NBA Preview and Picks For Thursday Night

We’ve been away for a few days but we return on Thursday night, where six NBA games await us. If you need an extra shove in the right direction when it comes to NBA betting, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s break down each game schedule for Thursday night and see who should come out on top:

Thunder @ Heat

OKC is one of the fastest teams in the league, so something may have to break when they head to South Beach, where the Heat prefer to control games with a slow and steady approach. It’s worked out pretty well at home, as Miami is a strong 8-3 on their home floor and have positive momentum with seven wins in their last 10 contests. The Thunder have been struggling with continuity with Kevin Durant in and out of the lineup, but he’s back and looks as good as ever. OKC is a little suspect on the road, but they’re the better team and eventually that needs to be more obvious. This could be a statement road win to get them launched into a productive December.

Pick: Thunder 101, Heat 97

Nuggets @ Raptors

Toronto has been extremely up and down all year, as they started hot at 5-0 and have endured some rough losing streaks. They’ve still won 7 of their last 10, though, and are a solid 4-2 on their home floor. Denver is an inferior opponent in all regards, too, as the Nuggets enter with a shaky offense and a porous defense. The biggest key is Emmanuel Mudiay against Kyle Lowry. Lowry should have a field day in a blowout win at home.

Pick: Raptors 106, Nuggets 92

Magic @ Jazz

Orlando has been ultra competitive all year and has quietly stormed over the .500 wall with four consecutive wins. Unfortunately they’ve done most of their work at home and are just 3-5 on the road. Normally that’d be cause for alarm, but they took down the Jazz earlier this year in Orlando and Utah will be without star center Rudy Gobert (knee) tonight. Utah could still get it done at home but their defense will take a serious hit.

Pick: Magic 101, Jazz 97

Spurs @ Grizzlies

The Spurs are chalk at home (10-0) but on the road they are more than vulnerable (5-4). Going into Memphis and getting a win certainly won’t be easy, although it’s worth noting the Grizzlies haven’t been quite as dominant on the defensive end as in past years (allowing almost 100 points per game). Still, Memphis has really turned it on with 8 wins in their last 10 games and are a solid 6-3 on their home floor. Everyone knows this is a total toss-up, but the advantage does appear to be in Memphis’ favor.

Pick: Grizzlies 96, Spurs 94

Pacers @ Blazers

Paul George is red hot right now and so are the Pacers, who have won six straight and stand in at a very strong 12-5. Indiana focused on increasing their tempo going into the year and they’re now putting up over 101 points per game. They even still play decent defense, while their only real weakness is a lack of prowess down low. They head to Portland tonight and given their 6-3 record on the road and the Blazers’ inability to defend, it’s unlikely Indy’s winning streak ends here.

Pick: Pacers 104, Blazers 101

Celtics @ Kings

This will surely be the funnest game of the night, as it has the highest Total (215) by far and could actually hit it. Sacramento pours it on thick offensively thanks to a turn around year for Rajon Rondo and the deadly duo of DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay. It’s defense the Kings can’t stomach, as they’re giving up over 108 points per contest. Boston is pretty much the opposite, as they tend to stifle opponents with stingy defense and are just a decent offensive team. This matchup makes the Celtics a strong offensive unit, though, while the absence of lockdown defender Marcus Smart gives their defense a substantial hit.

The big story-line here, and possibly of the night, will be the point guard play. Rajon Rondo faces off against the team that drafted him and helped make him a star, and the same goes for Isaiah Thomas in Boston. It wouldn’t be shocking to see a high-scoring, back and forth battle with these two lead guards inflicting a good amount of the damage. That type of game favors Sacramento, who are progressing over their last 10 (5-5).

Pick: Kings 107, Celtics 105