Ricky Dimon
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There are five games on Thursday’s NBA slate—a perfect number for our mega parlay. Although Kevin Durant is sidelined (Covid-19 issues) for the Brooklyn Nets, plenty of star power will be in action thanks to teams like the Philadelphia 76ers, Dallas Mavericks, and Los Angeles Lakers all taking the court.
Here is our five-team parlay for Thursday:
Nets ML (+105)
Cavaliers +4 (-110)
Nuggets -3 (-110)
Lakers ML (-310)
Timberwolves +10 (-110)
Parlay odds: +1847
For this play we mix in one favorite against the spread, two underdogs and the points, and a couple of money line winners (one favorite and one ‘dog). Let’s break down each of the five legs one by one.
Brooklyn Nets ML over Philadelphia 76ers (+105)
The 76ers will be playing the second game of a back-to-back situation on Thursday. Philadelphia improved to 7-1 by outlasting Washington 141-136 on Wednesday. Tobias Harris played 41 minutes and Joel Embiid logged 37; needless to say, the Sixers are going to be gassed for this one. Philly’s win over the Wizards marked its first of a ridiculous eight games in the span of 12 days. Brooklyn may be without Durant, but clearly the oddsmakers took that into account when positing the spread. That’s reason why you can get the Nets as underdogs—or in this case at plus money straight up. We just saw that they are more than capable of winning even when Durant doesn’t play, as they just destroyed Utah 130-96 sans Durant on Tuesday. Kyrie Irving (29 points on 12-for-19 shooting) and Caris LeVert (24 points on 9-for-18 shooting) picked up the slack along with three other guys who scored in double-figures.
Cleveland Cavaliers +4 over Memphis Grizzlies (-110)
Admittedly, there is not a ton to like about the Cavaliers, who are also playing the second game of a back-to-back situation. However, there are enough factors to pick them on Thursday. One, Collin Sexton has been outstanding. He got plenty of help from Andre Drummond, too, during Wednesday’s loss to Orlando (19 points and 15 rebounds). More importantly, they now get to play against a Memphis team that is without Ja Morant (ankle). And they are getting four points! The Grizzlies are 2-4 on the season and have really struggled without a lot of their top guys (Morant and also Jaren Jackson Jr.).
Denver Nuggets -3 over Dallas Mavericks (-110)
Dallas is trying to get through this early part of the season without Kristaps Porzingis. When he isn’t on the court, Luka Doncic gets even more attention from opposing defenses—if that is even possible. Doncic is putting up good numbers, but his shooting has been erratic so far in 2020-21 (making less than 20 percent of his three-point attempts, for example). Meanwhile, Denver has won back-to-back games with Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic taking turns balling out (often doing so in same game, as well, as they frequently did in the bubble). Jokic is actually channeling his inner Russell Westbrook and averaging a triple-double.
Los Angeles Lakers ML over San Antonio Spurs (-310)
This will be the third meeting between these teams so far this season and the Lakers will really like their chances of making it three-for-three at the Spurs’ expense. Los Angeles has already prevailed twice on the road in this head-to-head matchup and now it plays in the friendly confines of the Staples Center. San Antonio has no players on its roster who can effectively slow down L.A. star big man Anthony Davis. This was evident in the most recent meeting, when Davis shot 50 percent from the floor on his way to 34 points. However, it is worth noting that LaMarcus Aldridge is back for the underdogs so the money line may be a smarter move than giving the points in this parlay.
Minnesota Timberwolves +10 over Portland Trail Blazers (-110)
D’Angelo Russell is coming off a 33-point, 11-rebound performance for the Timberwolves, albeit in a losing effort against Denver. They have dropped five in a row, which is why they are getting double-digit points against an opponent that has lost three straight. Portland really has not been good against anyone this season—not even the bottom-feeding teams in the league like Minnesota. Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum may be too much for the T-Wolves, but covering 10 points is too much to ask of the Blazers.
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