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NBA Thursday best bets: Bucks' defense a concern without Jrue Holiday

Bart Young / National Basketball Association / Getty

We swept the board against the spread Wednesday, as all three underdog picks cashed outright. It's our second 3-0 mark in three days, extending our ATS record to 7-2 this week and 17-6 over the past two weeks.

Here are our best bets for a light Thursday slate.

Warriors @ Bucks (-1, 223.5), 7:30 p.m. ET

Much has been made of the Warriors' struggles - and rightly so. But what about the Bucks, who lost four of their last five games amid injuries to key starters?

Brook Lopez has been out nearly the entire season and defensive stalwart Jrue Holiday missed Milwaukee's last three games and is still ruled out Thursday. In their absence, Hornets guard Terry Rozier recorded 55 points in a pair of wins over Milwaukee - a harbinger of what Golden State star guard Stephen Curry could produce.

While the 3-point record-holder is still rediscovering his shot, he poured in a triple-double Tuesday to compensate for his lengthy slump. With Klay Thompson further entrenched in the starting lineup, I expect the better team to take care of business in a bounce-back spot.

Pick: Warriors +1

Timberwolves @ Grizzlies (-4, 230.5), 8 p.m.

Usually, a star player says their team is being overlooked as a motivational tactic. However, Ja Morant's claim that the Grizzlies are "one of the best teams in the league" isn't far off.

Memphis ripped off 10 straight wins - including victories over the Warriors, Lakers, and Clippers in its last three - yet are still priced as a short favorite.

The Grizzlies own the NBA's top net rating (plus-12.9) since Nov. 28 with a jaw-dropping 20-4 ATS record in that stretch, winning 18 of 24 games by five or more points. Even a sizable fourth-quarter deficit wasn't enough to hold Memphis down in Tuesday's win over Golden State.

The Timberwolves last beat a team with a winning record on Dec. 19. Since then, Minnesota has a 5-6 ATS record despite a Charmin-soft schedule. Although both teams are at relatively full strength, the Grizzlies are clearly the superior side, making this an easy chalk play.

Pick: Grizzlies -4

C Jackson Cowart is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on Twitter (@CJacksonCowart) or email him at cjackson.cowart@thescore.com.

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