There will be 12 NBA games tonight, as the league returns from the All-Star break. How will Steph Curry perform against the Los Angeles Lakers? Will Tim Hardaway Jr. break out of his funk against the Phoenix Suns? And how will Coby White fare against the Boston Celtics?
Here are the three best NBA PrizePicks plays for Thursday, February 22.
Our PrizePicks Cheat Sheet helps bettors by comparing lines from PrizePicks vs. our daily NBA projections >>
There will be 12 NBA games tonight, as the league returns from the All-Star break. How will Steph Curry perform against the Los Angeles Lakers? Will Tim Hardaway Jr. break out of his funk against the Phoenix Suns? And how will Coby White fare against the Boston Celtics?
Here are the three best NBA PrizePicks plays for Thursday, February 22.
Our PrizePicks Cheat Sheet helps bettors by comparing lines from PrizePicks vs. our daily NBA projections >>
Thursday’s Best NBA PrizePicks Player Predictions
This Season: 44-49
Steph Curry More Than 5.5 Three-Pointers Made
In his final game before the break, Curry went just 2-of-8 from three-point range against the Utah Jazz. However, before that game, he made at least seven three-pointers in four consecutive games.
He's averaging 5.0 made three-pointers per game this season, and 6.3 per game in February. He gets a juicy matchup against the Lakers tonight. They're allowing the third-most points per game off three-pointers this season, and their perimeter defense is 21st in the league. Additionally, in the only game Curry played against the Lakers this season, he made nine three-pointers.
Tim Hardaway Jr. More Than 12.5 Points
Hardaway Jr. struggled in the games before the All-Star break. He scored 10 or fewer points in his last three games, and he's averaging just 10.6 points per contest in February. However, this is a player averaging 17.3 points per game this season, so it's just a matter of time before he starts to heat up.
In two games against the Suns this season, Hardaway Jr. has scored 18 and 17 points. The Suns rank in the middle of the league in points allowed per game, so there doesn't seem to be much of a scoring advantage. However, Hardaway Jr. has found something he likes, and he's going to continue to make it work tonight.
Coby White Fewer Than 32.5 Points + Assists + Rebounds
When White faced the Celtics earlier this season, he scored just 19 points, while dishing out only three assists and pulling down one rebound. White is averaging 19.6 points, 5.3 assists, and 4.7 rebounds per game this season, and he's been phenomenal in February. This month, he’s averaging over 35 Points + Assists + Rebounds per game.
That being said, the Celtics aren't the right team for him to go over his season averages against. They are one of the stingiest defensive teams in the league, allowing just 110.6 points and 25.0 assists per game. The All-Star break may have also cooled off White. Additionally, the Celtics had time to rest ahead of this game and a fresh Celtics unit is going to make life very hard for White.
Make sure to check out our other best bets for Thursday:
Phil Wood is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Phil, check out his archive and follow him @Phil_Wood_Jr.
