NBA Thursday betting preview: Raptors overvalued as home chalk
Our hot streak ran cold Wednesday as we went 1-2 on our NBA picks against the spread, foiled by a four-point loss by the Timberwolves (+3). Here are our favorite bets for Thursday's action.
Wizards @ Raptors (-3, 236)
It feels like we're selecting the Wizards as one of our best bets every night, but we just can't lay off when oddsmakers keep ignoring the team's sustained success.
After Wednesday's one-point road loss to the Bucks, Washington is 12-0-2 ATS since April 12 and owns the NBA's second-best net rating (+12.0) in that span. Bradley Beal has scored at least 26 points in all but one of those games, while Russell Westbrook has 11 triple-doubles in those 14 contests.
Despite those impressive numbers, the Wizards are catching three points against a Raptors team that has lost four of its last five games outright and is 4-11 straight up in its last 15 games against teams with better records. Play the superior squad in this one.
Pick: Wizards +3
Grizzlies (-9, 223) @ Pistons
Friends don't let friends fade the Pistons as big home underdogs. Detroit is a stellar 9-3 ATS when catching at least five points at home this season - the second-best mark by any team in at least 25 years - with five outright wins in those 12 contests.
The Grizzlies are 21-10-1 ATS as favorites this year and 9-3-1 ATS as road chalk, though only one of those games featured a line this high. That contest came Saturday when Memphis lost outright to the Magic as an 11.5-point favorite, and the Grizzlies now find themselves entering Thursday's contest on a 1-4-1 ATS run.
Memphis is the better team, especially given the Pistons' current injuries. But this line is simply too aggressive against a Detroit team with a knack for proving oddsmakers wrong.
Pick: Pistons +9
C Jackson Cowart is a betting writer for theScore. He's an award-winning journalist with stops at The Charlotte Observer, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Times Herald-Record, and BetChicago. He's also a proud graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, and his love of sweet tea is rivaled only by that of a juicy prop bet. Find him on Twitter @CJacksonCowart.