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NBA Odds, Picks & Predictions: Thursday (10/24)

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The NBA has four games on tap for Thursday night. In the early window, the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards tip off at 7 p.m. ET, while the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks square off at 7:30 p.m. ET. The latter game can be viewed on TNT. In the late window, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets meet at 10 p.m. ET in the second end of the TNT doubleheader, while the Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings also battle at 10 p.m. ET.

Let’s get that bankroll in the blank with our best NBA picks for Thursday, Oct. 24.

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Thursday’s Best NBA Picks

NBA odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All NBA picks are for 1 unit

Boston Celtics (-850) at Washington Wizards (+590) | O/U 233.5 (-108/-112)

The Celtics (1-0) were in action Tuesday night, curb-stomping the New York Knicks at TD Garden after raising a championship banner. Boston rolled to a 132-109 victory, despite New York shooting 55.1% (43-of-78) from the field. The difference in the game was that New York hit 11 three-pointers, while Boston players were unconscious from behind the arc all evening.

Washington (0-0) is playing its regular-season opener. The Wizards were just 15-67 straight up (SU) last season while going 36-42-4 against the spread (ATS). In addition, the over had a 43-39 edge. At home, Washington managed to win just seven of its 41 games. While we should see some small gains, the Wizards are likely one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference.

Boston not only went 47.5% (29-of-61) from the perimeter but it also outrebounded New York at a 40-to-34 clip. The Celtics picked up 33 assists, too, which was +13, while turning it over at a championship-caliber rate of just three total times. That latter stat is simply amazing.

All five starters hit double digits in points, with Jayson Tatum leading the way with 37 points while securing a double-double with 10 assists. He hit an amazing eight three-pointers on 11 attempts while chipping in with four rebounds, a blocked shot and a steal in 30 minutes. Derrick White cashed in with 24 points and six triples while Jaylen Brown went for 23 points and five triples. All five starters had three or more three-pointers, which is simply amazing.

Boston easily cashed against the spread, while going over. However, in this one, the road team is laying nearly seven buckets. That’s a giant line. Or is it? Boston went 2-1-1 ATS last season against Washington while sweeping the regular-season series. Boston was favored by double digits in each of the meetings. As a favorite of 7.5+ points in the past eight meetings, the Celtics are 5-2-1 ATS. In addition, the over cashed in all four meetings last season, while going a perfect 6-for-6 in the previous six battles dating back to Nov. 27, 2022.

Picks: Boston Celtics -13.5 (-110), Over 233.5 Total Points (-108)

Minnesota Timberwolves (-118) at Sacramento Kings (+100) | O/U 225 (-110/-110)

The Timberwolves (0-1) were also in action on Tuesday night, losing 110-103 in the late-night game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

In the loss, Minnesota hit at just a 41.2% clip (35-of-85) from the field, while going 31.7% (13-of-41) from downtown. In addition, Minnesota struggled from the free-throw line, cashing in at just a 74.1% clip (20-of-27), and there is your difference, as the Timberwolves left seven points on the floor.

As expected, Anthony Edwards stepped up and did his part, going for a team-high 27 points, while hitting 10-of-25 from the field. He was good for five three-pointers, too, while posting six boards and three assists. The Timberwolves did have six scorers go for 10+ points, including newcomer Donte DiVincenzo, who had 10 points and a pair of triples in his team debut. Julius Randle, a former Laker, also had 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists with a three-pointer in his team debut. DiVincenzo and Randle were acquired as part of the Karl-Anthony Towns trade with the New York Knicks in the offseason.

The unexpected performance of the night came from Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who posted 14 points in 28 minutes off the bench, adding three triples with five rebounds and a team-best +13 mark.

The road team has won each of the past six meetings in this series dating back to Jan. 30, 2023, with the road team also going 6-0 ATS in the span. The over/under has split 5-5 in the past 10 in this series. If there was a lean, it would be the under, but there isn’t a lot of conviction. I’d prefer to just play Minnesota, as having a game under its belt will help in this matchup. Again, think about that road team trend in the series, too.

Pick: Timberwolves -1.5 (-108)

Make sure to check out our other best bets for Thursday:

Daniel E. Dobish is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Daniel, check out his archive and follow him @danieledobish.

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