NBA Odds, Picks & Predictions: Thursday (10/23)
It may feel like the Oklahoma City Thunder's parade just ended, but a new NBA season is already upon us. Thursday provides a nationally televised doubleheader with some fun matchups. Let's take a deep dive into both games for our top NBA picks & predictions.
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Thursday’s Best NBA Picks & Predictions
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Oklahoma City Thunder at Indiana Pacers
The night gets going with an NBA Finals rematch. The Thunder will travel to Indianapolis to take on the Pacers. Oklahoma City started its title defense on Tuesday with a thrilling double-overtime victory over the Rockets. Despite a poor shooting performance, particularly from deep, where they went just 13-of-52, they assisted on 63% of their makes, which was above last season's average.
The Pacers will come into this game with a much different-looking roster. Tyrese Halliburton will likely miss the entire season with the injury he sustained in the NBA Finals. T.J. McConnell will also miss some time to start the season with a hamstring injury sustained in the offseason. This will also be the first season without the previously longest tenured Pacer, Myles Turner, who left in free agency for Milwaukee.
With both Halliburton and McConnell out of the lineup, Andrew Nembhard will likely run the offense, with some significant drop-off after him. This is an Indiana Pacers team that relies heavily on its offense and shot-making. With those missing pieces, that could prove difficult against an elite Thunder defense that made things miserable for a loaded Houston offense on Tuesday.
The Thunder were an elite team against the spread (ATS) last season, going 64-38-4 ATS, including the playoffs. With the ring night jitters out of the way, they should be able to put the clamps down on a shorthanded Pacers squad playing its first game of the season. I like the Thunder to win and cover.
Pick: Thunder -8.5 (-114)
Denver Nuggets at Golden State Warriors
This will be the opening game of the season for the Nuggets. Denver has the second-highest odds in the league to end up as NBA Champions behind the Thunder. There is a good reason for this. Denver took Oklahoma City to the brink of elimination in last year's playoffs. Denver also improved its roster with the additions of bench depth in Jonas Valanciunas and Tim Hardaway Jr. They also swapped Michael Porter Jr. for Cameron Johnson in a trade that will benefit them both defensively and offensively based on estimated plus-minus (EPM).
Golden State took care of a shorthanded Lakers squad on Tuesday in their opener. Jimmy Butler led the Warriors in scoring, and we can expect to see him be more of a focal point of the offense this year. Steph Curry is still the franchise legend and Hall of Famer, but Butler and the youngsters are going to run this show.
The Nuggets were a bit of a forgotten team last year, and they made a couple of big moves to put themselves back into the title conversation. So long as Nikola Jokic is healthy, they're a team to look out for. I like them to get the season rolling with a win and to cover on the road in San Francisco.
Pick: Nuggets -1.5 (-112)