X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Free NBA Betting Picks - Today's Best Bets, Expert Predictions, Odds (4/21/22)

Thunder Dan's top NBA betting picks and best bets for today's NBA games on 4/21/22. His free picks against the spread, teasers, parlays, and NBA player props.

Last night featured three really great games and I hope you take a minute to realize just how good these first-round games have been so far. I was sweating the Celtics in the first half, but sure enough, they found a way to battle back and win (and cover) in the second half. Al Horford fouled out before he could hit his prop and Marcus Smart also missed his, which hurt the overall record for the evening a bit. The Sixers won a thrilling game in OT as Joel Embiid hit a three in the closing seconds to secure the win (and the cover!) and put the Sixers up 3-0 in their series.

The Bulls pulled out a huge win on the road in the nightcap 114-110. I didn't bet this spread but I did have the over at 225. Grayson Allen (an 86% free throw shooter) missed a free throw at the end of the game (meaningless towards the outcome of the game) but it cost us the push on the total. Bad beat there, but nothing you can do about it but hope the next break goes your way.

Attention fellow sports bettors! We have some exciting news to share as we are now officially partnered with various sportsbooks and have some sweet sports betting promo offers! Get your deposit bonus, as well as a year of free RotoBaller Premium access, when you sign up with a new account today! After you're signed up, use our picks in this article for spreads, totals, and props to win big. In this article, I'll be providing my favorite picks against the spread, game totals, series predictions, parlays, teasers, and player props for NBA games on Thursday, April 21, 2022. I would also strongly encourage you to join our RotoBaller premium slack group by signing up for a premium pass!

Featured Promo: Get any Props Premium Pass for 30% off using code NEW. Win more with our two new Props Optimizer tools -- one for PrizePicks Props, and one for Sportsbook Betting Props. Find optimal prop bets and get our recommended picks daily! Go Premium, Win More!

 

Thunder Dan's NBA Best Bets for Today

  • Postseason Record 26-28
  • Against the Spread 9-10
  • Over/Under 3-4
  • Player Props 14-14

(click to enlarge)

 

NBA Betting Picks for 4/21

Memphis Grizzlies (-1.5) @ Minnesota Timberwolves (236.5 total)

Game two was marred by way too many fouls being called on both teams, but the Grizzlies were still easily the better team and bounced back from a game one loss by winning game two by 28 points. Game three is crucial to both teams' chances of taking the series with things knotted up at 1-1. I'm going to keep backing the same horse that I brought to the dance (that seems like a mixed metaphor) and roll with the Grizzlies on the road here (wait, those are bears and not even horses!)

All kidding aside, Memphis was the best team in the league ATS this season and third-best on the road. They're only favored by a bucket, but I have the true line closer to four points tonight. Memphis played 13 players in Tuesday night's win and only two of those guys were blowout subs in the final four minutes. Steven Adams has been a non-factor in this series, but Brandon Clark and Xavier Tillman combined for 26 points and 10 boards off the bench in his stead. The Grizzlies can beat you in so many ways and I will usually side with the balanced team with more options than the team that leans so heavily on their stars.

Minnesota is the latter and they really struggled with KAT being in foul trouble most of the game. Anthony Edwards came back to Earth with only 20 points and D'Angelo Russell was held to just 11 points on 3-11 shooting. Malik Beasley is the only other guy who is a shooter/scorer on this team with the rest of the guards and bigs being mainly role players. I think Minnesota has played their best and likely worst games in this series and we should likely expect something in the middle as far as their output going forward. But if both teams play well, Memphis is simply better, deeper, and battle-tested. This total has dropped enough since it opened that I'm staying away for now.

The Picks: Grizzlies -1.5 (-110 DK)

 

Dallas Mavericks (+6) @ Utah Jazz (210.5 total)

This game is so hard to break down until we know what Luka Doncic's status is going to be. He's been labeled a "game-time decision" so I am not sure at what point we will actually know his status. If he goes through shootaround in the morning, then I'd have to think he's more probable than doubtful, but it's a total guessing game there until we have some concrete information that he's going to play.

The good news for Dallas is they won game two without him thanks to 41 points from Jalen Brunson and an unreal (and not likely repeatable) 8-11 shooting night from downtown from Maxi Kleber. I had Dallas on Monday night so I was thrilled when they pulled off the win and covered their team total, but I'm not sure they can do it twice in a row, especially now that they're on the road. So as it stands without Luka, I would probably side with Utah here.

However, if Luka were to play I would be all over the Mavericks +6 and their money line. If he plays, I am going to assume he's healthy and not limited because they would be dumb to force him out there if he's still not 100% with game four being Saturday and an extra two days of rest available.

I can't really even bet this total without the Luka news. If we get some early news I will update the article and tweet out my official bet.

The Pick: NO BET, FOR NOW, CHECK BACK THIS AFTERNOON

 

Golden State Warriors (-2) @ Denver Nuggets (224 total)

I have to give the Nuggets one final chance here. I will feel really dumb if I flip over to the Warriors only to see the Nuggets get a big win at home in game three. I did flip my pick last night to the Sixers in their game three and they barely pulled out a win over a scrappy Toronto team that was missing one of their best players.

