NBA on TNT picks: Heat vs. Hawks, Nuggets vs. Pelicans

The NBA is back on TNT with an intriguing double-header featuring a Southeast showdown between the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks and a good ol' fashioned track meet between the Denver Nuggets and winless New Orleans Pelicans. We have odds and picks for both games below.

Miami Heat vs. Atlanta Hawks, 7 p.m. ET

It's deja vu all over again as the Heat and Hawks will face-off for the second time in three nights when Atlanta hosts Miami for part two of their home-and-home series. Game 1 couldn't have gone much worse for the Hawks, who fell 112-97 and lost leading scorer Trae Young to an ankle sprain in the second quarter. Without Young, Atlanta struggled to initiate its offense and hit just 28% of its three-point attempts.

The story for the Heat was the debut of Jimmy Butler, who joined the team after missing the first three games on paternity leave. Butler didn't show any signs of rust - or sleep deprivation - as he finished with 21 points on 5-of-11 shooting. Miami also got a big boost from Goran Dragic, who dropped 21 points, and Tyler Herro, who led all scorers with 29. The 19-year-old Kentucky product is averaging 16.3 points over his first four games and has helped to significantly improve the Heat's spacing.

Miami is now 3-1 and, unlike a year ago, has the look of a genuine playoff contender. Much of the credit goes to the team's suffocating D, which ranks fifth in defensive rebounding and seventh in defensive rating. Those numbers should only improve now that Butler is back shutting down teams' top perimeter players each night.

Dragic also deserves credit for his willingness to come off the bench after starting 75 games and being named an All-Star as recently as 2018. The Dragon is averaging 19.5 points and 4.5 assists this season and has been absolutely feasting on second units.

The return of Butler and the absence of Young makes this an easy one to call. Take Miami and the points all the way.

NBA free pick: Heat moneyline and spread (-6.5) 

Denver Nuggets vs. New Orleans Pelicans, 9:30 p.m. ET

It's only fitting that the Pelicans are playing on Halloween because the 2019-20 season has been a horror show for the franchise. From losing Zion Williamson in the preseason to starting 0-4, New Orleans and its fanbase have been forced to endure one spine-chilling development after another.

Things won't get much easier on Thursday as the Pelicans could be without the services of starters Jrue Holiday and Derrick Favors, both of whom will be game time decisions. The good news (yes, there is a little bit of that) is New Orleans has found a bona fide star in Brandon Ingram. The lanky 6'7" forward is averaging 27.2 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists and is hitting 50% of his three-point attempts. His silky smooth game should mesh well with Williamson's brute force once the No. 1 draft pick has been cleared to play. Until then, the Pelicans will have to lean heavily on Ingram's former Lakers teammates, both of whom have also fared well in NOLA. Josh Hart is averaging a career-high 16.5 points and Lonzo Ball has kept the offense humming with his ability to clean the glass and lead the break. The Pelicans will need monster games from all three players when they face the 3-1 Nuggets.

Unlike New Orleans, Denver's roster is largely unchanged from a season ago when Michael Malone's squad won 54 games and advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals for the first time in 11 years. The Nuggets may eventually need to make a trade to get over the hump, but for now they have more than enough talent with Jamal Murray, Paul Milsap and Nikola Jokic still in the fold. The Joker looked especially sharp against the Suns, as he went off for 23 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists, two blocks and a steal in 41 minutes. There are few players in the league who possess his ability to thoroughly stuff a stat sheet without freezing out their teammates.

Expect Jokic to have another big game on Thursday and for the Nuggets to get back on track after a narrow three-point loss to the Mavs.

NBA free pick: Nuggets moneyline, spread (-4) and over 225.5

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