NBA Best Bets Today - Free Expert Picks for Thursday, Dec. 22

NBA Best Bets Today - Free Expert Picks for Thursday, Dec. 22

This article is part of our NBA Picks series.

CJ McCollum over 32.5 points + assists (-105) vs. Spurs

DraftKings, 4:29 PM CT

Alex Barutha: McCollum is finally starting to turn his shooting around. He should be able to continue that improved play Thursday. He's going up against the NBA's worst defensive team, and with Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson both sidelined, the guard will have to take on more playmaking duties. With Zion and Ingram off the court this season, McCollum sees a +7.1% usage increase up to 30.8%, taking 20.9 shots and dishing 6.8 assists per 36 minutes. Over the past six games, he's averaging 24.5 points and 5.5 assists.

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Bradley Beal O23.5 points vs. Jazz

DraftKings Sportsbook, 1:30pm CT

This number is lower than I would've guessed, so I'm approaching with some caution, but assuming Kristaps Porzingis (illness) is out again tonight, I like Beal's chances to cash in against one of the NBA's worst defenses. Utah is fifth-worst in Defensive Rating. Meanwhile, Beal has gone over this number in nine of his last 10 healthy games.

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Two-leg parlay: Spurs +8.5 versus the Pelicans (-110) and Jonas Valanciunas double-double (-174) for +230 total odds


Caesars Sportsbook, 1:45 p.m. EST
Michael Gillow: With only two games to bet on Thursday, I'm opting for a same-game parlay for the first contest. The Pelicans will be without Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, their two best players. The Spurs were able to win in their last game without Keldon Johnson, who is likely out again, so they should be able to at least cover against a depleted New Orleans squad. Valanciunas should receive additional opportunities to score and rebound without Williamson and will hopefully build on his monstrous performance Monday.

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Alex Barutha
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.
Michael Gillow
Michael Gillow is a breaking news writer for the NBA, WNBA, college basketball and college football for RotoWire. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in journalism. He loves everything about sports and is an avid sports-bettor.
Nick Whalen
Now in his 10th year with the company, Nick is RotoWire's Senior Media Analyst, a position he took on after several years as the Head of Basketball Content. A multi-time FSGA and FSWA award winner, Nick co-hosts RotoWire's flagship show on Sirius XM Fantasy alongside Jeff Erickson, as well as The RotoWire NBA Show on Sirius XM NBA with Alex Barutha. He also co-hosts RotoWire's Football and Basketball podcasts. You can catch Nick's NBA and NFL analysis on VSiN and DraftKings, as well as RotoWire's various social and video channels. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @wha1en.
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