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NBA Betting Odds, Picks & Predictions: Thursday (2/23)

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Today, we welcome back the NBA following their All-Star break with some of our favorite bets.

Also, take a look at our other best bets for Thursday:

View 5-star bets and historical prop performance by players with our Prop Bet Analyzer >>

Today’s Best NBA Bets

For the season, my NBA best bets have gone 27-17-1 ATS

Boston Celtics @ Indiana Pacers

The Pacers have fallen off drastically since the New Year, but much of their struggles coincided with the prolonged absence of G Tyrese Haliburton. Too, the Pacers have only won two games this season without Haliburton in the lineup, and although their lackluster play cannot be overlooked, this spread seems fitting only for a Pacers team absent their floor general. Indiana’s projected starting five (Haliburton, Nembhard, Hield, Nesmith, Turner) has a positive Net Rating on the year, as does nearly every lineup of theirs with Haliburton, Turner, and Hield all active.

Boston may be the NBA’s best team, but this number is off and inflated due to its stature in the league. Further, the Pacers have fared pretty well as a Home Underdog this season (13-8 ATS) and won two teams’ previous meetings outright (as a 9.5-point underdog). It’s a hard button to click, but there’s value on Indiana tonight.

Bet: Pacers +8.5 (-110)

Portland Trail Blazers @ Sacramento Kings

The Kings are both a good and a very fortunate team. Perhaps no team in the NBA has had the favor of catching their opponents injured as often as Sacramento, and this appears to be the case again tonight.

The Blazers’ injury report is debilitating. Portland remains without key contributors such as Jusif Nurkic and Justise Winslow and will now be missing Anfernee Simons in the rotation as well. It will continue to be the Damian Lillard show in Sacramento, and we can’t foresee that being enough to win. Portland has only one other positively graded player available to them in Matisse Thybulle. It is doubtful that his defensive contribution would be a differentiator in a matchup with the league’s second-rated offense.

Portland won these two teams’ previous matchup, but that was so long ago that the result is hardly meaningful. We know certainly that Sacramento is the better of the two teams, and (aside from Damian Lillard) the Kings will have the edge at every position and with whatever five are on the court. Further, Sacramento has been an excellent bet as a favorite this season (23-11 SU) and great at home (17-12 SU). Bet on them to cover the spread vs. a depleted Blazers squad.

Bet: Kings -5 (-110)

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