NBA Best Bets Today: Predictions for James Harden, Nets-Sixers

UPDATE: Tonight's game between the Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors has been postponed.

What follows are the remaining NBA Best Bets for tonight's slate.

Thursday's edition of best bets have a few plays that I locked in early, one thanks to this morning's Bet & Breakfast podcast (which you can listen and subscribe to below), as well as a James Harden prop.

I love the Brooklyn Nets tonight with Kevin Durant expected to return to the lineup, and we have a battle of MVP candidates in Denver between Nikola Jokic and Steph Curry.

Trying to close out a week of .500 or better days won't be easy, but I think these three picks will do the trick tonight.

All odds courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook.

NBA Best Bets Record to Date

• NBA Best Bets Record: 71-79-2

NBA Best Bets Today

• Brooklyn Nets -4 vs. Philadelphia 76ers (-110)
• Golden State Warriors -4 vs. Denver Nuggets (-110)
• James Harden OVER 23.5 Points (-120)

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Brooklyn Nets: Nets -4 (-110)

For the second time this week, I’m on the Brooklyn Nets and both picks were actually made on the Bet & Breakfast podcast this morning. 

The Nets have moved to five-point favorites since then, but this is all the more reason to tune into Bet & Breakfast to get my early NBA picks on Monday’s (and this Thursday) if you desire. 

That being said, I still like Brooklyn at -5 if that’s the number, as the Nets are getting Kevin Durant back from the health and safety protocols against a Sixers team that has struggled against the short-handed Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors in two of their last three games. 

Philly is 13th in offensive rating, 19th in defensive rating and last in the NBA in pace this season, while the Nets are 11th , fifth and eighth in those respective categories. 

James Harden is turning a corner for the Nets as of late, and he and Durant are just too much for a Philly team that has suffered defensively without Ben Simmons. I think the Nets roll in this one and move to 3-0 against the Sixers on the season. 

Golden State Warriors vs. Denver Nuggets: Warriors -4 (-110)

The Denver Nuggets upset the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night behind another monster game from Nikola Jokic. 

Can Golden State bounce back on the road tonight?

Jokic seriously deserves some love in the MVP conversation, as Denver is one of the worst teams in the NBA when he’s off the floor, but one of the best when he is on the floor. 

However, because of that, the Nuggets are one of the worst teams in the NBA against the spread this season, going just 14-19.

Denver has beaten both the Warriors and Phoenix Suns this season, but I think this is a chance for the Warriors to bounce back with Jordan Poole back in the lineup. Granted, Draymond Green’s absence is big, as the Warriors are just 5-7 the past two seasons without him, but the Nuggets could be without Aaron Gordon (questionable) and Monte Morris (questionable). 

Golden State is a league-best 5-1 against the spread after a loss this season, and I like the Warriors to cover the four points on the road.

James Harden OVER 23.5 Points (-120)

James Harden may only be averaging 22.0 points per game this season, but he has taken his game to another level over the past two contests, scoring 36 and 39 points while shooting 50.0 percent from the field. 

It’s possible that the time in the COVID-19 protocols helped Harden, as he didn’t have the same burst earlier in the season. Now, the former MVP looks poised to take advantage of a Sixers team that lacks backcourt defense with Ben Simmons still sitting out. 

Harden has gone over this number in three of his last four games and even with Durant back in the lineup I like him to stay hot on Thursday.