The NBA is the Wild West right now given COVID-19 and the league’s health protocols, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t edges to be had. We sit at 48-45-1 on the season for article plays and look to improve on Thursday.
Follow along on Twitter — @julianedlow — for what we hope to be another great season, as some plays jump out late due to news, particularly in the player prop market. Here’s what jumps out to me on DraftKings Sportsbook.
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CHI -4 (-115)
The Bulls might not be living up to expectations this season, but they’ve been covering machines on the road — an NBA-best 17-6 ATS. After stumbling following the trade to acquire Nikola Vucevic, Chicago has now put together consecutive wins heading into Thursday. But this is more of a Raptors fade, going against a team in shambles. Toronto is just 3-14 in its last 17 games, and 1-6 ATS in the last seven. The Raps will be without Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, DeAndre Bembry and Rodney Hood. Look for the Bulls to continue their road dominance.
PHX +6.5 (-115)
This is a play that I haven’t locked, but it’s a strong lean that I may fire on closer to tip. We’re getting a pretty large spread here between two very good teams, mostly due to the fact the Suns are on the second night of a back-to-back on the road. Phoenix is also coming off an emotional overtime win at home against the Jazz on Wednesday, but I don’t think that means we see them come out flat for another big game. The Suns are 8-3 ATS on the second night of a back-to-back this season, but I want to make sure we don’t get any late scratches here. While the Clippers are a tough fade right now, this number is just too big if the Suns are playing at full strength.
Josh Jackson OVER 13.5 Points (-130)
Jerami Grant will be sidelined in this one for the Pistons, leaving a lot of potential points on the board against the Kings — who ranks 29th in the NBA in points allowed, just staying out of the basement by a fraction of a point. Extremely limited sample here, but Jackson functioned as a go-to scorer in the one game he played with Grant out of the lineup this season. Jackson got up 18 field goals in 29 minutes, on his way to 25 points. We should see similar usage in this situation, leaving a nice margin here for Jackson to sail over.
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