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We’re teed up for a nine-game Thursday night slate that features a pair of marquee matchups replete with star power. As always, these parlays can be played exactly as presented, or bettors can select their two favorite legs and place a wager in that manner. Odds listed are best available at time of writing.
Keep reading for tonight’s best bets, and click any odds below to place a bet. For more sportsbook promos, we highly recommend checking out the best sports betting sites. Also, be sure to check out our daily NBA betting trends for game odds, stats and betting data.
Kevin Durant To Record 20+ Points, Brandin Podziemski To Record 10+ Rebounds + Assists, Rockets Alt. Spread -3.5 (+201 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
The Warriors and Rockets get together for the second time this season Thursday night at Toyota Center, with Houston having recorded a 104-100 win in the first meeting on Nov. 26 at Chase Center. Both teams come into the night with noteworthy injury concerns, as Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith and Alperen Sengun all carry questionable tags for the Rockets, while the visiting Warriors are still without Stephen Curry (knee) and will also be missing Moses Moody due to a wrist injury.
Irrespective of who’s available for the Rockets, banking on Durant to reach the 20-point threshold as the first leg of our parlay is about as dependable as it gets. KD checks into Thursday riding a particularly hot hand, as he’s averaging 27.6 points on 51.7% shooting over his last 11 games, also draining 40.5% of his attempts from downtown during that span. Durant missed the first game against the Warriors this season, but he’s an outstanding 47-10 to the 20-point threshold this season, including 10-1 over that aforementioned sample. Golden State is also surrendering elevated 50.6% shooting in the last three games, which certainly doesn’t hurt Durant’s cause.
We’ll shift to the Warriors side for the second leg and look to Podziemski, who’s a primary beneficiary of Curry’s ongoing absence. Podziemski is averaging 13.1 rebounds + assists across 32.8 minutes over his last nine games. For the season, he’s averaging 11.5 points + assists per 36 minutes with Curry and Moody off the floor; given the Rockets are conceding just 44.2% shooting at home while allowing the ninth-highest offensive rebounding rate in that split (27.3%), Podziemski, who’s converting 58.5% of his 8.9 rebounding opportunities per game, should have a solid amount of opportunities on the glass.
Our third and final leg involves the spread, but we’re taking advantage of FanDuel’s Alt. Spread feature to coax the original number down a full six points. The Rockets, who are 20-7 straight up at home, have an average scoring margin of +6.8 points at Toyota Center this season, while the Warriors have a -0.6-point figure on the road. Meanwhile, although Houston’s first win over the Dubs was by only four points as mentioned earlier, not only was KD out for that contest, but Curry and Moody were both available for Golden State.
Luka Doncic To Record 15+ Rebounds + Assists, LeBron James To Record 20+ Points + Rebounds, Nikola Jokic To Record 40+ Points + Rebounds (+167 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
The Lakers and Nuggets wrap up Thursday night’s slate with their second meeting of the season. Los Angeles prevailed in the first meeting between the two Western Conference contenders by a 115-107 score at Ball Arena back on Jan. 20. Oddsmakers are predicting a highly competitive and high-scoring game, as Denver is a five-point favorite and game carries a robust total of 241.5 points.
We’re going heavy on star power for our three legs and start with Doncic, who’s always a threat for at least a double-double any time he takes the floor. He’ll come into Thursday averaging 15.7 points + assists in the seven games since returning from a four-game sabbatical due to a hamstring injury, going 4-3 to the 15 R + A threshold in that span but coming just two rebounds or assists short of making that a 6-1 mark. He’s been a more consistent provider of production in those categories on the road as well, averaging 16.9 rebounds + assists when traveling this season. Doncic also had 23 rebounds + assists in the one prior meeting with Denver, and he’s 8-2 to this prop in his last 10 overall vs. the Nuggets.
We’ll move on to LeBron, who’s now a clear second fiddle to his star teammate but still capable of some excellent across-the-stat-sheet numbers in his own right. The future Hall of Famer still carries a robust 25.1% usage rate when sharing the floor with Luka this season, and James is also averaging 27.4 points + rebounds per 36 minutes in that split. LeBron produced 28 points + rebounds across 34 minutes in the first meeting with the Nuggets this season, and he’s at 27.4 points + rebounds on the road overall. Additionally, the Lakers are implied for a solid 118 points Thursday, adding some fuel to a threshold well within James’ reach.
And if we’re going Denver to wrap things up, we’re focusing on Jokic, who’s averaging 41.3 points + rebounds per game on the season, and 41.1 points + rebounds in his last 10 games against the Lakers. Jokic is also averaging 41.8 points + rebounds in his last eight games, a sample in which he’s come just one point or rebound short to going 6-2 to the 40 points + rebounds threshold. This leg of the parlay will likely be the most challenging one to cash, but in a game that has all the potential for a buzzer-to-buzzer battle and in which Denver is projected for 123.5 points (and rising) in, there should certainly be opportunity. The Lakers are also surrendering the fifth-highest shooting percentage (48.4) overall — including the fifth-highest two-point shooting (57.2%) — furthering Jokic’s case.
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