The NBA regular season continues on Thursday, February 8th with a nine-game slate, and our Action Network NBA betting experts are ready with six best bets. They have four player prop picks, one total and one spread bet for today's games.
With the NBA trade deadline looming this afternoon, be sure to stay up to date on how any transactions might affect today's games with our trade deadline tracker.
Find our NBA best bets for Thursday below.
NBA Best Bets Today
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7 p.m. | |
| 7 p.m. | |
| 7 p.m. | |
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
  | 10 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NBA Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Warriors vs. Pacers
By Joe Dellera
I genuinely cannot believe I am seeing an Over 3.5 Made 3s line for the greatest shooter of all time.
This is the second of back-to-back games for the Warriors, and Curry made just one 3-pointer on only four attempts against Philadelphia and only took seven shots overall – he took a bit of a back seat as his shot simply was not falling all night and let the rest of the team carry them to a win.
Dropping this line to 3.5 made 3s is an overreaction, even against a Pacers team that allows 3-point attempts at the lowest frequency in the league. Despite that low frequency, their opponents still shoot 37.9% from deep, which is above the league average, per Cleaning the Glass.
Curry has averaged 4.8 made 3s per game this season, making at least four in 76% of games and at least five (+160 at FanDuel) in 53% of games. Additionally, he’s still averaged 5.1 made 3s in eight games this season on zero days of rest. This line is simply too low in what should be a fairly fast-paced game.
Pick: Steph Curry Over 3.5 Made 3s
| | | | | |
Warriors vs. Pacers
I liked this last night, and I like it again tonight.
Draymond Green didn't come close to going over 21.5 PRA last night (I was still 5-2 on the Action app, though!), and this line dropped three points for tonight, so I'm on it again.
Green has gone over 18.5 PRA in seven of nine games since returning from his second suspension, including seven straight games before last night
Tonight the Warriors face the Pacers, who try to run everyone off the court and especially will attempt to do so against a Warriors team flying in from Philly off of back-to-back games. It's a quick turnaround for the Warriors, but they whooped the 76ers, so it was a short night of work for their top guys including Green, who logged just 18 minutes.
With the way Green is playing, we won't get this number often, so I'm playing it and like it up to 19.5 PRA as well.
Pick: Draymond Green Over 18.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (-115)
| | | | | |
Warriors vs. Pacers
By Chris Baker
The Warriors have ramped up their Pace over the last few weeks since Draymond Green returned to the lineup, and it has resulted in improved offense.
With Green on the floor, the Warriors have an Offensive Rating of 120.9 this season, and when he and Brandin Podziemski share the floor, their Offensive Rating jumps to an unreal 132.8 (100th percentile). They love to grab rebounds and push pace so they can get into early split actions and dribble hand-offs (DHOs) with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga have also finally looked playable on offense.
Additionally, the Warriors offense continues to be underrated when looking at season-long data as they have played the second-most difficult schedule of opposing defenses, according to dunksandthrees.com.
I trust the Warriors offense in this spot, but their defense will be tested by this elite Pacers offense. The Pacers rank second in Adjusted Offensive Rating on the season and have been especially elite with Tyrese Haliburton as they have an Offensive Rating of 125.9 with him on the court. When he has shared the floor with Pascal Siakam, they have a ridiculous 130.7 Offensive Rating.
We are starting to see a clear uptick in Haliburton’s minutes as he played 29 minutes in their most recent game against the Rockets. In what should be a competitive game, Haliburton should play 30-32 minutes at minimum. Given these factors, this line should be closer to 253 or 254, so I will take the current number of 249.
Pick: Over 249
| | | | | |
Cavaliers vs. Nets
By Joe Dellera
Benjamin is on a minutes limit but has hit this in every game he’s played this season while averaging 17.1 Rebounds + Assists.
The Cavaliers are a tough draw, but they’re on a road back-to-back, and the Nets will be without Cam Johnson and potentially a few others if they make a deadline move. With Simmons’s contract and injury history, there’s a 0% chance he’s moved at the deadline.
Simmons’s floor has been extremely consistent for both of these props, and while he may share the court a bit more to start the game with Nic Claxton, I’d imagine Nets coach Jacque Vaughn staggers those minutes throughout the game.
Pick: Ben Simmons Over 12.5 Rebounds + Assists
| | | | | |
Mavericks vs. Knicks
By Chris Baker
This feels a bit cheap given the Knicks’ plethora of injuries as now Jalen Brunson has been added to the injury report after rolling his ankle during a 20-point blowout of the Grizzlies.
The Mavericks have been in good form on this road trip, and Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are both expected to play here. The Knicks do not have a ton of quality defenders to match up with Doncic here as OG Anunoby and Quentin Grimes both remain out. Outside of Josh Hart and Deuce McBride, the Knicks will be completely devoid of wing defenders for Doncic and Irving.
Even if Brunson plays, he may not be 100% here. I expect Brunson to sit, and if that occurs, this line likely moves toward -6. The Knicks have survived and won games despite their injuries, but they have taken advantage of a favorable schedule as they’ve beaten the Jazz, Grizzlies, Pacers and Hornets over their last five games.
The Mavs are the best team they’ve faced, and now with Brunson banged up, I expect them to drop this one at home. As long as the Mavericks can find a way to block out Isaiah Hartenstein on the defensive end, they have a clear path to covering at Madison Square Garden tonight. Take Mavs at -3.5 and bet this up to -4.
Pick: Mavericks -3.5
| | | | | |
Nuggets vs. Lakers
By Joe Dellera
The Nuggets visit the Lakers tonight, and both teams are extremely rested in this spot. The Nuggets last played on Sunday while the Lakers last played on Monday.
I’m targeting Nikola Jokic to assert himself in the paint tonight. When these two teams played earlier in the season, he pulled down 13 rebounds on an incredible 27 rebound chances. Jokic is averaging 12.3 rebounds per game on 19.8 chances.
Even with Anthony Davis, the Lakers have surrendered big rebounding games to centers, including 15 to Isaiah Hartenstein, 12 to Clint Capela and 12 to Alperen Sengun in the last week and a half.
Jokic should dominate on the glass, especially because of the way the Nuggets have matched up Gordon on AD at times, which results in Rui Hachimura on Jokic.
Pick: Nikola Jokic Over 11.5 Rebounds
| | | | | |
