NBA Best Bets Today | Expert Picks for Thursday, Feb. 8
The NBA regular season continues with a deep 9-game slate today -- headlined by a nationally televised doubleheader on TNT as Mavericks vs Knicks takes center stage in the early window, and then all eyes shift to Nuggets vs Lakers later in the evening. So we've got you covered with three best bets for tonight's action.
Let's dive into our NBA best bets and expert picks for Thursday, February 8.
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NBA Best Bets | Expert Picks for Thursday, Feb. 8
Nuggets vs Lakers
Not too long ago, the Lakers’ campaign appeared to be falling apart at the seams as LAL hit the midway point of January riding a miserable 4-11 skid to fall to a record of 19-21 on the season – while ranking 23rd in offensive rating and 14th in defensive rating up to that point.
All of a sudden, however, the Lakers have finally come alive the last few weeks as they enter tonight’s contest on an 8-4 run that includes tough wins over the Celtics, Thunder, Knicks, Mavericks and Warriors to bring up their overall record to 27-25 – while ranking 10th in offensive rating and 18th in defensive since January 14.
While on the flip side, the Nuggets have been one of the best teams all season, and not much has changed as of late.The defending champs are positioned 3rd in the Western Conference standings with a record of 35-16 on the season – and they are 9-3 in their last 12 games.
With that in mind though, the Nuggets have taken their foot off the gas noticeably in the last few weeks leading up to the All-Star Break, however, it still hasn’t had much of an impact on their recent results in the win-loss column.
The Nuggets rank 17th in offensive rating and 15th in defensive rating since January 15, and while their recent stretch of mediocrity at both ends of the floor hasn’t caused them much trouble yet, I think they may be running into a buzz saw tonight as they face a Lakers team that returns home after closing a six-game road trip with consecutive wins over the Celtics, Knicks and Hornets.
Pick: Lakers ML (+140)
Michael's Best Bets Tracker: 8-9-0 (-1.55u)
Warriors vs Pacers
by Joe Nelson
The Warriors are in a fifth straight road game after wins in Brooklyn Monday and last night in Philadelphia. Golden State was able to cruise in the second half against the short-handed 76ers last night, getting 13 players into the game and preserving the minutes for starters with no one playing more than 29 minutes. At 23-25 the Warriors are playing with some urgency as the All-Star break approaches and the offensive numbers have been among the best in the league in recent weeks.
Indiana's defense has some of the worst season numbers in the league and this should be a favorable matchup for Golden State to add to try to add to its 10-12 road record this season. The Pacers are 29-23 but Indiana's average scoring differential is just +1.8, just a point better than the Warriors despite six more wins.
The Pacers are just 7-10 S/U vs. Western Conference teams while facing a bottom 10 schedule quality this season in great contrast to Golden State, with the Warriors schedule currently rated fourth in the NBA. Indiana has several high-quality wins this season but also has 11 losses to teams in the bottom 14 of the league.
Tyrese Haliburton hasn't been 100 percent and his minutes have limited so far in February, only topping 22 minutes once in the past five games with his hamstring injury. Jalen Smith and Bennedict Mathurin are also questionable tonight as the Pacers won't likely be at full strength.
Indiana is just 6-8 S/U in the past 14 games and only two of those wins have come by more than six points with the Pacers 0-3 ATS in the past three home games. Golden State is 6-3-1 ATS in the past 10 games including covering in three of four games on the current road trip while the Warriors are 5-4 S/U when playing on back-to-back days this season.
For more daily expert predictions, check out our NBA Free Picks page!
Mavericks vs Knicks
VegasInsider NBA betting expert Bruce Marshall has been red hot to start 2024! Bruce is 22-14 in his last 36 NBA picks -- returning a profit of +663. Click here to purchase his top play for Mavericks vs Knicks today.
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