Michael Porter Jr. is an extremely talented offensive player capable of scoring 25 points on any given night. He has struggled with consistency throughout his career but is key contributor for the defending champs. He gets a winnable matchup tonight against a Lakers team that has won three consecutive games. From an individual matchup standpoint, Porter has the softest matchup with Lebron as his primary defender. Lebron at this stage of his career is a liability on defense, particularly in the regular season. I like Porter to chip in at least 15-17 points and 6-8 boards.

I'm making this pick on the assumption that both LeBron James and Anthony Davis are playing tonight, which should be the case with the defending NBA champions coming into Crypto.com Arena. I see this game ending up in the 120-115 range, pushing the point total comfortably over.

Not to beat a dead horse or anything, but Jokic has been a massive thorn in the Lakers' side for the last couple years. In his last two matchups with L.A., the Joker has averaged 13.5 assists per game. I expect a double-digit number again on Thursday.

Jokic has gone way over this number in each of his last two matchups with the Lakers. With Anthony Davis banged up, I expect that trend to continue on Thursday.

I don't love the price on this one, but I am confident that this one will cash. Jokic averages 1.0 3-point make per game, and he's shooting 36.2% from beyond the arc. All it takes is one make for this pick to hit.

The Lakers return home from their extended Grammys trip on a three-game straight-up streak, and there will plenty of motivation to extend it. The visitors have whipped L.A., straight-up and against the spread, in the last half-dozen meetings. The home side will wear uniforms designed by the late Kobe Bryant, whose statue will be unveiled pre-game outside the arena. Current players speak about Bryant with reverence and will be inspired to live up to his expectations.