The first few days after the All-Star Game offers a brief return to normality in the NBA. Teams have rested after a brutally condensed first-half schedule. Most of them have something close to full rosters without major players in the health and safety protocols. The second half is going to be equally exhausting as the first. Eventually, all of the factors that made it so unpredictable are going to take hold again.
But savor Thursday's massive slate, because in theory, it should look a lot more like a normal night of NBA games than most of the first half did. That makes the handicapping process far easier for the two nationally televised games. Here's how you should bet the TNT doubleheader.
All lines via William Hill Sportsbook
Boston Celtics at Brooklyn Nets: Celtics +2.5
Brooklyn's pre-All-Star break hot streak was the talk of the NBA, but the Celtics quietly figured some things out in that period as well with a four-game winning streak of their own. Kemba Walker has averaged almost 22 points per game across his past 10 appearances compared to a woefully inefficient 15 in his first 10. Marcus Smart is expected to return from a calf injury as well, and that should be extremely helpful in defending Brooklyn's two star guards, James Harden and Kyrie Irving. The last time Harden played against Smart, he shot 7 of 24 from the field.
For now, the Nets will only have those two stars. Kevin Durant remains out with a hamstring injury, and Blake Griffin will not make his Nets debut on Thursday due to what the team is calling "left knee injury management." Factor in the points, and even with this game being played in Brooklyn, the Celtics are the wise pick in this one.
Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Clippers: Warriors +7
The Warriors bother the Clippers on two levels. First, a defense that switches as often as the Warriors do is well-suited to jump-shooting offenses like the Clippers'. In their first matchup this season, Stephen Curry scored only 13 points and the Warriors still covered this spread by losing a seven-point game. Their second matchup is where the other flaw comes in. The Clippers tend to struggle defending smaller, quicker point guards. Curry dropped 38 in that comeback victory. The Clippers are undoubtedly the better team, but this wide a spread is too tempting to pass up.
