Steve Starr
- BetOnline has Trae Young’s Hawks as 2.5-point chalk at home versus Luka Doncic and the Mavericks
- The Los Angeles Clippers are 2.5-point road underdogs in Golden State on Thursday night
- Kyle Lowry will make his Miami Heat debut at home versus the reigning NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks
While we’ll already be 12 games into the NBA’s 75th anniversary season by the time the Mavericks and Hawks tip off, there’s still plenty of reason to celebrate the NBA on TNT’s first Thursday night double-header of the season. Especially when you have Sports Illustrated cover boys Trae Young and Luka Doncic’s in the early game.
Let’s preview that Dallas/Atlanta matchup, as well as Heat/Bucks and Warriors/Clippers. But, first, be sure to check out our tips and advice for betting on basketball.
NBA Thursday Night
 | Spread | Money Line | Total |
| Dallas Mavericks | +2.5 (-110) | Ov 224.5 (-110) | |
| Atlanta Hawks | -2.5 (-110) | Un 224.5 (-110) | |
| Milwaukee Bucks | -1.5 (-110) | Ov 224.5 (-110) | |
| Miami Heat | +1.5 (-110) | Un 224.5 (-110) | |
| Los Angeles Clippers | +2.5 (-105) | 225.5 (-110) | |
| Golden State Warriors | -2.5 (-115) | 225.5 (-110) |
Hawks (-2.5) over Mavericks
Trae Young and Luka Doncic were traded for each other on draft night three years ago. They also recently shared an SI cover with the caption, “The NBA stars of tomorrow are here today.” However, while Dallas has failed to build around the 2021 NBA MVP favorite, the Hawks have surrounded their point guard with talented youth (John Collins, DeAndre Hunter, Kevin Huerter, Cam Reddish) and veteran experience (Bogdan Bogdanovic, Danilo Gallinari, Lou Williams, Clint Capela).
After making it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals last year, the Hawks will get their season off to a strong start with a win over Dallas.
NBA Preview: Trae Young and Luka Dončić are leading a group of young NBA stars taking their teams to new heights https://t.co/AlsCjAfYyO pic.twitter.com/oEvG8E3GIe
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) October 9, 2021
Warriors (-2.5) over Clippers
After opening their season against the Lakers on Tuesday night, Golden State hosts Los Angeles’ ugly stepsister on Thursday. We recommended the Clippers as a strong +215 bet to miss the playoffs as it’s difficult to see how they’re going to survive in an always tough Western Conference while Kawhi Leonard recovers from knee surgery.
While the roster rallied in last year’s postseason, a starting five of Reggie Jackson-Paul George-Nicolas Batum-Marcus Morris Sr.-Serge Ibaka doesn’t have nearly enough talent to compete with the big boys. Meanwhile, Steph Curry and the Warriors were a rock-solid 25-11 at the Chase Center in 2020-21. Bet on Golden State to cover the 2.5-points at home.
Heat (+1.5) over Bucks
This matchup won’t be available to a national audience on TNT, but probably should be considering the rich history between the two clubs. Miami upset the Bucks in five-games in the bubble to reach the 2020 NBA Finals before getting swept by Milwaukee in the first round of last year’s playoffs.
The Heat added veteran point guard Kyle Lowry in free agency to pair with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo while the reigning champs in Wisconsin mainly stood pat. In what promises to be a hard-fought, defensive struggle, we like Miami to send a message in their home opener.
Giannis Antetokounmpo's jumper looks so smooth and the rest of the NBA should be terrified https://t.co/Q7pBkIixdr pic.twitter.com/hQ3fmD018F
— For The Win (@ForTheWin) October 15, 2021
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