The NBA regular season continues with a solid 6-game slate for this Thursday, and our staff of betting experts has locked in picks for all six of tonight's contests — including bets for Suns vs. Hornets, Cavaliers vs. Warriors and more.
Continue below for our NBA picks, predictions, and expert bets for Thursday, April 2.
NBA Predictions, Picks for Thursday, April 2
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Suns vs. Hornets Prop Bet
Devin Booker Over 5.5 Assists
Dillon Brooks is back in the lineup for the Suns, and that's notable when it comes to projecting Devin Booker's assist numbers. However the recent hit rate on this prop is simply too high to ignore — and Brooks only played 22 minutes in his first game back, so I'm going to keep attacking this market for as long as I can.
Booker should be able to rack up plenty of assists against Charlotte tonight, regardless of the presence of Brooks. He has recorded over 5.5 assists in five of his last six games.
Whenever the Hornets find themselves in close games, they tend to get a bit frantic defensively and blitz more often — and I have a sneaking suspicion they are going to send too much help at Booker throughout this game. If that turns out to be the case, Booker is going to pick them apart tonight.
I'm expecting a competitive back-and-forth affair here — and the way Charlotte will likely guard Booker should lend a pathway to him clearing 5.5 assists.
Pick: Devin Booker Over 5.5 Assists (-125)
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Timberwolves vs. Pistons Player Prop
Kevin Huerter Over 7.5 Points
Action PRO is projecting 9.9 points for Kevin Huerter in the Pistons' matchup against the Timberwolves tonight, showing a huge 21.1% edge against his current prop line of over/under 7.5, which is strong enough to mark the Over with an A+ grade in our database.
Huerter's role in the Pistons' offense has slowly been expanding recently. He's scored 8+ points in six of his last seven games, while reaching 10+ points in four of those contests; and getting all the way up to 17+ points in two of them.
This should be a good spot for him to keep the momentum going in a matchup against a Wolves squad that ranks top-10 in the NBA in pace.
Pick: Kevin Huerter Over 7.5 Points (-128)
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Lakers vs. Thunder Spread Prediction
Thunder -9
This is the best game on tonight's slate: Thunder vs. Lakers, SGA vs. Luka — big time matchup.
I price the spread for this game at Thunder -9.3. We have to make adjustments on market ratings for the Isaiah Hartenstein and Jalen Williams being back in the lineup for this game. They both missed the Thunder's most recent contest.
There's a lot of noise that makes this game hard to price. So, I'll rely more on my model than market rating here, which likes the scheduling spot for Thunder — with the Lakers playing their third game in the last four nights on the road here.
I kind of have this overarching theory that this might be the last few games where there any value left in betting on the Thunder — so, I've done it the last two games, and I'm probably going to keep doing it until all the value evaporates.
This Thunder team is unbelievably good, and now they are healthy. I'll lay the points with OKC tonight.
Pick: Thunder -9 (-110)
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Cavaliers vs. Warriors Prop Bet
By Joe Dellera
James Harden Over 7.5 Assists
The Cavaliers face off against the Warriors as double-digit favorites tonight.
The Warriors are playing their second game in as many days after getting torched by the Spurs last night. Tired legs never help against a facilitator like Harden.
Harden has averaged 8.1 assists per game with the Cavs, and shockingly, he's only played five games with their core group of himself, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen.
However, I expect the Cavs to utilize more of that lineup today as they prepare for the postseason — and that should slightly mitigate some blowout risk.
The Warriors had been decent for most of the season when it came limiting assists — but not so much lately. They have fallen off a cliff without Curry and Butler, plus Porzingis constantly being out.
The Warriors recently surrendered big assist games to Stephon Castle, Jamal Murray, and even Jalen Brunson — and Harden is a more capable passer than all of them. I’ll back Harden to shred Golden State's defense on Thursday night.
Pick: James Harden Over 7.5 Assists (-135)
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Pelicans vs. Trail Blazers Spread Prediction
By Bet Labs
Pelicans +6.5
This NBA system focuses on identifying well rested road teams performing during the early months of the calendar year when fatigue and scheduling imbalances often affect results.
It isolates games played in the regular season where the visiting team has had at least four days off, giving them time to recover and prepare, while their opponent has had minimal rest of just two days.
This rest advantage can make a measurable difference late in long road trips or in the grind of the winter schedule, especially later in the season when player fatigue is common.
The system captures how rested visiting teams often come out sharper and more efficient against hosts with tighter turnarounds, leading to consistent value when backing these teams against the spread.
Pick: Pelicans +6.5 (-115)
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Spurs vs. Clippers Over/Under Pick
Under 231.5
The line movement here prompted me to do some digging, and I found that underdogs of no more than 4.5 points in a double-revenge spot following losses by a margin of four or fewer points are 107-94-3 (53.2%) against the spread (ATS) historically.
However, the Spurs are playing at such a high level that their A-game is often too much for opponents to cope with. Therefore, I prefer to pivot to the total, because San Antonio will be on short rest after playing on Wednesday night.
The Spurs are 10-4 ATS in this spot but 8-6 to the under — and if we revisit our earlier trend of underdogs using the same defined parameters, teams in this spot are a perfect 6-0 to the under.
After running the numbers, my model puts the total closer to 228.5. So, I'll take the under at 231.5 total points tonight.
Pick: Under 231.5 (-110)
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