🏀NBA Best Picks + 🏀NCCAB + ⚽️Premier League - Thursday, 2/27

📍 Golden State Warriors at Orlando Magic (+6.0)
⏰ 4:00 PM ET

The Breakdown: The Warriors have struggled a little on the road, and Orlando’s defense has been pretty damn good. The Warriors defense is also coming on very strong with Butler. It’s making me think we should be hitting the under here pretty hard. Golden State's reliance on perimeter shooting could be disrupted by the Magic’s length and athleticism. The Warriors facing a tough matchup inside and Orlando’s strong at home. It’s a really tough call here — I don’t love the spread — but I’ll take the Magic because they’re coming off a loss. Wagner has also been going under a lot lately on his points. I feel like the safest play here could be Jimmy Butler.

The Play: Magic +6.0

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📍 Denver Nuggets at Milwaukee Bucks (+4.0)
⏰ 4:30 PM ET

The Breakdown: Milwaukee has been dominant at home, and their offense is firing on all cylinders with Lillard heating up. The Bucks have overcome early-season chemistry issues and some rough stretches. Now, Giannis and Lillard average a combined 58.4 points per game, surpassing historical duos like Shaq and Kobe. Denver's defense will be challenged by Milwaukee's high-powered offense, and Denver’s defense has looked lazy as fuck lately. Denver’s road defense has been particularly inconsistent, and if the Bucks push the pace, the Nuggets could struggle to keep up. I think the oddsmakers want us to be on the Denver side here, so I’m going Bucks.

The Play: Bucks +4.0

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📍 Charlotte Hornets at Dallas Mavericks (-10.0)
⏰ 5:30 PM ET

The Breakdown: Dallas is still without Anthony Davis and Daniel Gafford, leaving a major hole in their frontcourt. The Hornets have been awful lately, but they might have enough offensive firepower to keep this from getting out of hand. The Hornets do need to go down low to have a chance in this one, but I don’t feel like that’s a strength of theirs. I really do not like either side here. If I had to take one, I’ll take Dallas because of how bad Charlotte have been lately, but Dallas also doesn’t really deserve to be giving 10 points right now. Stay away.

The Play: No play.

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📍 New Orleans Pelicans at Phoenix Suns (-7.5)
⏰ 7:00 PM ET

The Breakdown: The Pelicans have been scrappy all season, yet also not that good all season. The number feels pretty big to me given that I can’t trust the Suns to cover unless they’re a big underdog. Phoenix has been poor against the spread all year. I expect CJ McCollum to take over the scoring load. The Pelicans have the depth and defensive length to keep this game within striking distance. It’s another tough, ugly pick here but I’ll take the Pelicans.

The Play: Pelicans +7.5

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📍 Minnesota Timberwolves at Los Angeles Lakers (-5.5)
⏰ 7:30 PM ET

The Breakdown: The Lakers have been very solid at home, but Minnesota’s defense is one of the best in the league. That said, the Timberwolves’ offense has been unreliable, and LA’s experience should be enough to cover the number. Anthony Edwards will need to have a big night for Minnesota to keep this close, making his three-pointer prop worth a look. He’s been jacking up threes like crazy lately. Gobert might be back in this one and that could be trouble for the Lakers who are going to struggle inside.

The Play: Lakers -5.5 —> moved to -6.5 now (a little nervous taking -6.5 here)

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📍 Rutgers at #15 Michigan (-10.5)
⏰ 6:00 PM ET

The Breakdown: Michigan has been strong at home and boasts a top-20 offense in efficiency. Rutgers, meanwhile, has struggled to put up points on the road, often falling into scoring droughts that make it hard for them to cover big spreads. The Wolverines’ size advantage in the paint and perimeter shooting should be too much for Rutgers to handle over 40 minutes.

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📍 #23 Saint Mary’s at Loyola Marymount (+13.5)
⏰ 8:00 PM ET

The Breakdown: Saint Mary’s has been one of the better defensive teams, holding opponents to under 60 PPG on the season. Loyola Marymount struggles against disciplined defenses, and their inconsistent three-point shooting could make this game ugly. Saint Mary’s methodical pace and defensive edge should lead to a comfortable road win.

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📍 West Ham United vs. Leicester City
⏰ 12:00 PM ET

The Breakdown: West Ham has been solid at home, but Leicester City has been playing with urgency as they fight to stay competitive in the mid-table race. West Ham's attack has been dangerous, especially at home, but Leicester's counterattack could exploit their defensive lapses. Expect a tight match, with West Ham having the slight edge, but Leicester keeping it competitive.

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