Ricky Dimon
NBA
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The NBA returns from its All-Star break to begin the proverbial second half of the season on Thursday. It’s not really a full half of the season left, of course. No team in the association has more than 25 games remaining on its regular-season schedule. It’s crunch time as everyone tries to either improve their playoff positioning or enhance their chances in the Victor Wembanyama NBA Draft sweepstakes.
There are 9 games on tonight’s slate – an intriguing lineup that includes a doubleheader on TNT. Let’s get the second half started with a bang in the form of this mega parlay.
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Magic -9.5 alternate spread (+136)
Raptors -5 (-110)
Grizzlies ML (+150)
Parlay odds: +1026
For this parlay we are going with 2 favorites against the spread – 1 on an alternate number – and an underdog on the money line. Let’s break down each of the 3 legs.
Magic -9.5 alternate spread over Pistons (+136)
Detroit has been bad all season, even when it was mostly healthy. The Pistons entered the break on a 2-game losing streak and have just 1 win so far in February. They are hoping to land the top pick in the draft for the second time in 3 seasons and are more than capable of doing it, too. Trading away outside shooter Saddiq Bey was not a give-up move, but bringing in big man James Wiseman is not going to move the needle. Meanwhile, Orlando has done a good job of being competitive in recent weeks following a terrible start. The Magic have some motivation, whereas the Pistons do not. As such, this could be a double-digit margin.
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Raptors -5 over Pelicans (-110)
New Orleans is a game over .500, which is nothing special and certainly isn’t going to strike fear into anyone in the Western Conference. Following a hot start, the Pelicans have plunged to #7 in the conference standings. Zion Williamson is still sidelined for the foreseeable future, so there are no signs of an immediate turnaround. New Orleans probably benefited from the break, but the same can be said of Toronto. The Raptors are 5-2 SU in February and 17-14 ATS at Scotiabank Arena this season. I think they can cover a modest spread on Thursday.
Grizzlies ML over 76ers (+150)
I will happily take Memphis as a significant underdog against pretty much any opponent that isn’t elite. Philadelphia is a good team but far from great. The first meeting between these teams came on December 2 and the Grizzlies took care of business 117-109. Ja Morant was a dreadful 10-of-28 from the floor and his team still dominated, aided by Steven Adams’ 16 rebounds. This squad matches up well with Philly because of its physicality, led by Adams and Jaren Jackson Jr. They aren’t going to make life easy for Joel Embiid. The Sixers have lost 8 home games during the 2022-23 campaign; I wouldn’t be surprised to see a 9th incoming.
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