Ricky Dimon
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It’s a small five-game slate in the NBA on Thursday, but there are still plenty of opportunities to find some winners. The lineup is headlined by a double-header on TNT, starting with the Miami Heat visiting the Houston Rockets and concluding with the Philadelphia 76ers’ visit to the Portland Trail Blazers. Also in action are the Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, and Golden State Warriors.
Here’s our four-team parlay for Thursday:
Rockets ML (+110)
Celtics ML (-156)
Warriors -7.5 (-110)
76ers -5.5 (-110)
Parlay odds: +1156
For this parlay we mix in two favorites against the spread and two money line winners (one favorite and one underdog). Let’s break down each of the four legs one by one.
Houston Rockets ML over Miami Heat (+110)
The Heat are struggling (2-7 against the spread in their last nine games). Goran Dragic is out for Thursday’s date with the Rockets, which obviously doesn’t help matters. In fact, that hurts Miami considerably on both ends of the floor. Aside from Christian Wood obviously still being sidelined, the Rockets are healthy. John Wall, Victor Oladipo, and Eric Gordon should give them a shot in the arm offensively against a Miami defense that doesn’t look as daunting as it did during last year’s playoffs. The Heat aren’t a good offensive team right now, either (27th in the NBA in scoring at 107 points per game).
Boston Celtics ML over Toronto Raptors (-156)
The Raptors have been playing well (finally), but this marks their third game in four nights and the second of a back-to-back situation. They are 0-3 in such scenarios during the 2020-21 campaign. Rebounding has plagued this team all season ( 29th in the NBA). Toronto is also inconsistent on the offensive end, so unless Fred VanVleet goes crazy again it could be a struggle for a fatigued squad on Thursday. Plus, Boston is a great defensive team (sixth in the association in scoring defense at 109.8 ppg allowed). In the previous head-to-head encounter this season, Jayson Tatum scored 40 points en route to a 126-114 win for the Celtics.
Golden State Warriors -7.5 over Orlando Magic (-110)
The Warriors have owned teams with losing records, going 7-3 in such games this season. The Magic have been roasted by opponents with winning records; they remain the only squad in the NBA without a win against a plus-.500 opponent, having lost all seven such matchups. Look for those trends to continue on Thursday. Stephen Curry is playing at an MVP level, averaging 29.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game while shooting almost 50 percent from the field, 42.9 percent from beyond the arc, and 92.9 percent from the free-throw line. If Golden State just starts winning a few more games, Curry really will be in the MVP mix. Orlando does not have enough offensive firepower to keep up with the former Davidson standout, who is also starting to get some help from his teammates.
Philadelphia 76ers -5.5 over Portland Trail Blazers (-110)
The 76ers have been on a roll lately, winning six of their last seven games. That is reason enough to think that things will be different when they get another shot at the Trail Blazers, who took the first 2020-21 meeting 121-105. But there is another factor to consider, as well. Neither Damian Lillard nor Ben Simmons played in the previous matchup, so this one will have a totally different dynamic. Six Portland players scored at least 14 points in that victory over Philadelphia, which clearly won’t happen when Lillard is on the floor. Obviously his presence helps bigtime…but Simmons will be even more important for the 76ers. He will further open things up for Joel Embiid, who torched the Blazers for 37 points. Jusuf Nurkic is still out for Portland, so expect another big game for Embiid.
Pickswise is the home of free NBA picks and predictions. We will cover all the big offseason news before making picks for every game during the 2021 season.
