NBA Picks & Predictions For PrizePicks Today: October 24
After a packed night Wednesday where many teams took the floor for the first time, the NBA brings us four more games for us to enjoy on Thursday. One of the top matchups features the Nuggets hosting the Thunder in a matchup between two Western Conference heavy hitters.
Let’s dig into all four games and highlight some of the top NBA picks to target on PrizePicks today.
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NBA Picks & Predictions for PrizePicks Today
Find game previews, NBA injuries, and PrizePicks picks and projections below.
- Spurs vs. Mavericks Preview
- Thunder vs. Nuggets Preview
- NBA Injuries Today for DFS
- NBA PrizePicks Today
Spurs vs. Mavericks: Preview, Time, TV
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
How to Watch: TNT
It doesn’t get much better than Spurs C Victor Wembanyama versus Mavericks G Luka Doncic. The Spurs played at the third-fastest pace (101.80) in the league last season, but ranked just 26th in offensive rating (109.3). They struggled at point guard, which they hope to have rectified by adding G Chris Paul.
The Mavericks played at the seventh-fastest pace (100.6) in the league last year, so both of these teams are used to playing fast. However, unlike the Spurs, the Mavericks were a much better offensive team, finishing with the eighth-highest offensive rating (117.0). The Mavericks also added a former Warriors veteran of their own, signing G Klay Thompson during the offseason.
There should be a ton of offensive production in this fast-paced game.
Thunder vs. Nuggets: Preview, Time, TV
Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
How to Watch: TNT
These two teams are very different offensively. The Nuggets, led by star C Nikola Jokic, played at the fifth-slowest pace (97.43) in the league last year. However, he helped them finish with the fifth-highest offensive rating (117.8). A lack of depth could be a problem for the Nuggets this season, especially after they lost G Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Magic.
The Thunder played at the fifth-fastest pace (100.85) in the league last year and had the third-highest offensive rating (118.3). They made two big offseason additions, acquiring G Alex Caruso and signing C Isaiah Hartenstein. Both are excellent defensive players who improve their chances of making a deep run in the playoffs.
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NBA Injuries Today
- Thunder C Isaiah Hartenstein (hand) will miss at least the first month of the season. That will force the Thunder to continue to rely heavily on Chet Holmgren, who averaged 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks during his rookie season.
- Thunder F Jaylin Williams and Kenrich Williams will miss the season opener, which is going to cause problems down low defending Jokic. It should put even more responsibility on Holmgren’s plate.
- Spurs G Devin Vassell (foot) will miss the beginning of the season and won’t even be re-evaluated again until November. He was one of their leading scorers last season, averaging 19.5 points and 2.4 three-pointers per game. His absence could pave the way for rookie G Stephon Castle to immediately play significant minutes.
- Celtics C Kristaps Porzingis (foot) will remain out through early December. Celtics C Al Horford played 26 minutes in his stead in the season opener. Celtics SF Sam Hauser (back) is questionable. If he’s out, expect to see more Payton Pritchard off the bench.
- Wizards G Malcolm Brogdon (hand) will miss the start of the season. First-round picks Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George should see more playing time, while Jordan Poole should have more scoring opportunities while Brogdon is out.
NBA Picks for PrizePicks Today
Timberwolves G Anthony Edwards 26.5 Points — More
Timberwolves G Anthony Edwards averaged 25.9 points per game last season and led the team with a 32.3% usage rate. Their player with the second-highest usage rate was C Karl-Anthony Towns, who is now on the Knicks.
In the season opener against the Lakers, Edwards scored 27 points on 25 shot attempts, 13 of which came from behind the arc. Expect him to be busy again in Thursday’s matchup with the Kings.
Timberwolves G Donte DiVincenzo 11.5 Points — More
Timberwolves G Donte DiVincenzo played 32 minutes against the Lakers on Tuesday, scoring 10 points along the way.
He took 11 shot attempts, eight of which came from behind the arc. He has shot at least 39.7% from deep the last two seasons, so it was unusual to see him go 2-for-8 from behind the arc against the Lakers.
The Timberwolves desperately need his perimeter scoring with Towns no longer in town, so he should play around at least 30 minutes again.
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Nuggets G Christian Braun 9.0 Points — Less
Nuggets G Christian Braun is going to start this season with Caldwell-Pope now on the Magic. Braun is a good defender, but he’s not much of a scorer. He only averaged 7.3 points over 20 minutes per game last season, finishing with a 15.7% usage rate.
It’s not as if he’s stepping into a significant scoring role, either, when you consider that Caldwell-Pope only had a 12.9% usage rate last season.
Thunder G Alex Caruso 18.0 Points+Rebounds+Assists — Less
Thunder G Alex Caruso is one of the best defensive players in the league. He is coming off the best season of his career with the Bulls, but he still produced modest averages of 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in that campaign.
The Thunder brought him over to improve their defense, not take on a significant scoring role. This projection has been set too high against a Nuggets team that should play at a slow pace again this season.
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