Filip Tomic
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The weekend is just around the corner in the NBA and Thursday night brings us another exciting 7-game night. NBA TV’s doubleheader starts at 7:00 pm ET with the Pelicans taking on the Magic, followed by the Hawks and Suns squaring off at 9:30 pm ET. I’ve included both of those games in my NBA mega parlay which is available at huge +1612 odds! You can also find out our NBA picks for the rest of today’s matchups.
Pelicans -2.5 (-110)
Bulls vs Rockets Over 217 (-110)
Hawks ML (+370)
NBA parlay odds: +1612
New Orleans Pelicans -2.5 over Orlando Magic (-110)
If you haven’t been paying attention to the New Orleans Pelicans in recent weeks, you are missing out big time. In their last 8 games, the Pels have 7 wins while being 2nd in defensive rating and 6th in offensive rating during that stretch. Zion Williamson has noticeably slimmed down since the In-Season Tournament and over the last 10 games he’s at almost 24 points per game on 60% from the field in just under 32 minutes per game.
Despite all the qualities they have on the defensive end, I can’t see how the Magic handle such a big presence down low like Zion. New Orleans is 5-1 SU against both Eastern Conference and Southeast Division opponents. In their last 15 games played in March, they’ve covered the spread 12 times. Orlando is on a winning streak of their own, but I have my doubts over the quality of teams they’ve beaten lately. I’ll take Zion and company to cover here.
Chicago Bulls vs Houston Rockets Over 217 (-110)
Losing Alperen Sengun to a season-ending leg injury was supposed to be a devastating blow for the Houston Rockets, but instead the injury has rallied the troops and here they are on a 6-game win streak. Offense has been the key factor for this win streak as the Rockets are playing much faster without the big fella down low, averaging 100 possessions per game and ranking 4th in pace during this winning run.
Their offensive efficiency is also at a very high 120.6 points per 100 possessions and only 4 teams are better than them in the last 6 games. The Bulls are also capable of putting up big numbers on offense, as we just saw them put up 127 and 132 points in 2 of their last 4 games. The over has cashed in 4 of their last 5 and for the season they are 19-15 on the O/U away from home. Houston’s O/U record sits at 5-2 in their last 7 games and the last 5 meetings have all cashed on the over. I think that trend continues here.
Atlanta Hawks ML over Phoenix Suns (+370)
When it comes to betting on the Hawks these days, timing is everything. This was evident in their two most recent games against the LA teams, where they first beat the Clippers 110-93 and then followed it up with a 136-105 loss against the Lakers the next night. A team as injured as the Hawks simply had no chance of winning 2 games in 2 days, but with enough rest since then I believe they have a chance tonight against the Suns.
Atlanta won the first meeting 129-120 back in early February and they’ve actually been the more dominant team in head-to-head meetings with a 7-3 ATS/SU record in the last 10 games. This also includes a 5-1 SU/ATS run in the 6 most recent meetings. Phoenix just played last night which is another thing working in the Hawks’ favor here. The road team has nothing to lose here and they’re outscoring the Suns by 8.5 points over the last 10 meetings. At +370 odds, I believe backing Atlanta to win is worth the risk.
