2014 NBA Picks: Picking Thursday’s Games

Wednesday night was a big bowl of fun. Generally the biggest night of the week falls smack dab in the middle, and a huge 11-game slate certainly didn’t disappoint. Several games went down to the wire and almost gave us extra action, while the Bucks and Nets did combine for a nice double overtime battle.

We had a Solomon Hill buzzer-beating layup, Jason Kidd beating the Nets in Brooklyn and LeBron James blundering away a chance to beat the Spurs at home. It was a crazy night, yet we somehow managed to nail a solid 6-5 mark. It doesn’t sound amazing, but considering just about everyone got burned by the Lakers winning a second straight game and the Timberwolves winning without any of their star players, we’ll take anything above .500.

Of course, perfection is still always the aim, so let’s see if we can’t finally get a clean sweep on a light two-game Thursday night:

Clippers @ Heat

Los Angeles finally looked somewhat like themselves in a blowout win against the Magic on Wednesday night, but they still don’t have it all figured out on defense. Things may not get easier against the Heat tonight, but with Dwyane Wade and Luol Deng both likely out, it’s hard to bet against a star-studded L.A. roster.

Pick: Clippers 105, Heat 102

Bulls @ Kings

Sacramento has been better than many thought they’d be this year, but for all of their improvement they’re still just 6-5. The Bulls, meanwhile, are impressively 8-3 and in first in their division despite playing without star point guard Derrick Rose for six games. Rose is out again tonight, along with big man Pau Gasol. That gives the Kings a real chance for a big home win, but Chicago has been great even without two of their best players. Logic still says the Bulls are the better team, while an insane 6-0 road record on the year is tough to go against, as well.

Pick: Bulls 112, Kings 104