NBA Odds, Picks & Predictions: Thursday (12/12)
The National Basketball Association (NBA) has a total of three games on the schedule for Thursday night. The Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game can be viewed on NBA TV. The Toronto Raptors and Miami Raptors also tip off at 7:30 p.m., while the Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans meet at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Rather than look at just two games like usual, we’ll take a shortened look at all three games on the slate.
Let’s get that bankroll in the black with our best NBA picks for Thursday, December 12th.
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Thursday’s Best NBA Picks
NBA odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All NBA picks are for 1 unit
Detroit Pistons (+530) at Boston Celtics (-750) | O/U 226.5 (-110/-110)
The Pistons (10-15) and Celtics (19-5) meet at TD Garden. The game can be viewed or streamed on NBA TV.
Detroit picked up a stunning 120-111 road win against the New York Knicks on Saturday, cashing outright as an 8-point underdog. The Pistons have covered two in a row after a 1-7 against the spread (ATS) slide from November 18-December 3.
Before the victory over the Knicks, the Pistons suffered a 130-120 loss in Boston as a 12-point underdog. The Pistons are 4-1 ATS in the past five games as an underdog of eight or more points.
Boston has won 11 straight meetings in this series dating back to the last win for the Pistons on February 16, 2022 - a 112-111 win as a 12.5-point underdog at TD Garden. The Celtics have covered six of the past nine meetings, while the over is 5-1 in the past six in the series and 7-2-1 in the past 10 meetings.
The C’s suffered a 127-121 loss at home against the Memphis Grizzlies last time out on Saturday as a 7-point favorite, halting a three-game win streak. The Celtics have failed to cover three in a row, including last Wednesday against the Pistons, while going 1-5 ATS in the past six games and 2-9 ATS in the past 11 contests.
The under has a slight 3-2 edge in the past five outings, while the over has an 8-5 lead in the past 13 games for Boston.
You obviously cannot bet Boston straight up, risking 7.5 times your potential return. But with Boston 1-5 ATS in the past six games and 2-9 ATS in the past 11 outings, including a non-cover to the Pistons last week, take the Pistons catching the big points.
We’ll go high on total, too, as these teams combined for 250 points last Wednesday, as the over moved to 7-2-1 in the past 10 in the series.
Picks: Pistons +12.5 (-106) & Over 226.5 Points (-110)
Toronto Raptors (+410) at Miami Heat (-550) | O/U 223 (-110/-110)
The Raptors (7-18) and Heat (12-10) meet at 7:30 p.m. at Kaseya Center in Miami.
This is their third meeting since November 29, with Miami winning 121-111 as an 8-point favorite as the over (220) cashed on November 29. On December 1, in the second end of a home-and-home in the Great White North, the Raptors picked up a 119-116 victory at a 4.5-point underdog as the over (221.5) cashed.
Toronto has lost three games in a row while going just 3-6 straight up (SU) in the past nine games, but the Raptors are 4-1 ATS in its past five games while going 9-3 ATS in their previous 12 outings. The under has cashed in three of the past four outings.
Miami has picked up three straight wins and covers, going for 121+ points on offense, while allowing 112 points per game (PPG) in the past two outings. The over has cashed three in a row and five of the past six contests.
The Heat have picked up three wins in the past four meetings, while the Raptors hold a 7-3 ATS advantage in the past 10 in the series since October 22, 2022. The over has cashed in four straight contests in this series, too. Let’s back the Raps and the over.
Pick: Raptors +10.5 (-108) & Over 224 Points (-110)
Sacramento Kings (-230) at New Orleans Pelicans (+190) | O/U 231.5 (-114/-106)
The Kings (12-13) and the Pelicans (5-20) battle at the Smoothie King Center in NOLA with an 8:00 p.m. ET start time.
New Orleans has won six straight meetings in this series since November 20, 2023, while also going 6-0 ATS in the span. The under has connected in six of the past eight in the series, too.
The Kings have rolled up some giant offensive numbers, scoring 140+ points in the past two games, averaging 140.5 PPG. Sacramento has allowed 111+ points in five of the past six games, while the over is 4-1 in the past five games and 6-2 in the previous eight contests.
The Pelicans have dropped the past two games and 11 of the past 12 contests, while allowing 112+ points in 11 straight outings. The over has cashed four in a row for New Orleans after a 5-0 run to the under.
While the Pelicans have dominated this series lately, the Kings are way healthier right now. Jose Alvardo, Jordan Hawkins, Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson are all sidelined.
Back Sacramento on the road in the Big Easy. We’ll make it a clean sweep with the over picks, as the total has gone high in four of the past five for the Kings.
Pick: Kings -5.5 (-112) & Over 231.5 Points (-114)
Daniel E. Dobish is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Daniel, check out his archive and follow him @danieledobish.