NBA parlay picks Feb. 22: Back the Wizards to cover a huge spread vs. Nuggets

Coming out of the all-star break, there are tons of NBA teams in action on Thursday.

The pregame narrative: The Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets are two of the worst teams in the NBA, but both of them should be able to cover double-digit underdog spreads in their respective matchups. Elsewhere, expect the New Orleans Pelicans to win at home against the overmatched Houston Rockets.

Read up on these NBA parlay picks for February 22.

NBA oddsas of 9:05 a.m. on 02/20/2024.

NBA parlay picks

Parlay: Wizards +19.5 + Hornets +10 + Pelicans moneyline (+290)

Wizards +19.5 (-182): The Denver Nuggets stumbled into the break, dropping three in a row. They are also just 1-5 ATS so far in February.

Denver is still in the heart of the Western Conference's playoff field, but it isn't winning with as much conviction as last year's championship squad. At home, the Nuggets are just 12-13-1 ATS with an average victory margin of 9.2 points.

As for the Wizards, a playoff spot is nothing more than a mirage at this point. But at least the team knows how to cover a spread.

Washington is a dazzling 18-9-1 ATS on the road this season. The team is on an eight-game losing streak but has covered this number in 19 of its past 20 games (including in a 113-104 loss to Denver last month).

Other picks

Hornets +10 (-118): Let's get the main concern out of the way first. Charlotte has been absolutely brutal on the road this year.

The Hornets are 5-20 away from Spectrum Center, as well as an NBA-worst 8-17 ATS on the road. But this is a number I'm comfortable with against a Utah Jazz team that no longer seems interested in winning.

Utah, which is 2.5 games out of a play-in spot, effectively pulled the chute on its season by trading away Kelly Olynyk, Ochai Agbaji and Simone Fontecchio at the deadline. Since then, the Jazz are 0-4 SU and ATS.

On the bright side for Charlotte, the team has won three straight games as underdogs and has covered the spread in five of its past six.

Pelicans moneyline (-278): For as bad as the Hornets have been on the road, the Rockets are arguably worse.

Houston is 5-21 away from Toyota Center, dropping 11 of its past 13 road games. Its only two road wins in 2024 came against the Pistons and Hornets, who are a combined 66 games below .500.

The Pelicans (33-22) have won seven of their past eight games. Also, they beat the Rockets by 11 points last month.