The NBA schedule offers up seven games on Thursday night.
The premier matchup features a potential Finals preview, with the Celtics and Nuggets squaring off in Denver.
Unfortunately, Victor Wembanyama, Devin Booker, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Tyler Herro are among the stars who have been ruled out on their respective injury reports.
Let’s dive in and take a look at some potential NBA PrizePicks selections to target Thursday.
Dennis Schroder (Nets vs. Pistons) more than 6.5 assists
The Nets get a matchup with the woeful Pistons, but they will be shorthanded for the sixth consecutive game.
Cam Thomas and Ben Simmons have each missed the last five games and are out again tonight. Cameron Johnson has also been ruled out after suffering an ankle injury earlier this week.
Dennis Schroder has taken over the starting point guard role and averaged 6.8 assists per game since Simmons and Thomas were injured.
He has surpassed 6.5 assists in each of the last four games.
The only game he did not record more than 6.5 assists was against the Magic, who have allowed the fewest opponent assists in the league this season.
The matchup for Schroder and the Nets is exceptional this evening.
The Pistons have played at the 10th-fastest pace in the league this season, and they rank second-worst in defensive efficiency.
Schroder should be able to maintain his recent level of production and clear his assists projection.
Jimmy Butler (Heat vs. Mavericks) more than 28.5 points + assists
The Miami Heat have been without both Tyler Herro and Josh Richardson in each of the last five games, and they have both been ruled out again tonight.
Over those five games, Jimmy Butler has averaged 26.5 points and 6.8 assists (or 33.3 points + assists).
The only game he did not clear this P+A projection was in a tough matchup in Denver.
Per RotoGrinders’ CourtIQ tool, Butler has a 29.2% usage rate (+4.0%) and 30.7% assist rate (+8.2%) with Herro, Richardson and the recently traded Kyle Lowry off the court this season.
He has averaged 29.4 points and 6.5 assists per 36 minutes in that situation.
Tonight, Butler and the Heat get a great matchup against the Mavericks. Dallas owns a 126.0 defensive rating since the All-Star break, worst in the league.
The Mavs have allowed the second-most points + assists in the league in that time, and they have played at the 10th-fastest pace.
With the injuries to Herro and Richardson, Butler should maintain his larger role in the offense, both as a scorer and a distributor.
Add in a plus matchup and he should be able to clear this points + assists projection.
Bradley Beal (Raptors vs. Suns) more than 20.5 points
The Suns have had trouble staying healthy all season, and Devin Booker is the latest of their stars to be bitten by the injury bug.
He will be out again tonight after missing the last two games with an ankle injury. The Suns’ dynamic scorer leaves behind a 30.2% usage rate and 27.5 points per game average.
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Per RotoGrinders’ CourtIQ tool, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal predictably receive the biggest usage bumps with Booker off the court this season.
In the six games that Beal has played without Booker this season, he has posted a 31.1% usage rate and averaged 24.4 points per game.
In addition to the increased scoring load we can expect with Booker out, Beal also gets an excellent matchup against Toronto.
Since the Raptors began re-shaping their roster with trades at the beginning of this calendar year, they have ranked dead last in defensive rating and played at the 11th-fastest pace in the league.
The increased role and elite matchup should allow Beal to top his points projection.
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