TNT Thursday Night: San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers

You can follow both of Thursday Night’s NBA games on TNT. The San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls play at 8:00pm ET, while the Denver Nuggets play in Portland at 10:30pm ET. In both situations, the home teams are playing on a day’s rest while the visitors are playing the second of back to back games. Here are my picks for Thursday’s action.

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San Antonio Spurs (-3.5) @ Chicago Bulls: The Bulls will be playing their first game of the season, and you know with a young team that first-game anxiousness will be there in full effect. Chicago has a solid front line, but against Tim Duncan’s crafty old ways, I think they’ll be abused in the post a little bit. San Antonio is playing the second of a back to back, but with last night’s game being such a blow out, the key guys for the Spurs got plenty of rest, and if anything Wednesday Night was an opportunity for the Spurs to get together as a squad. This is a very veteran team, and against a young Bulls team on their opening night, I like the Spurs chances of winning on the road.

Denver Nuggets @ Portland Trailblazers (-7): I think 7 is too much, and it might come back to haunt me, but I like the Trailblazers to win, so I have to take them and the points here. Denver definitely had to exude some effort last night, and everything fell for them in the second half to get their win at home against the Jazz. Portland is a different group with some big bodies down low that can change a lot of shots. The Blazers looked really good on their opening night Tuesday, and the way those guys get along should give them some nice confidence in this one. Portland is rested, ready to go, and ready to prove themselves against one of the West’s best. I like them to win this Thursday.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Toronto Raptors Free NBA picks

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Cleveland Cavaliers (-5.5) @ Toronto Raptors Pick: The Cavs played last night, and maybe in the beginning of the season they might not have the endurance they want, but I can’t see them falling to 0-2, and that’s exactly what a loss to the Raptors would bring them to. Tell me who, which one guy on the Raptors roster, can stop Shaq? Not a one. He should beast that skinny front line in Toronto. I already know that nobody can guard LeBron James. Cleveland has too much power up front, and they have too much pride to start the season with two straight losses. Despite being the second game of a back to back, I expect Cleveland to get their first win of the season, and it should be by double digits.