The NBA is back with an excellent slate this Thursday, featuring a total of 6 matchups on the slate for tonight.
Below, we've compiled a few plays to use on PrizePicks and Underdog for Thursday's NBA games from RotoGrinders — coming from both the NBA pick'em analysis page and the projections page. You can get all the plays with a RotoGrinders subscription.
NBA PrizePicks & Underdog Plays for Thursday, January 2
- Anthony Edwards Less Than 25.5 Points
- D'Angelo Russell More Than 15 Points
- Bobby Portis Less Than 8.5 Rebounds
Anthony Edwards Less Than 25.5 Points
Celtics vs. Timberwolves, 7:30 p.m. ET
By Jim Turvey
Anthony Edwards has not cleared this number once in his last 9 games, as December 8 against the Warriors was his last time reaching at least 27 points — and even in that game, he finished with 27 on the dot.
Now he draws the Celtics, a team that he admittedly scored 28 against in their first matchup this season, but is also one of the top defenses in the league.
Edwards' usage has trended down as the season has gone along, and as such, RotoGrinders has this projected well below 25.5, coming in at 23.29.
Pick: Anthony Edwards Less Than 25.5 Points
D'Angelo Russell More Than 15 Points
Nets vs. Bucks, 8 p.m. ET
D'Angelo Russell only played 26 minutes in his first game for the Nets, but the usage was good (13 shot attempts), and with Ben Simmons out tonight, Russell should get the start and play around 30 minutes.
There is a chance of a blowout, but I still expect that Russell would get good minutes even in a blowout.
The matchup is a good one vs. the Bucks, who have allowed the 2nd-most points to point guards and have allowed above-average 3s this season.
Pick: D'Angelo Russell More Than 5 Points
Bobby Portis Less Than 8.5 Rebounds
Nets vs. Bucks, 8 p.m. ET
By Nick Galaida
The Nets are a bad basketball team, but they have actually been improving on the glass as the season has progressed. Across their last 10 games, they rank 11th in the NBA in rebound percentage and have allowed the 3rd-fewest rebounds per game, while playing at the league's slowest pace.
Bobby Portis performed admirably with Khris Middleton limited to begin the season, but Middleton got up to 30 minutes in the Bucks' most recent game, which reduces Portis' ceiling on a nightly basis.
The math points to Portis seeing a limited amount of volume here, assuming a relatively competitive game script.
