NBA Picks for March 5: Best Betting Picks on Thursday

Surprising conference heavyweights tangle in a rematch of San Antonio's recent win over Detroit as the headliner of a nine-game NBA slate Thursday.

The Spurs (44-17) return home to battle the Pistons (45-15); San Antonio beat Detroit, 114-103 in late February.

We’ll break down three plays for the Thursday action. Remember to monitor the odds throughout the day, as the sides and totals market is constantly changing.

Here are the free NBA picks for Thursday, March 5. Odds Courtesy of DraftKings

Best NBA plays today

• Warriors (+9.5) at Rockets
• Pistons (+3.5) at Spurs
• Lakers (+5.5) at Nuggets

Warriors (+9.5) at Rockets - 7:30 p.m. ET

Golden State is ravaged by injuries as the Warriors travel to Texas to take on the Rockets. Steve Kerr’s squad is coming off consecutive home losses to the Lakers and Clippers, capped off by blowing a 14-point halftime lead in Monday’s defeat.

The Rockets return to Toyota Center following a 2-1 road trip, including victories at Orlando and Washington. Houston has won four of its last five games, beating Utah and Sacramento as double-digit home favorites.

The Warriors have performed better on the road recently, winning four of their past seven away from Chase Center. Houston captured the first matchup as three-point road underdogs in November without Kevin Durant in a 104-100 triumph. Look for Golden State to stay within this large number in Houston.

Pistons (+3.5) at Spurs - 8:00 p.m. ET

Two teams that have NBA Finals aspirations meet for the second time in 10 days with Detroit trying to avenge a 114-103 home defeat to San Antonio. The Pistons led after the first quarter, but the Spurs outscored Detroit in each of the final three quarters for the road victory.

Detroit had its three-game winning streak snapped in Tuesday’s 113-109 home loss to Cleveland, dropping the Pistons to 1-4 against the spread in the last five games. The Pistons enter tonight owning an incredible 11-1 ATS mark in the underdog role this season.

The Spurs are back home after routing the 76ers by 40 points on Tuesday to close out a five-game road trip. Catching the Spurs off a long road trip along with the Pistons’ dominance as a dog makes Detroit worth a strong look here.

Lakers (+5.5) vs. Nuggets - 10:00 p.m. ET

The Nuggets seek consecutive victories for the first time since late January, coming off a 128-125 triumph at Utah as 11.5-point favorites. Denver has lost five straight games off a win, while covering the spread as a favorite once in the past seven games.

The Lakers head to Denver riding a three-game winning streak, capped off by 110-101 home victory over the Pelicans on Tuesday. This is only the third road game for L.A. since February 5 and the Lakers return home after this quick stop in Denver tonight.

Dating back to January 11, the Nuggets have won 13 games with only one of those victories coming against a team with a winning record (Boston). Let’s take the points with the Lakers at Ball Arena to cover.