JutPicks
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Pickswise was nice enough to give me the opportunity to write my plays up for you all. For those of you who don’t know me, they refer to me as JutPicks on Twitter. I post all my plays with brief writeups every day. Now I get to write even more with no character limit!
I pride myself in being as transparent as they come. My NBA record from last season and this season are listed in my bio alongside my MLB record. Without further ado, let’s dive into my favorite plays for Thursday.
Zcah Lavine (Bulls) over 23.5 points (-108)
Line available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing.
I personally backed Lavine last time the Bulls faced off against the Atlanta Hawks. He scored 20 points in the first 3 quarters and then went scoreless in the 4th. I expect Demar Derozan to draw the tougher matchup in De’Andre Hunter so Lavine should shine against Kevin Huerter or Danilo Gallinari.
Lavine is over this line in 58% of games and should see an increase in workload with the Bulls being -1.5 favorites. In the two previous matchups versus the Hawks this season, Lavine scored 25 and 30 points with Derozan in the lineup.
The Hawks allow the 2nd most points to the shooting-guard position and I expect them to continue to struggle against superstar Zach Lavine.
Check out our full game preview for Bulls vs Hawks
Domantas Sabonis (Kings) over 37.5 points + rebounds + assists (-120)
Line available at BetMGM Sports at time of publishing.
Sacramento’s new big man has been spectacular since joining them at the trade deadline. Sabonis is averaging 18 points, 13 rebounds, and 6 assists per game. Sabonis is only over this line in 3 of the 8 games he has played with the Kings but has landed on 37 PRA twice and 36 yesterday versus the Pelicans.
Tonight he gets his best matchup since joining his new team. The Spurs, mostly Jakob Poeltl, can not defend versatile big men. They rank in the top 5 of most points and rebounds allowed to the center position. In Sabonis’ last matchup versus Poeltl, he scored 24 points alongside 13 rebounds, and 6 assists.
Both teams rank top 5 in pace which will only help Sabonis cash this prop for us.
Check out our full game preview for Kings vs Spurs
Andrew Wiggins (Warriors) under 14.5 points (+102)
Line available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing.
There was controversy surrounding the former number 1 pick and if he truly deserved to be a starter in the all-star game. Every other starter was averaging at least 25 points per game while Wiggins was averaging just over 18.
Andrew Wiggins is less aggressive when sharpshooter Klay Thompson is in the lineup. Wiggins’ scoring average drops from 18.6 to 14.9 when Klay is active. In the 16 games that Thompson has started alongside Wiggins, Wiggins is under this line in 9 of them, including a 14-point performance against his opponent tonight, the Dallas Mavericks.
The Warriors and Mavericks rank in the top 5 in most major defensive categories, including points allowed and opponent’s 3-pointers made per game; two categories that impact Wiggins’ line.
Wiggins is under this line in 4 of the last 5 games played with Thompson in the lineup and I see that trend continuing with a difficult matchup tonight against the stingy Mavericks.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Golden State Warriors vs Dallas Mavericks
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