The Pelicans have lost 14 of their last 15 games. Nine of those losses came by at least eight points. Josh Hart will return for the Knicks after sitting out Thursday because of a personal matter. The last time these two teams played each other, the Knicks won by 33 points. That will be difficult to replicate, but the Knicks could win this game by double-digits.

Nikola Vucevic produced 16 points and 14 rebounds in a win over the Celtics on Thursday. He went 2-for-3 from behind the arc in that game, marking the 11th time over his last 13 games that he has made at least two three-pointers. For the season, he is shooting 48.0% from behind the arc. I’ll happily bet this again.

The big news for this game is that Luka Doncic (heel) is out for the Mavericks. Jaden Hardy (ankle), who can be a potent scorer off the bench, is also out. The Clippers are one of the best defensive teams in the league and are 7-4 ATS on the road. With Doncic out, I like the Clippers to at least keep this game close enough to cover.

Nikola Vucevic is shooting 47.5% from behind the arc this season. That has resulted in him making at least two three-pointers in 10 of his last 12 games. The only way to have any chance of hanging with the Celtics is to shoot a lot of three-pointers against them. When these teams met earlier in the season, Vucevic went 6-for-9 from behind the arc. Take the over here.

The Wizards have won three games all season. They have lost 21 games and each of those losses came by at least nine points. While the Hornets could be without Brandon Miller (ankle), the Wizards have already ruled out Kyle Kuzma (ribs) for his eighth straight game. LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges should be able to do enough to help the Hornets cover.

The Thunder are 20-5 this season. Of their 20 wins, 19 of them have come by at least five points. Their defense has been suffocating, allowing an average of just 103.5 points per game. Meanwhile, the Bucks have allowed an average of 111.9 points per game. As good as the Bucks have looked lately, the Thunder are the vastly superior team, so I’ll take them to cover.

RJ Barrett is averaging 6.8 rebounds per game for the season, so this is a big number for him to hit. However, he does have at least eight rebounds in four of his last five games. The Bulls have played at the second-fastest pace in the league, which has contributed to them allowing the third-most rebounds per game. Given the odds for this wager, I like taking a chance on the over.

The Raptors need scoring with Scottie Barnes out. When Barnes missed an 11-game stretch earlier in the season, Grady Dick averaged 19.7 points per game. With Barnes back on the sidelines Thursday against the Heat, Dick scored 22 points on 19 shot attempts, 11 of which came from behind the arc. The Bulls have played at the second-fastest pace and have the fifth-worst defensive rating in the league, which leaves Dick with plenty of scoring upside.

It has been a rough stretch for the Hornets, who have lost nine of their last 10 games. That included a six-point loss at home to the 76ers. The Hornets did not have Miles Bridges in that game, while Jared McCain scored 17 points for the 76ers. Bridges is back for the Hornets, while McCain is out for the 76ers. There is a chance that LaMelo Ball (calf) makes his return, but even if he doesn’t, I think the Hornets can cover, if not win outright.

The Knicks are 5-2 over their last seven games with four of those wins coming by at least five points. That included a 15-point win over the Magic in New York. This game will be played in Orlando, where the Magic have thrived this season. However, they are missing their two best scorers in Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner because of injuries. I don’t think that they have enough firepower to keep this close.

De’Andre Hunter has scored at least 18 points in eight straight games. In seven of those games, he scored at least 20 points. That included a game against the Bucks in which he scored 20 points over 28 minutes. Helping his cause is that he is shooting 44.6% from behind the arc. With how locked in he is right now, I’m playing this over again.

Kevin Durant is expected to return for this game, meaning that the Suns will finally have their entire starting five healthy again. The Suns are 11-2 in games that Durant has played this season. Durant was out the last time these two teams played each other, but the Suns still won by eight points in Utah. The Jazz are 2-10 over their last 12 games with seven of those losses coming by at least eight points. This is a great spot for the Suns.

Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey are all expected to play in this game. That provides a huge boost to the 76ers, but another reason to like them to cover the spread is that the Pacers have been atrocious on the road. They are 4-10 ATS on the road. Recently, they suffered a nine-point loss on the road against the Nets and an 11-point loss on the road against the Raptors. A healthy 76ers team is vastly superior to both of those squads.

Malik Monk has averaged 34 minutes over the last seven games. That enabled him to record at least 23 combined points and assists six times. He only played 27 minutes in a blowout win at home over the Jazz on Sunday, but he still had 16 points and three assists. The Pelicans have just five wins this season, but four of them have come at home. I think they keep this game close enough for Monk to log more than 30 minutes and hit this over.

Cade Cunningham has recorded at least nine assists in 13 of his last 14 games. During that span, he averaged 10.6 assists per game. The first he played the Celtics this season, he had 10 assists. In their second meeting, he had 14 assists. Cunningham has the ball in his hands a ton and he has some very good shooters around him, making the over the way to go here.