THE NBA the schedule features seven games Thursday night.
Game 1 features a potential Finals preview, with the Celtics and Nuggets facing 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 look at some potentials NBA Prize Picks selections to target on Thursday.
Dennis Schroder (Nets vs. Pistons) over 6.5 assists
The Nets will face 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 injuring his ankle earlier this week.
Dennis Schroder has taken over the starting point guard role and has averaged 6.8 assists per game since Simmons and Thomas were injured.
He has topped 6.5 assists in each of the last four games.
The only game where he didn’t record more than 6.5 assists was against the Magic, who have allowed the fewest assists to an opponent in the league this season.
The match between Schroder and the Nets is exceptional tonight.
The Pistons have played at the 10th-fastest pace in the league this season, and they rank second in defensive efficiency.
Schroder should be able to maintain his recent level of production and clear his assist projection.
Jimmy Butler (Heat vs. Mavericks) over 28.5 points + assists
The Miami Heat have been without Tyler Herro and Josh Richardson in each of the last five games, and they were both ruled out again tonight.
Over these five games, Jimmy Butler averages 26.5 points and 6.8 assists (or 33.3 points + assists).
The only game where he didn’t achieve that P+A projection came in a tough game in Denver.
By RotoGrinders CourtIQ tool, Butler has a usage rate of 29.2% (+4.0%) and an assist rate of 30.7% (+8.2%) with Herro, Richardson and Kyle Lowry recently traded out of the field this season.
He averaged 29.4 points and 6.5 assists per 36 minutes in this situation.
Tonight, Butler and the Heat get a great matchup against the Mavericks. Dallas has a defensive rating of 126.0 since the All-Star break, the worst in the league.
The Mavs have allowed the second-most points and assists in the league during that span, and they have played at the 10th-fastest pace.
With injuries to Herro and Richardson, Butler is expected to maintain his larger role in the offense, both as a scorer and distributor.
Add in a positive game and he should be able to clear that points + assists projection.
Bradley Beal (Raptors vs Suns) over 20.5 points
The Suns have struggled to stay 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 an average of 27.5 points per game.
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According to RotoGrinders’ CourtIQ tool, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal will predictably receive the biggest usage issues with Booker off the court this season.
In the six games Beal played without Booker this season, he posted a 31.1 percent usage rate and averaged 24.4 points per game.
In addition to the increased scoring load we can expect with Booker’s absence, Beal is also benefiting from a great game against Toronto.
Since the Raptors began reshaping their roster with trades earlier this calendar year, they have ranked last in defensive rating and played at the 11th-fastest pace in the league.
The increased role and elite matchup should allow Beal to exceed his points projection.
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