The Warriors have been impressive in this series. I know Denver isn't the strongest defensive team, but Golden State is shooting the ball at a 53% clip through the first two games and averaging 124.5 points on offense. When you have Jordan Poole, Klay Thompson, and Steph Curry all shooting well at the same time that's going to happen I suppose. But can they really keep up that offensive efficiency? Denver has been competitive in these games despite the final scores, it just seems like every time they make a run the Warriors are there to hit a few big shots to counter it.

I simply won't count out Nikola Jokic or this Denver squad at home. Draymond has been in Jokic's head, but he will respond tonight and won't get sucked into that nonsense again. Mike Malone is a good coach and Denver has shown some resiliency this season. I'm looking at the bigger picture of what these teams have been this season and if we do that, then Denver has a puncher's chance tonight as they're more evenly matched here than you'd think after having seen the results of the first two games.

The Pick: Nuggets ML (+110)

 

Attention fellow sports bettors! We have some exciting news to share as we are now officially partnered with various sportsbooks and have some sweet sports betting promo offers! Get your deposit bonus, as well as a year of free RotoBaller Premium access, when you sign up with a new account today! After you're signed up, use our picks in this article for spreads, totals, and props to win big.

 

NBA Prop Bet Picks

Ja Morant over 7.5 assists (-145 DK) - After dropping 10 dimes in only 29 minutes in game two, this prop is already juiced up a bit. Morant had eight in game one, too, even with many of his teammates shooting poorly and failing to hit shots that would have become assists for Morant. This is one of the safer props on the board tonight.

Rudy Gobert over 15.5 rebounds (-120 DK): Gobert has 17 boards in each of the first two games and a massive size advantage over any of the Mavericks big men. He's playing 36 minutes a game in this series instead of 30 minutes, which based on his per-minute averages projects him for about 16.5. I like him to go over again tonight.

Will Barton over 24.5 PRA (-125 DK): I'm going back to Barton here. He crushed this number in game one but then shot poorly in game two (5-15 from the field) and wound up just one stat shy. The important thing is he continues to log the most minutes for Denver and is getting the second-most shots up after Jokic.

I usually post all my favorite props in our RotoBaller premium slack on a nightly basis - if you're not a premium member for NBA content you can change that by signing up here!

We just added a new player prop tool that is available to our NBA premium and betting premium members, too!

 

NBA Betting Picks: Team/Player Stats Matrix

(click either chart to enlarge)

I use this chart when making player prop bets! I hope you find this information useful when making your bets as well.

Thanks for checking this new column out and check back every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the rest of the NBA season! Good luck and bet responsibly!



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy basketball mobile app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, lineup notifications & DFS articles. All free!

NBA DFS News and Injury Alerts

More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Aaron Nola

Pitches Seven Strong Innings
Tylor Megill

Strikes Out Nine In No-Decision
Hunter Brown

Strikes Out Nine In Win
Agustín Ramírez

Agustin Ramirez Homers Twice
Andy Pages

Homers In Four-Hit Game
Ketel Marte

Expected To Return Next Weekend
Joe Ryan

Posts Stellar Outing
Noelvi Marte

Has Big Game On Sunday
Jaylen Brown

Available For Game 4
Nick Lodolo

Throws Seven Scoreless Innings
Brandon Marsh

Removed Early During Rehab Game
Ranger Suárez

Ranger Suarez Looks Sharp In Rehab Start
Josh Jung

Makes Early Exit On Sunday
Tyler Glasnow

Removed Early On Sunday
Darius Garland

Questionable For Game 4
Jaden Ivey

Making Progress
Frederik Andersen

Exits Game 4 With Injury
Jake Neighbours

Shines On Sunday With Three Points
Jordan Binnington

Makes 30 Saves In Game 4 Victory
Patrik Laine

Not Expected To Play In Game 4
Sam Montembeault

Labeled Day-To-Day
Jarren Duran

Collects Four Hits On Sunday
Tarik Skubal

Racks Up 11 Strikeouts
Aliaksei Protas

Considered A Game-Time Decision Sunday
Logan Thompson

A Game-Time Call Sunday
Clayton Kershaw

To Make Two Rehab Starts This Week
Jackson Merrill

Takes Batting Practice On Sunday
Sean Murphy

Taking A Seat On Sunday
Will Smith

Resting On Sunday
Max Brosmer

Minnesota Adds Insurance With Max Brosmer

Donovan Edwards Inks Deal With Jets
Tyler Fitzgerald

To Miss Second Straight Game
Jazz Chisholm Jr.

