Best NBA Bets Today for Thursday, February 29th (Nuggets Set to Cover in NBA Finals Rematch vs. Heat)
By Reed Wallach
There are a handful of intriguing matchups on the Thursday NBA hoops card, including last year's NBA Finals rematch between the Nuggets and Heat.
Nikola Jokic will look to continue his dominance over the Heat, and keep the surging Nuggets within shouting distance of the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference ahead of the postseason. The team at the top of the conference is the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are big favorites against the San Antonio Spurs, but all eyes will be on the two contenders for Rookie of the Year, Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama.
Lastly, another surging Eastern Conference contender, the Orlando Magic, will look to keep up with the Heat in the Southeast standings at home against the Utah Jazz.
We'll be focusing on those three games for our serving of NBA best bets!
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Best NBA Bets Today
- Jazz vs. Magic (-6)
- Thunder Team Total OVER 124.5 Points
- Heat vs. Nuggets (-5)
Jazz vs. Magic Prediction and Pick
Looking at the season in full, the Utah Jazz are one of the best against-the-spread teams at 31-27-1 (No. 8 in the NBA). But the majority of that success has been in Salt Lake City. The Jazz are 19-10 against the spread at home this season but have struggled mightily away from the Delta Center.
On the road, Utah is 12-17-1 against the spread, which is the seventh-worst mark in the NBA. Now, amid a dreadful stretch, the team will face an Orlando Magic squad that excels with home-court advantage. The Magic are the No. 2 against-the-spread team at home in the NBA this season with an 18-8 mark.
Furthermore, Utah’s offense has been the biggest factor in its road woes. The Jazz are No. 9 in the NBA in scoring but put up 10.9 points per game less on the road (112.3) than at home (123.2). They will get an Orlando team that is No. 5 in defensive rating and is top-5 in the league in second-chance points allowed.
Overall, Orlando is 4-1 in its last five games as a favorite of five or more points and they stay hot on Thursday. -- Shelby Dermer
PICK: Magic -6
Thunder vs. Spurs Prediction and Pick
The Thunder have had little issue beating up on the lowly Spurs this season, winning each game by double digits, and I expect the team to make quick work of San Antonio yet again, but I'm not interested in laying the points
I'd prefer to target just the Thunder offense, and take its team total over.
Both teams are inside the top 10 in terms of pace and the Thunder rank third in terms of offensive rating, per NBA.com. Meanwhile, San Antonio is 24th in defensive rating despite Wembanyama's unicorn ability as a defender, able to swat shots near the rim and on the perimeter.
OKC has scored 123 and 140 points against the Spurs in the two games this season, I'll take the over in hopes the team can play up to expectation. -- Reed Wallach
PICK: Thunder Team Total OVER 124.5
Heat vs. Nuggets Prediction and Pick
The Nuggets are starting to reach its playoff form, and I'm not stepping in front of them, especially with the potential road-weary Heat, who are finishing its four-game west coast swing on Thursday night.
The Heat offense remains an enigma, 20th in offensive rating, per NBA.com, while playing at the third slowest tempo. Denver will happily get into a halfcourt battle with the Heat, playing at the fourth slowest pace in the league, but the offense is far more potent around the MVP frontrunner Jokic, especially at home. Denver is third in offensive rating at home, posting the third-highest net rating at +10.2.
The Nuggets are rolling and I see little reason why the team's home success can't continue, able to outpace the Heat in a halfcourt showdown to win by multiple possessions. -- Reed Wallach
PICK: Nuggets -5
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.