But before we get into my NBA player props for the TNT doubleheader, we'll begin in Detroit, where Dennis Schroder and the Brooklyn Nets will be taking on the Pistons.
In the first game of the NBA doubleheader on TNT, the Miami Heat will head to Dallas to take on the Mavericks. The Heat have won seven of their last eight games while the Mavericks have lost five of their last six. Jimmy Butler will be looking to make sure those trends continue.
After a 52-point loss on Sunday in Boston, the Golden State Warriors rebounded with a 35-point win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday. Stephen Curry bounced back with the help of Draymond Green. They will look to use their connection to knock off the Chicago Bulls.
I have three NBA player prop picks for Thursday night — check them out below.
NBA Player Props | 3 NBA Prop Picks for Thursday
Schroder has logged double-digit point totals in each of his last six games. Over that span, he's averaged 17.1 points, including a pair of 20-point performances. He has used the long ball to his advantage as he has made at least two 3s in five of those games. In four of those contests, he drained three triples, including five against the Hawks last Thursday.
Now Schroder gets the Pistons, who allow about 12 3s per game, the seventh-fewest mark in the league. However, they are 24th in 3-point percentage defense. They have also been vulnerable against point guards.
Since the All-Star break, Tyrese Haliburton, Jalen Brunson, Darius Garland and Terry Rozier have gone over their 3s line against the Pistons. They each made at least three (Garland went off for eight).
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Schroder has been on fire from distance, shooting 17-of-29 (58.6%) in his last six games. In the one game that he did not make two, he only took three attempts from distance, making one. He attempted at least four in the other five games, including seven twice.
If Schroder goes 2-for-7, he can hit this line even while regressing from his recent hot streak. He also made three triples in his last game against the Pistons.
Schroder is +230 to make three 3s on FanDuel, which has a 66% hit rate over his last six games.
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You know that the playoffs are drawing closer when Jimmy Butler starts to elevate his game.
Over his past 10 games, Butler has had at least four rebounds in nine of them. He has had seven rebounds in six of those games and he is averaging 6.8 rebounds per game in that span. Butler also has six assists in six of his last seven games and seven of his last 10. That may be why he is a bit juiced for over 5.5 assists (-160) tonight.
Butler has a favorable matchup against a Dallas team that is 23rd in assists allowed per game. Butler has primarily played the small and power forward positions for Miami this season, but Dallas has allowed assists to all positions of late.
The Mavericks have been hemorrhaging points and have fallen to 23rd in defensive rating. They have allowed at least 120 points in each of their last six games. Dallas is 27th in rebounds allowed per game, which means this is a great matchup for Butler to contribute in both areas.
Butler has hit this line in seven of his last 10 games, including three games with 15 rebounds and assists combined. Butler even had a triple-double with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists against the Spurs.
While Miami wants the game slower, Dallas plays at the eighth-fastest pace. That means a few extra possessions could help Butler get a double-double (or triple-double). On DraftKings, Butler is +370 for a double-double and +3500 for a triple-double on FanDuel.
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In Sunday's loss to the Celtics, Curry shot 2-for-13 from the field and did not make any of his nine 3-point attempts. You knew that would not happen again to the greatest shooter of all time.
On Wednesday, Curry went 10-for-18 from the field and 6-for-10 from beyond the arc. He finished with 29 points and likely would have gotten to 30 if not for the blowout.
Curry has scored 25 points and made six 3s in three of his past four games. He has also scored at least 25 points in seven of his past 10 games on the second night of a back-to-back. Curry tallied 27 points in the first meeting against the Bulls this season. While he did not shoot well overall, he made 6-of-15 3-point attempts. The Bulls also allow the most 3s per game this season.
Green's facilitating will likely lead to easier looks for Curry. Green, who did not play in the first game against Chicago, had 10 and seven assists in two games against the Bulls last season.
This season, Green is averaging 5.8 assists per game. He has had five assists in four of his past five games and seven of his past 10. Dating back to last season, he has racked up at least five assists in 76% of his games.
The Bulls are 21st in assists allowed per game. This means Curry and Green can attack two of the weak points in their defense and we get plus odds for a correlated play. Two of Green's six assists on Wednesday were to Curry and there will likely be several more against Chicago.
