Top NBA Betting Picks for Thursday, February 25

The Los Angeles Lakers stumbled and fell against the Utah Jazz last night, and they now sit behind the Clippers in the Western Conference. Time will tell how long they can remain atop the conference without Anthony Davis. We’ve got a six-game slate on tap for tonight, and if you’re looking to get some skin in the game, our experts are here to give you their leans for each matchup.

Here are the top NBA betting plays for Thursday, February 25, provided by BettingPros experts James Bisson, Raju Byfield, and Isaiah Sirois (Main game odds courtesy BettingPros Consensus; lock and prop odds sites may vary):

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Betting Locks of the Day

Bisson: Knicks -2 (-106 at FD Sportsbook)

The wheels have officially come off for the Kings, who have dropped eight-straight games and are playing their fourth road game in six days against a host Knicks team that will have had more rest. New York has played better of late, with wins in four of their past six games, and they likely won’t meet much resistance from a weary Kings team that has lost every game during its current streak by eight or more points.

Sirois: Clippers -8 (-110 at FD Sportsbook)

The Clippers have routinely succeeded in covering wide spreads, and tonight should be no exception. Their 19-14 ATS record ranks fourth-best, and quite a few of their losses came when Kawhi Leonard and Paul George were sidelined. With both stars back in the lineup, the Clippers have gone 2-1 ATS, their one loss coming to the fast-paced, high-scoring Nets. The Grizzlies are neither fast-paced nor high-scoring; they rank around the league average in possessions per game and sit 11th-worst in offensive efficiency. That ranking has trended down of late, too, as they’ve been the NBA’s third-worst offense over the last three games. In contrast, the Clippers rank as the third-best offense over that span. Expect the Clippers to come out swinging in the first game of this back-to-back set.

Top Team Props of the Day

Bisson: Grizzlies Under 108.5 (-105 at FD Sportsbook)

The Grizzlies’ offense is in shambles at the moment. They’re averaging 97.5 points over their past two games, and they’re in no position to turn things around against a Clippers team that runs at one of the slowest paces in the NBA. The Clippers have answers for the Memphis offense at every position, and they should be able to limit the Grizzlies’ possessions here. We could see another double-digit dud from Memphis.

Sirois: Nuggets First Quarter -2.5 (-112 at FD Sportsbook)

The Nuggets score the most points per first quarter (31.5), and the Wizards allow the most points per first quarter (32.6). Washington may also score the 10th-most points per first quarter (28.5), but that still points to value against this spread. Denver outscored Washington by a 17-point margin in the first quarter of their last meeting, too. Recent performances point to value here as well — Denver has been beating their season-long average in recent games, as they’ve scored 33.3 points per first quarter over their last three; Washington has been struggling to match their average, as they’ve scored just 24.7 points per first quarter through that span. I also think that there’s value on Denver’s total here, which sits at 31.5.

Top Player Props of the Day

Bisson: Nikola Jokic Over 11.5 Rebounds (-134 at FD Sportsbook)

Jokic has made some of the league’s best centers look ordinary this season – so can you imagine what he’ll do to the likes of Moritz Wagner, Robin Lopez, and Alex Len? The only issue with Jokic’s counting stats is whether this game is a blowout or not – but if it is, you can bet it’s because the Wizards miss a bunch of shots. And Jokic is the most capable player on either side to grab those misses.

Sirois: Eric Bledsoe Over 10.5 Points (-108 at FD Sportsbook)

Bledsoe attempted a season-high 14 three-pointers against the Bucks the last time these teams met. He sunk half of those shots and finished with 25 total points. It’s no secret that the Pelicans and Bucks force their opponents to take shots from the perimeter — they rank third and fourth in opponent three-point attempts per game, respectively. As such, we should expect to see Bledsoe have a large role tonight, and he should easily sail over this total.

Check out our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet for the top bets of the day >>

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