Filip Tomic
Thursday night promises to be an exciting one in the NBA as a total of 18 teams hit the hardwood. The highlight of the night will be in Los Angeles as the Lakers honor the late great Kobe Bryant with a statue unveiling, followed by a clash between the Nuggets and Lakers. I’ve made sure to include that game in my NBA mega parlay, as I look to deliver our 2nd winner in 3 nights. We also have NBA picks for all of tonight’s big matchups.
Warriors ML (+215)
Mavericks -4.5 (-110)
Lakers +3.5 (-106)
NBA parlay odds: +1068
Golden State Warriors ML over Indiana Pacers (+215)
Starting us off are the Golden State Warriors, who didn’t have any issues last night in Philadelphia as they came out 127-104 winners. None of the Warriors starters played more than 29 minutes in that game, so there shouldn’t be too much fatigue as they play their 2nd game in two nights against Indiana here. They’ve actually won 5 times in their last 7 visits to Indianapolis, and after a sub-par performance last night in Philly, I am looking at Stephen Curry to turn things around here.
The Pacers are slowly getting their rhythm back as their best player Tyrese Haliburton battles through a hamstring injury. He has been on a minutes restriction for a while now, and against the Rockets on Tuesday he played 29 minutes, which is the most since his return to the lineup. However, he is still taking it easy and isn’t attacking the basket as we’re normally accustomed to seeing him do. Hamstring injuries are tough to deal with — they heal slowly and one wrong move can set you back months of progress. As a unit, Indiana has covered the spread only twice in 6 games and is just 2-5 in 7 games against Pacific Division opponents. I’ll take the underdog Warriors here.
Read our full Golden State Warriors vs Indiana Pacers Predictions
Dallas Mavericks -4.5 over New York Knicks (-110)
The Mavs are catching fire as we get closer to the all-star break. They’ve won back-to-back games on the road in Philadelphia and Brooklyn, highlighted by the solid play of Kyrie Irving. Tonight’s game is another chance for him to showcase his talent, as he faces his hometown team. He had 44 points and 10 assists against the Knicks in the first meeting of the season and he’s averaging close to 35 points and 7.4 assists per game in the last 5 meetings.
It’s not all Irving though, the Mavs still have Luka Doncic here, even if he is playing through a nose injury. The Knicks also have a ton of injury concerns ahead of this game. OG Anunoby and Julius Randle are already ruled out, while Jalen Brunson is questionable after tweaking his ankle in the win over Memphis. With that in mind, I’m just not feeling the Knicks here. Those 3 starters account for over 65 points per game for them and I just think that will be too much to overcome against a well-oiled machine like the Mavericks are. Take the road team here.
Check out our Nuggets vs Lakers Same Game Parlay at +446 odds for tonight’s matchup
Los Angeles Lakers +3.5 over Denver Nuggets (-106)
Emotions will be running high tonight in LA as the Lakers honor their legend Kobe Bryant with a statue unveiling outside of the arena. On this special day, they get to face the defending champions Nuggets, a team that’s had their number for a while now. However, LeBron and company have actually fared well in home games against the Nuggets, winning 8 of the last 11. There’s still a bitter taste in their mouths following last season’s sweep in the Western Conference Finals and I think that’ll be used as a motivating factor here.
The Lakers will also be wearing their black mamba edition uniforms in this game — they went 4-0 in the 2020 NBA Playoffs when playing in them. I’m not saying I’m superstitious or anything, but wouldn’t it be the perfect way to honor one of the best players ever with a result against the defending champions? The Lakers are 5-2 in their last 7 games overall and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 at home. Take them to cover the spread here.
Read our full Denver Nuggets vs LA Lakers predictions
