Caleb Wilfinger
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The first month of the 2023-24 NBA season produced some terrific action, with high-profile primetime matchups galore and exciting upsets across the league. The In-Season Tournament continues on Tuesday and the action features a number of compelling matchups, including Cavaliers vs 76ers, Pacers vs Hawks and more! A massive slate of NBA hoops tonight definitely calls for an NBA mega parlay. Below are my plays for Tuesday, and also be sure to check out all of our NBA picks for all of tonight’s matchups.
Cavaliers vs 76ers Over 216 (-110)
Pacers ML (+138)
Suns vs Blazers Under 225.5 (-110)
NBA parlay odds: +767
For this parlay, we are going with an underdog on the money line and a pair of game total picks. Let’s break down each of the legs.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Philadelphia 76ers Over 216 (-110)
These are a couple of Eastern Conference contenders that are commonly looked at as defensive stalwarts, and I think we’re getting a bit of value on this total as a result. The Cavaliers have dealt with some injury trouble over the first month of the campaign, but Darius Garland is back in the lineup and their offense is much better for it as a result. On the other side, the Philadelphia 76ers are one of the best teams in basketball over their first 13 games and that is in large part due to the emergence of Tyrese Maxey as the perfect co-star and compliment to Joel Embiid on the offensive side of the ball, leading to a team that is #2 in offensive rating this season.
These offenses should be able to score with regularity on a pair of solid but overvalued defenses here, as these teams are ranked 11th and 12th in defensive rating respectively. This is a pretty low total for what should be a competitive playoff-like matchup, so I’ll take the over.
Indiana Pacers ML over Atlanta Hawks (+138)
If you’re not on the Pacers bandwagon by now, there’s still time to hop on board. I was high on Indiana coming into the season, but the Pacers have managed to surpass all of my preseason expectations to this point, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. Indiana is top in offensive rating, 10th in net rating, first in pace and inside the top 5 in effective field-goal and true-shooting percentage. The Hawks are a top-10 offense as well under head coach Quinn Snyder, which is why this total is sitting at a whopping 250.5 at the time of writing.
In a game where the likes of Tyrese Haliburton and Trae Young should flourish and points can be expected throughout, I like taking an underdog on the money line, especially since I have the Pacers playing a much more difficult schedule than Atlanta to this point. Get your popcorn ready because you won’t want to miss this one!
Check out our full Indiana Pacers vs Atlanta Hawks predictions
Portland Trail Blazers vs Phoenix Suns Under 225.5 (-110)
The Portland Trail Blazers are one of the worst teams in basketball, and that certainly translates as it relates to their offense. The Blazers play at the 8th-slowest pace among all teams and have the worst offensive rating in the NBA, even over the likes of the Wizards and Pistons. In fact, 11 of their past 12 games have come in under the combined 225.5-point mark that we’re seeing as the total for this contest. This is a trend that should continue tonight as they visit the Phoenix Suns, who are dealing with their own injury issues and inconsistency in the starting lineup. The Suns are coming off a pair of wins in Utah by a combined 6 points, so they might start out a bit slow from the field in this contest as well.
What also contributes to an under in this contest is the Blazers are surprisingly in the top half of the league in defensive rating. The likes of Matisse Thybulle and Jerami Grant should be able to cause the Suns’ offensive leaders issues tonight with their activity on the defensive end, even if we do end up seeing Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal on the court at the same time (an extremely unlikely outcome given Beal and Booker’s ongoing injury concerns). Let’s back the under with confidence on Tuesday.
