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 with my MLB record. Without further ado, let’s dive into my favorite plays for Thursday.
Nikola Jokic (Nuggets) over 45.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (-113)
Line available at FanDuel at the time of publishing.
This line is high for good reason. Jokic stuffs the stat sheet like no other player in the league. He is capable of recording a triple-double every time he steps on the floor. I specifically targeted him against the Trail Blazers for one reason; Jusuf Nurkic. The two centers have battled over the years. This season, Mr. MVP himself, recorded 28 points along with 9 rebounds and 9 assists in a dominating win. In last year’s playoffs, against Nurkic, he recorded over 30 points in 5 of the 6 games.
The Blazers currently have a depleted lineup. They will be without 4 of their top scorers. In most cases, I would stay away from a number this high due to the potential of a blowout, but, the Nuggets have extreme troubles blowing out bad teams. They are coming off an embarrassing performance against the Clippers on Tuesday, where they blew a 15+ point lead. Even in games when the Nuggets win by 10 or more, Jokic is over this line in 5 of 9 games.
Nikola’s home splits are also fantastic. In the 13 home games this season, he is over this line in 11 of 13 and 6 for his last 10 overall. I am expecting another MVP performance from the Serbian.
Check out our full game preview of Nuggets vs Trail Blazers
Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves) over 21.5 points (-116)
Line available at FanDuel at the time of publishing.
We are going right back to former No. 1 overall pick Anthony Edwards. Unfortunately, he did not cash for us on Sunday against the Rockets. He started off the game too slowly and finished with 19 points. The same situation happened in his last game against the Pelicans. Edwards scored 0 points in the 1st quarter but took off in the 4th. He scored 28 points for the game including 16 in the 4th. Minnesota leans on Edwards whenever they need a basket and should continue to get his usual 17-20 field-goal attempts.
Tonight, he faces a familiar foe in the Memphis Grizzlies. He has met them 5 times in his young career and has scored 22 points or more in the last 4, including twice already this season. Memphis will be without their top perimeter defender Dillon Brooks after a nasty ankle roll last weekend. With Brooks off the court, their opponents’ offensive rating jumps from 106.4 to 110. Minnesota leads the league in pace with Memphis 6th fastest, so I am anticipating a high-scoring affair.
Edwards has gone over this line in his 7 of his last 10 games and I expect him to carry over his 4th-quarter heroics from Monday.
Check out our full game preview of Timberwolves vs Grizzlies
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