Filip Tomic
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Saturday promises to be an exciting night of basketball with 6 more games coming our way. The highlight of the night is at Madison Square Garden where the red-hot New York Knicks host the Los Angeles Lakers who are coming off a huge win over the Boston Celtics. I’ve made sure to include that game into my NBA Mega Parlay, continue reading below to see which other two picks made the cut.
Also be sure to visit our NBA picks page for predictions on the side and total for Saturday’s slate.
Now let’s dive into my bet!
GS Warriors ML (+120)
LA Lakers +5.5 (-110)
DAL Mavericks ML (+142)
NBA Same Game Parlay odds: +916
GS Warriors ML over Atlanta Hawks (+120)
Getting snubbed from this year’s All-Star game was motivational enough for Trae Young to beat the Phoenix Suns yesterday, but I’m not sure if his Hawks can put together back-to-back performances like that. The Warriors come to town, looking for a win to further climb back up in the West standings. Steph and co. just dominated the first meeting of the season about a week ago 134-112 at Chase Center, exposing the Hawks weaknesses on the defensive end.
Golden State had 7 more blocks in the win, plus they shot almost 15% better from the field. The disparity of quality on the inside is evident, Atlanta ranks only 28th in points allowed in the paint this season, compared to the Warriors who are 10 spots above them. Another worrying factor for the home team here is their record in games played with no rest – they are just 2-6 SU in 8 games when playing in this scenario. De’Andre Hunter also did not play last night, they’ll miss him dearly in tonight’s game. Go with the Warriors who are 12-5 SU in the last 17 meetings.
LA Lakers +5.5 over New York Knicks (-110)
Ah those pesky Lakers. One night they’ll lose to at Atlanta when they’re fully healthy, then the next night they’ll rest both LeBron James and Anthony Davis and win at Boston as 15.5 point underdogs. This team is a bettors nightmare, you never know which version you’re going to see. However, with this game being played in Madison Square Garden the stage cannot be any bigger, so I expect LA’s big guns to show up here. Especially against a formidable Knicks team, something we haven’t seen in a while.
New York is on a 9-game win streak, but they’re currently dealing with a ton of injuries and they barely beat the Indiana Pacers in their last game 109-105. Julius Randle is out with a shoulder injury, OG Anunoby is questionable with an elbow issue and Quentin Grimes has a knee problem. Tom Thibodeau was forced to play Precious Achiuwa 43 minutes vs Indiana, that kind of playing time isn’t sustainable in the long run. Without Randle’s physical play dealing with AD down low will be an issue, he finished with 32 points and 14 rebounds in the most recent meeting between the two teams. A fresh pair of legs will be beneficial for him here, I’m hoping the Lakers can keep things close, so let’s back them to cover.
DAL Mavericks ML over Milwaukee Bucks (+142)
Wouldn’t it be funny if Doc Rivers actually coached the Eastern Conference All-Star team? Believe it or not, that scenario is in play if the Bucks finish 2nd in the East before the break happens. However, things haven gone smoothly since he’s taken over from Adrian Griffin – the Bucks have improved a bit defensively, but they’re 0-2 since the hire and are coming off a disappointing 119-116 loss against Dame’s former team the Blazers.
The Mavs are banged up here, but they’re expecting both Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic back in the line-up and against a Milwaukee team that’s not covered the spread in 8 straight road games, I really fancy the Mavs chances. Milwaukee is on a 3-game win streak in head-to-head meetings, but all 3 of those were decided by single digits and the last time they played at American Airlines Center just a single point separated the two teams. The Bucks’ 11-11 SU road record is far from convincing, so let’s go with a fresh Luka Doncic and his underdog Mavs to get the victory here.
