Fantasy basketball picks and betting tips for Thursday’s NBA slate

Thursday night’s slate features a single game as the Dallas Mavericks head to Utah to face the Jazz. The Mavericks are eager to break their three-game losing streak and bounce back against a Jazz team looking for its third win of the season.

Dallas hasn’t dropped four straight games since March 2003. With both teams fighting for momentum, this matchup could be closer than the spread suggests. Let’s dive into Thursday’s matchup and highlight a key streamer and bets to consider.

ESPN’s fantasy basketball daily cheat sheet is your pregame destination before you set your lineups for that night’s games. Here you’ll read our best advice for the night, including a selection of players you can stream as well as game-by-game injury reports and player projections.

Odds by ESPN BET

Fantasy streamers for Thursday

Naji Marshall, SF, Dallas Mavericks (available in 94.1% of ESPN leagues): Marshall’s minutes have climbed during the past five games with P.J. Washington sidelined by a knee injury. He has played 29+ minutes in three of those games and scored at least 21 fantasy points in three, which includes one breakout performance of 50 points. Marshall is well-positioned for a high-ceiling game, facing a Jazz defense that ranks 27th in points allowed per 100 possessions.

Moody’s best bets for Thursday

Luka Doncic over 8.5 assists (-105): The Mavericks are coming off a loss to the Warriors in which Doncic took 27 shots. I don’t expect that again, especially against a weaker defensive team like the Jazz. Doncic has hit this assists mark in three of his last five games, and even if the Mavs win big, he has cleared this line in 12 of his last 20 games when Dallas has won by 10+ points.

Dereck Lively II over 18.5 points, rebounds and assists (-125): Lively made his return Tuesday night against the Warriors after missing four games due to a right shoulder sprain. While Daniel Gafford is the official starter, he’s splitting minutes at center almost evenly with Lively. Lively has surpassed this line in five out of seven games this season, including one against Utah on October 28. With the Jazz struggling defensively, especially against centers, and without starter Walker Kessler, this is an excellent opportunity for Lively to deliver.

Projections and Injury Reports

Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Odds by ESPN BET

Players in italics are available in a majority of ESPN Leagues

Dallas Mavericks at Utah Jazz
9 p.m. ET

Line: Mavericks -9.5 (EVEN) | Jazz 9.5 (-120)
Money line: Mavericks -425 | Jazz +320
Total: 231.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Mavericks by 5.6, straight up 68%, 231.0 total points.

Injury Report:
Mavericks: Dante Exum, (OUT – Wrist); Luka Doncic, (GTD – Knee); P.J. Washington, (GTD – Knee)
Jazz: Taylor Hendricks, (OUT – Lower Leg); Walker Kessler, (OUT – Hip); Jason Preston, (OUT – Leg)

Mavericks projections:

• Luka Doncic, PG: 52.1 FPTS (28.4 pts, 7.5 reb, 6.9 ast, 3.4 3PM)

• Kyrie Irving, PG/SG: 42.1 FPTS (23.7 pts, 4.4 reb, 5.7 ast, 2.2 3PM)

• Klay Thompson, SG/SF: 25.7 FPTS (13.8 pts, 3.7 reb, 2.4 ast, 2.7 3PM)

• Daniel Gafford, C: 20.8 FPTS (10.4 pts, 7.0 reb, 1.4 ast)

• Naji Marshall, SF: 20.1 FPTS (9.2 pts, 4.2 reb, 2.4 ast)

• Dereck Lively II, C: 18.4 FPTS (8.3 pts, 6.5 reb, 1.9 ast)

• Jaden Hardy, SG: 14.2 FPTS (7.9 pts, 1.1 reb, 2.3 ast)

Jazz projections:

• Lauri Markkanen, SF/PF: 34.6 FPTS (20.7 pts, 6.0 reb, 3.0 ast, 1.9 3PM)

• John Collins, PF: 30.7 FPTS (16.1 pts, 8.8 reb, 2.5 ast)

• Keyonte George, PG/SG: 28.7 FPTS (16.1 pts, 2.8 reb, 5.3 ast, 2.5 3PM)

• Jordan Clarkson, SG: 27.7 FPTS (17.0 pts, 3.2 reb, 3.5 ast, 2.1 3PM)

• Collin Sexton, PG/SG: 27.6 FPTS (18.4 pts, 2.6 reb, 3.3 ast)

• Kyle Filipowski, PF: 20.0 FPTS (9.5 pts, 4.7 reb, 2.6 ast)

• Isaiah Collier, PG: 17.7 FPTS (7.9 pts, 3.0 reb, 2.9 ast)

Source: espn.com