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 snap their three-game losing streak and bounce back against a Jazz team looking for its third win of the season.

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

ESPN’s daily fantasy basketball cheat sheet is your pregame destination before setting your lineups for tonight’s games. Here you can read our best advice for the night, including a selection of players to stream, as well as injury reports and player predictions.

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Fantasy streamers for Thursday

Naji Marshall, SF, Dallas Mavericks (Available in 94.1% of ESPN leagues): Marshall’s minutes have increased over the past five games with PJ 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, including a breakout performance of 50 fantasy points. Marshall is well-positioned for a high-ceiling game, facing a Jazz defense that ranks 27th in points allowed per game. 100 possessions.

Moody’s best bet on 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 that assist mark in three of his last five games, and even if the Mavs are winning big, he has cleared that 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 returned Tuesday night against the Warriors after missing four games with a right shoulder sprain. While Daniel Gafford is the official starter, he shares minutes at center almost equally with Lively. Lively has surpassed that line in five of seven games this season, including one against Utah on Oct. 28. With the Jazz struggling defensively, especially against centers, and without starter Walker Kessler, this is a prime opportunity for Lively to deliver.

Projections and damage reports

Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics. Damage Consolidation by Rotowire.com. Odds know ESPN BET

Players in italics are available in most 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 with 5.6, straight up 68%, 231.0 total points.

Damage report:
Mavericks: Dante Exum, (OUT – Wrist); Luka Doncic, (GTD – Knee); PJ Washington, (GTD – Knee)
Jazz: Taylor Hendricks, (OUT – Lower Leg); Walker Kessler, (OUT – Hip); Jason Preston, (OUT – Play)

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)