NBA Best Bets for Thursday, February 8th. Sides, Player Props, and more to bet.

Welcome to one of the wildest NBA days of the year.

The trade deadline will pass at 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, meaning that a few teams could look significantly different this evening than they do this morning. That makes it a tough slate to try to handicap. If a team does make a trade, it’s going to leave them shorthanded since none of the newly-acquired players will be available but all the traded players will be gone.

Add in all the usual injury uncertainty, and you’ve got a slate with a ton of moving parts heading up to lineup lock.

Additionally, the NBA has also made this slate significantly larger than the typical Thursday slate, with nine different games to choose from.

Let’s dive into five of my favorite bets for tonight’s NBA slate.

Dallas Mavericks (-3.5) at New York Knicks (-110; DraftKings)

I highlighted this play when it first opened for the Betting Life newsletter, but it has since moved from -1.5 to -3.5. Losing two points of value isn’t ideal, but I still think the Mavs are worthy of a play on Thursday.

Dallas has rattled off back-to-back road wins over the 76ers and Nets, which coincides with Kyrie Irving’s return to the lineup. That’s not a huge shocker. Irving and Luka Doncic have thrived when sharing the court this season, averaging 120.9 points per 100 possessions. They’ve posted a Net Rating of +4.4 with both players on the floor, and while that’s not good enough to make them true contenders in the West, it’s still an excellent figure.

Dec 20, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts after injuring his hand during the second half against the LA Clippers at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

They’re also catching the Knicks at the perfect time. New York has been elite at home this season, but they’re going to be without Julius Randle and OG Anunoby for the fifth consecutive game. Jalen Brunson also suffered an ankle injury in their last contest, and he’s listed as questionable. Even if Brunson can go, he might not be quite as effective as he’s been while carrying the load for the shorthanded Knicks of late.

Finally, they made a trade before the deadline, which means Quentin Grimes, Malachi Flynn, Evan Fournier, and Ryan Archidiacono are not going to be available. Those players don’t have huge roles for the team, but it leaves them with fewer answers if Brunson is out/limited.

Ultimately, I’m still comfortable playing the Mavs at -3.5, and this number would balloon if Brunson is ruled out. This is a good one to lock in early.

You can tail the Mavs at DraftKings, where you can get $200 in bonus bets INSTANTLY when you sign up and place your first $5 bet below:

Denver Nuggets (-3.5) at Los Angeles Lakers (-110; BetMGM)

The Lakers have been playing better basketball of late, winning three straight road games. Two of those wins were over the Celtics and Knicks, who have been two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference this season.

Is it possible that they’ve turned their season around? Maybe, but I’m going to need more than just three games for them to prove it. They’ve been a huge disappointment for most of the year, posting a 27-25 record while ranking 19th in Net Rating. They did win the inaugural In-Season Tournament, but they’ve gone just 13-16 since then.

The Lakers are also rumored to be shopping D’Angelo Russell before the trade deadline, who has been a catalyst for their recent turnaround. He had a season-high 14 assists in their win over the Celtics, while he had 28 points against the Hornets. Trading Russell might be a good long-term move for the franchise, but it’s not going to help them against the Nuggets.

Speaking of Denver, they’re basically in the same spot that they were last year. They’re tied for first place in the Western Conference, and Nikola Jokic is on his way to winning his third MVP award. He hasn’t been quite as good as he was last season – which is a scary thought for the MVP front-runner – but he’s still the best player in the league.

The sharps seem to love the Nuggets in this spot, pushing this number from -2.0 to -3.5 across the industry. Denver has received just 40% of the spread bets, but they’ve accounted for 66% of the dollars (per the Action Network). This is another game to consider locking in early; if the Lakers trade Russell, this number will increase.

You can tail the Nuggets at BetMGM, where you can get $158 in bonus bets when you sign up below and place your first bet of just $5 or more!

San Antonio Spurs (+10.5) at Orlando Magic (-110; Caesars)

I went down with the Spurs on Wednesday, but that result felt slightly undeserved. They were trailing by just one point heading into the fourth quarter, but the Heat outscored them by 11 in the final frame. If the Spurs shot a smidge better in the final frame (39.1% from the field, 46.2% from the free throw line) or the Heat were a bit worse (63.2% from the field), they easily could’ve covered the eight-point spread.

I’m going right back to the well with the Spurs on Thursday. This time, they’re facing a Magic squad that has been mired in a pretty deep slump. They got off to an excellent start this season, but they’re just 11-17 over their past 28 games. They’re 20th in Net Rating over their past 15 games (-3.3), which makes them just slightly better than San Antonio over the same time frame (-4.3).

The Magic do have the rest edge with the Spurs on the second leg of a back-to-back, but 10.5 points feels like too many. I’ll take my chances with San Antonio.

You can tail the Spurs at Caesars, where your first bet of up to $1,000 is on the house when you sign up for a new account below:

Draymond Green Over 6.5 rebounds (+114; FanDuel)

This is another repeat prop that was a loser for me on Wednesday. While we can argue about whether or not the Spurs were a “bad beat,” I’m 100% positive that Green was unlucky. He played just 18.1 minutes in a blowout win and still got to six boards. If he plays his usual allotment, he definitely finds another rebound.

The good news is that last night’s blowout means Green should be fresh for this matchup. The Warriors are taking on the Pacers in Indiana, and I’m going right back to Draymond’s rebound prop. This time, the over is priced at a juicy +114 on FanDuel, despite him averaging 9.0 rebounds over his past six games.

The Pacers are another very favorable matchup for rebounding, ranking just 25th in team rebound rate and playing at one of the fastest paces in the league. As long as Green returns to his usual workload, I like his chances of getting to seven boards in this spot.

You can tail Green at FanDuel, where you can get $150 in bonus bets when you sign up and place your first bet below!

Coby White Under 24.5 points (+100; DraftKings)

White has had a breakout in his fifth professional season, averaging a career-best 19.4 points per game. He’s gotten the opportunity to start and take on a large role with Zach LaVine injured, and he’s responded in a big way.

White has gone over this number in three straight games, but those have come in some favorable matchups. His current matchup vs. the Grizzlies should be a bit more daunting.

Memphis is a top-10 team in terms of defensive efficiency for the year, and they’ve played at a bottom-eight pace over their past 10 games. They’re a ragtag unit – basically, the whole team is on the injury report – but they’re still playing hard. There’s also a chance that Jaren Jackson Jr. returns to the lineup on Thursday, which would give their defense a big boost.

The Paydirt prop simulations from James McCool support this play, with White going under 24.5 in 63.4% of their sims:

The under is priced at -125 on BetMGM, but you can still find +100 on DraftKings. That’s a pretty juicy number that deserves your attention.