The NBA has a solid 9-game slate this Thursday night. We’ve got our best NBA player props today, including a star to back in the showdown between Luka Doncic’s Lakers and Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets.
Let’s look at our favorite player props for tonight with the latest odds from top-rated sportsbooks.
Magic’s Desmond Bane (Over 21.5 Points) at Bovada
Dallas Mavericks vs. Orlando Magic – 07:00 PM ET
Orlando’s Desmond Bane was struggling to shoot and score to start this season, his first with the team:
- Bane through 24 games: 18.3 points per game, .439 FG%, .325 3P%
- Bane’s last 36 games: 21.8 points per game, .517 FG%, .435 3P%
Bane has since turned it around to the point where his .486 FG% on the season would be a career high. Specifically in his last 11 games, he’s averaging 25.6 points and shooting 50% from 3-point territory. He’s coming off a 25-point game against Washington, and he’s recently had games with 34, 36, 22 and 30 points.
Bane hasn’t played Dallas yet this season, but the Mavericks are a mediocre defense that no longer has Anthony Davis, and they play one of the fastest paces in the game, so they rank 22nd in points per game allowed. This should be an ideal matchup for Bane to continue his hot shooting and go over 21.5 points again as he starts to look more like the player the Magic were hoping to get from Memphis this season.
Spurs’ Stephon Castle (Over 6.5 Assists) at Bovada
Detroit Pistons vs. San Antonio Spurs – 08:00 PM ET
Maybe Thursday night’s best game sees Cade Cunningham leading the Pistons on the road to take on Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs. But these teams met recently, and our focus is on a secondary player in Spurs guard Stephon Castle, who had 16 points and 11 assists in a 114-103 road win at Detroit on February 23.
Castle is having a nice second season as the reigning Rookie of the Year, and he’s improved his assists per game from 4.1 to 6.8 as the Spurs are an all-around better team this year. He also just had a game with 10 assists at Philadelphia, so he’s shown some ability to go well above 6.5 assists in recent games.
On the season, Castle has gone over 6.5 assists in 26-of-51 games, so it’s just over 50%. But with his big recent games and 11 assists against Detroit already, we’re going to trust him in a key matchup to feed his guys to go over 6.5 assists as the Spurs like to push the tempo at home.
Lakers’ Luka Doncic (Over 47.5 PAR) at Bovada
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets – 10:00 PM ET
A key game this Thursday night, where defense may be optional, is the battle between Luka Doncic’s Lakers and Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets. Jokic has often got the best of the Lakers over the years since LeBron James joined the team, but this is Luka’s team now.
In his only game against Denver this year, Luka was a triple-double star with 38 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 115-107 road win.
It should be noted that Jokic didn’t play that night, so it’s a little easier to collect rebounds and do things freely without the big man available, but we also like to think that matchup brings out the best in Luka to try to keep up.
That’s why we’re going with Doncic to have over 47.5 PAR (Points+Assists+Rebounds) as this is a matchup where he could certainly score well over 30 points again, then he’s usually good for his share of rebounds and assists as he averages 16.3 of those per game this year.
However, we’re trusting the tough road matchup to lead to a big stuffing-the-stat-sheet night for Doncic in Denver.
Place Your Bets!
It’s always a good time to start betting on NBA player props.
For Thursday night’s schedule, we like Desmond Bane to keep up his hot streak and go over 21.5 points against Dallas. We also recommend Stephon Castle over 6.5 assists vs. Pistons and for Luka Doncic to flirt with a triple-double and go over 47.5 PAR (points+assists+rebounds) in Denver.
Timing is crucial in sports betting. NBA lines can change ever so slightly before tip-off, and they often finish right near that line. Be sure to keep up with the latest line movement before making your picks, and sign up with multiple sportsbooks to make sure you are getting the most value for your NBA prop picks.
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