, it’s matter of whether you prefer youth or experience. I’m siding with the experience, LA has shot at least 50% from the field in 3 of its last 5 games, and I really like AD’s matchup down low against Chet Holmgren. LA has gone 4-1 ATS/SU in the last 5 meetings, and those who are feeling brave could also use the money line here at +190 odds, but let’s go with the Lakers to cover as 7-point dogs as a slightly safer option.
LA Clippers ML over Warriors (+180)
After an impressive 14-point win over Golden State, the Clippers will make the short trip to San Francisco to face the Golden State Warriors as 5-point underdogs tonight. With Steph Curry and co. facing their own issues, I’m picking the Clippers to pull off the upset. Golden State has recorded just 2 wins in the last 10 games overall, and at Chase Center the Warriors haven’t been able to put teams away, going just 1-8 ATS. Injuries are also starting to pile up with Chris Paul and Gary Payton II both leaving the game against Sacramento. Chris Paul’s status is still up in the air for tonight’s game, while Payton will miss an extended period of time with a calf injury.
The Clippers are playing on the second night of a back-to-back, but having so much individual talent on their roster compensates for that. Kawhi Leonard and James Harden are finally starting to click and they combined for 60 points and 9 assists last night. The Warriors will feel the absence of a good defender like Payton, and even with him in the lineup they had only the 17th-best defensive rating in the league. LA has split the 2 games when playing on the second night of a back-to-back this season, and I think they can surprise and get the W.
