NBA Picks For Thursday, 12/11

The NBA slows down considerably on Thursday night, as just two games grace the schedule. That’s probably fine for anyone that did any NBA betting on a jam-packed Wednesday night, as a full slate of games can often be chaotic and unpredictable. That wasn’t really the case on Wednesday, though, as just one game was truly crazy (Timberwolves over the Trail Blazers) and we saw no overtime action.

We got through it with a strong 8-2 finish, bringing our season record to 169-79 (that’s over 68% for those counting at home). Thursday will hopefully be an easy 2-0 sweep, but they play the games for a reason, and we analyze them for a reason, too. With that, it’s on to our NBA picks for Thursday, December 11th:

Cavaliers @ Thunder

LeBron James an Kevin Durant will duel in Thursday night’s first game, as the Thunder welcome Cleveland and their “Big 3” to Oklahoma City. OKC is still getting things back together with Durant on a minute limit, while the Cavs seem to be in a groove with their current eight-game winning streak. OKC has won three straight and is starting to look like a scary team again now that they’re back at full strength, so now might be a good time to bet on the Cavs stumbling into a loss.

Pick: Thunder 105, Cavs 104

Rockets @ Kings

Dwight Howard still hasn’t returned from a sore knee, but the Kings will be without DeMarcus Cousins, as well. That should be a wash, which should push this matchup back in favor of the Rockets, who remain quite stout with James Harden leading the way. They’re a very strong 8-2 on the road and the Kings obviously have even less bite without “Boogie” there to score and grab rebounds. With Sacramento just 4-6 over their last 10, we have to roll with the Rockets tonight.

Pick: Rockets 107, Kings 101