This article is part of our NBA Picks series.
Alex Barutha
Joel Embiid 35+ points, 14+ rebounds and 6+ assists at Hawks (+2500) -- DraftKings, 1:20 PM CT
Getting a little greedy with this one (and my other pick), but what's the fun of betting spreads all the time? Atlanta is on the second night of a back-to-back without Clint Capela, setting this up to be a monster game from Embiid. He only has three of these performances in his regular-season career, but he's done 30-12-5 on 12 occasions, so this is obviously in his wheelhouse, especially when accounting for his advantages in this particular game.
Nikola Jokic 35+ points, 14+ rebounds and 8+ assists vs. Hornets (+1000) -- DraftKings, 1:21 PM CT
The Hornets have a very weak frontline, so I'm anticipating a big game from Jokic. He has just four of these performances in his regular-season career but is obviously a threat for it all the time, and he's gone for 30-12-6 in 18 games. Denver is on a back-to-back but Jokic played only 25 minutes in the 14-point loss to the Thunder.
Nick Whalen
Atlanta Hawks at Philadelphia 76ers UNDER 207.5 points -- DraftKings Sportsbook, 1:30 PM CT
The Sixers have most of their key pieces, but suffice it to say the Hawks -- who lost to a wildly undermanned Magic team last night -- do not. Atlanta struggled to get to 95 points in that game, and they'll face a much stiffer defense tonight without Trae Young. The Sixers should be able to put this one away relatively early, and I think Atlanta could struggle to get to 90 points on the second leg of a back-to-back.
