Filip Tomic
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This week’s NBA action continues with 4 more games coming our way this Thursday. The highlight of the night is in Atlanta, where the Hawks face off with the 76ers. I’ve included that game in my mega parlay, along with two other picks. Head over to our NBA predictions page for picks on the spread and total for all 4 games tonight, but for now let’s jump into tonight’s NBA mega parlay.
76ers vs Hawks under 222.5 points (-110)
Portland Trail Blazers ML (+225)
Dallas Mavericks -3.5 (-112)
Parlay odds: +1074
Philadelphia 76ers vs Atlanta Hawks under 222.5 points (-110)
Philadelphia’s biggest problem right now is scoring the basketball. With James Harden being out and Joel Embiid going in and out of the lineup, they’ve struggled on offense a fair bit. In their last 2 games, they’ve put up just 100 and 104 points, while on the season they rank just 25th in pace of play, averaging 96.83 possessions per game. Tyrese Maxey has taken over the point-guard spot in Harden’s absence, and I believe the plan in tonight’s game will be to slow down the tempo and force the Hawks to play more in the half-court, which should limit their production.
Another reason to consider the under in this game is Atlanta’s defense, which has improved a lot compared to last season. Over their last 3 games, they have a defensive rating of 100.6, and on the season they rank 8th in opponent field-goal percentage, holding teams to just 45.8% from the field. With the last 2 meetings finishing with both teams failing to crack the 100-point mark, I believe that backing the under is the way to go here.
Portland Trail Blazers ML over New Orleans Pelicans (+225)
The Blazers have pleasantly surprised us with a few really big wins lately and they are coming off a 10-point road win over the Hornets last night. Their games have been close lately, with 2 of the last 3 wins being decided at the buzzer, so this team has proven to be very good in the clutch, even when Dame Lillard isn’t playing. With Lillard in the lineup, I feel like they have a really solid chance against the unconvincing Pelicans.
Granted, New Orleans secured a solid win over Chicago last night, but they are still just 6-5 on the season which still falls far below what was expected of them. They’ve played only 3 games at home so far this season and their offensive numbers at the Smoothie King Center are far lower than what they’ve put up in road games. At 5-1, Portland is one of the hottest road teams in the NBA. They’ve beaten way better teams on the road this season than the Pelicans, and I think they are more than capable of getting the upset here.
Dallas Mavericks -3.5 over Washington Wizards (-112)
Luka Doncic is human after all. For the first time this season, he was held under 30 points in a game as the Dallas Mavericks fell to the Orlando Magic of all teams. Spencer Dinwiddie had a solid game with 29 points, so that’s a good sign. Tonight they’ll be without Christian Wood, who is out with a knee sprain, but Tim Hardaway Jr. is back into the lineup. With him on the floor, they are shooting 35.1% from 3-point land and against a Wizards squad that allows opponents to score on 38.2% of their 3-point attempts, I’m expecting the Mavs to let it fly from deep.
The Wizards do benefit from an extra day of rest, but since Wes Unseld became the coach back in 2021, they’ve covered the spread only 6 times in 21 games in this scenario. They’ll once again be without Bradley Beal, who is in the health and safety protocols, and that could be too much to overcome against a motivated Doncic and a Mavs team looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss against one of the worst teams in the NBA.
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