NBA Thursday best bets: Can Warriors' offense stay hot in Game 3?
Nothing like a 2-0 day on our NBA picks after the 76ers cashed in overtime and the Bulls pulled a shocking outright upset as double-digit underdogs on Wednesday. Can we keep the momentum rolling into Thursday's slate?
Mavericks @ Jazz (-6.5, 210.5), 9 p.m. ET
Frankly, I'm a bit surprised the Jazz are laying this many points in Game 3 after laying an egg in their Game 2 loss, especially with Luka Doncic (calf) flirting with a return to the court on Thursday. But I'm deeply skeptical of the Mavericks' offense replicating its success from Monday's 110-104 win.
Dallas rode a career-high performance from Jalen Brunson (41) while Maxi Kleber (25) hit eight of the team's franchise-record 22 triples to key an all-time shooting night. The Mavericks also turned it over just three times, the lowest by this group all season. All three of those factors - elite scoring by role players and season-best marks in threes and turnovers - are highly volatile in the postseason and will be tough to bank on in their first game in Utah, even if Doncic comes back at less than 100%.
That said, the Jazz rolled out the same game plan offensively in Game 2 as it had in Game 1, to little success. Donovan Mitchell (34 points) and Bojan Bogdanovic (25) once again combined for over half of Utah's points, while Rudy Gobert (8) was again held to single digits. The Jazz also logged at least 50 rebounds and 50 points in the paint in both contests but somehow managed to shoot worse than 50% from the floor in each one.
Barring a Doncic explosion in Game 3 - and with a player of his caliber, that's always a possibility - I just don't see either of these teams wowing us offensively in Game 3. The Jazz seem hellbent on playing how they always have come postseason time, and the Mavericks are simply riding too many unsustainable forces to bet on a 100-point scoring night.
Pick: Under 210.5
Warriors (-2, 223) @ Nuggets, 10 p.m.
The contrarian in me wants to play the Nuggets as home 'dogs, especially after picking them to win the series before the postseason began. But I just can't ignore how brilliant the Warriors have been through the first two games of this series.
Golden State's offense erupted for 123-plus points in each of the first two games behind their much-hyped "death lineup," which has toyed with Denver's defense thanks to its elite spacing and relentless pressure in transition. It reached such a point where Nikola Jokic - the Nuggets' only hope at a series comeback - simply looked defeated before getting ejected in the fourth quarter.
The presumptive two-time MVP has struggled mightily in this series against defensive star Draymond Green, who looks healthy enough to anchor what was once the NBA's top-ranked defense before injuries tore through this rotation. A healthy Golden State squad deserves more than two points of cushion in a pivotal Game 3.
Pick: Warriors -2
C Jackson Cowart is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on Twitter (@CJacksonCowart) or email him at [email protected].