No Longer Facing One-Game Suspension

Nick Nash Signs With The Falcons
Cam Ward

Xavier Restrepo Reunites With Cam Ward In Tennessee
Chase Elliott

Is One OF The Top Overall DFS Picks Of The Week
Joey Logano

Could Joey Logano Finish A Race With A Top Finish At Talladega?
NASCAR

DFS Players Should Like Bubba Wallace For Talladega This Week
Christopher Bell

Should DFS Players Roster Christopher Bell At Talladega?
Austin Cindric

Is Austin Cindric Worth Rostering For Talladega DFS Lineups?
Shane Van Gisbergen

Is A Solid, Safe, DFS Choice For Talladega Lineups
Austin Dillon

Is Austin Dillon A Viable DFS Play At Talladega This Week?
Josh Berry

Qualifies Too High At Talladega To Be Worth Rostering In DFS
Michael McDowell

Should DFS Players Take A Shot On Michael McDowell At Talladega?
Noah Gragson

Could Be A Sneaky DFS Play For Talladega
William Nylander

Posts Two Assists In Losing Effort
Denny Hamlin

Probably Qualified Too Well for DFS Consideration
Kyle Larson

Increasingly Undervalued Due to His Crashing, but Still a Great DFS Option
Kyle Busch

Nearly Always Leads at Talladega, but Rarely Leads Much
Tyler Reddick

Drafting Track Record Worse Than It Looks
Daniel Suarez

Likely Motivated at Talladega Since Trackhouse Cars Likely Too Slow for Him to Win On Regular Tracks
Ryan Preece

Qualifies Fourth Due to Ford Dominance, but Don't Expect Him to Finish There
Justin Haley

Qualifies 37th in First Race After Rodney Childers's Departure
Chase Briscoe

Post-Daytona 500 Penalty Results in Much Worse Talladega Qualifying for Chase Briscoe
Alex Bowman

Starting Too Well for Place Differential Points, but Not Well Enough for Leader Points
Chris Buescher

Qualifies Sixth Thanks to Ford Dominance, but Probably Won't Lead Enough to Be Valuable in DFS
Ty Gibbs

Despite Current Momentum, Ty Gibbs Qualified Too Well for DFS Consideration
Jake Sanderson

Keeps Senators Alive With Overtime Winner
Mackenzie Blackwood

Records First Postseason Shutout
Gabriel Landeskog

Scores First Goal In Nearly Three Years
Ivan Barbashev

Gives Vegas Vital Win
Nikita Kucherov

Records Three Assists In Game 3 Win
Troy Stecher

Cleared For Sunday
Jimmy Butler III

Ruled Out On Saturday
Isaiah Stewart

Questionable For Sunday's Game
Jaylen Brown

Questionable For Game 4
Jrue Holiday

Won't Play On Sunday
Quinn Ewers

Dolphins Select Quinn Ewers In Seventh Round
Brenden Dillon

Out On Sunday
Mitchell Robinson

Questionable For Game 4 Versus Detroit
Luke Hughes

To Remain Out On Sunday
Michael Porter Jr.

Available On Saturday Night
Aliaksei Protas

Practices Fully On Saturday
Russell Westbrook

Won't Suit Up For Game 4
Gabriel Vilardi

A Game-Time Decision For Sunday
Oskar Bäck

Oskar Back A Game-Time Call On Saturday
Ross Colton

Unavailable Saturday
Miro Heiskanen

Remains Out Saturday
Riley Leonard

Drafted By Colts Saturday
Will Howard

Steelers Select Will Howard In Sixth Round Of NFL Draft
Kyle McCord

Eagles Add Kyle McCord To Quarterback Room
Ollie Gordon II

Miami Adds Ollie Gordon II To Backfield
Oronde Gadsden II

Chargers Add KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Oronde Gadsden II To Offense
DJ Giddens

Colts Add DJ Giddens To Backfield
Jaydon Blue

Dallas Cowboys Draft Jaydon Blue In Fifth Round
Jordan Watkins

49ers Add Jordan Watkins To Offense
Shedeur Sanders

Browns Trade Up To Select Shedeur Sanders In The Fifth Round
Sam Howell

Seahawks Trade Sam Howell To Vikings
Elic Ayomanor

Titans Continue To Address Offense, Select Elic Ayomanor
Jalen Royals

Chiefs Bolster Receiver Room With Jalen Royals
Jaylin Lane

Commanders Add Jaylin Lane To Wide Receiver Room
Dylan Sampson

Browns Select Dylan Sampson With 126th Pick
Gunnar Helm

Titans Use Fourth-Round Pick On Gunnar Helm
Jarquez Hunter

Rams Select Jarquez Hunter In Fourth Round
Darius Garland

Won't Suit Up For Game 3
Darius Garland

Unavailable For Pregame Warmup
Jrue Holiday

Classified As "Day-To-Day"
Brandin Podziemski

Not On Injury Report For Game 3
Jimmy Butler III

Warriors Optimistic About Jimmy Butler III Playing Saturday
Jae'Sean Tate

To Remain Out Saturday
Jock Landale

Unavailable For Game 3
Terry Rozier

Out On Saturday
Jrue Holiday

Ruled Out For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Orlando
Kevin Love

To Miss Saturday's Game
Jaylen Brown

Available For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Magic
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
Nicolas Dalby

An Underdog At UFC Kansas City
Randy Brown

A Favorite At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Set To Open Up UFC Kansas City Main Card
Ikram Aliskerov

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Max Greyserman

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Lee Hodges

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Gary Woodland

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Max McGreevy

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Akshay Bhatia

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Erik Van Rooyen

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Andrew Novak

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Thomas Detry

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF