Handicapping the NBA: Monday Picks

How will Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets fare against Joel Embiid and the 76ers?
Handicapping the NBA: Monday Picks

Alex Barutha

76ers to win (-140) vs. Nuggets -- PointsBet, 3:56 PM CT

Despite a near loss yesterday to the Magic in overtime, I still think the 76ers will come out on top on the second night of a back-to-back. Denver has played about as well as Philly all season, but I think Jokic will struggle against Embiid, and if Jokic has a below-average game, it'll be tough for the Nuggets to win. And despite looking poor against Brooklyn and Orlando, Philly's lineups with Embiid and Harden are still dominant, coming in at +15.5 points per 100 possessions.

Nick Whalen

Toronto Raptors -5.5 (-110) at LA Lakers – DraftKings Sportsbook, 1:00 PM CT

This is much more of a bet against the Lakers than it is a ringing endorsement of the Raptors. Toronto could be without Fred VanVleet, but LeBron James is also questionable for the Lakers, who come in on the second night of a back-to-back after getting smacked by Phoenix last night. That game felt like yet another low in a season full of lows for LA, which has now gone 28 straight games without back-to-back wins. The Raptors aren't the Suns, but they're plenty capable of winning handily – whether James plays or not.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alex is RotoWire's Chief NBA Editor. He writes articles about daily fantasy, year-long fantasy and sports betting. You can hear him on the RotoWire NBA Podcast, Sirius XM, VSiN and other platforms. He firmly believes Robert Covington is the most underrated fantasy player of the past decade.
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