Ricky Dimon
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We are tipping off the week in the NBA with a 7-game schedule, headlined by Bucks at Warriors on ABC. Top teams like the Heat, Bulls, Nuggets, and Jazz are also in action. For this play, however, we are looking at a couple of less heralded underdogs.
Let’s take a look at today’s two-team mega parlay.
Pacers ML (+198)
Raptors ML (+205)
Parlay odds: +809
For this parlay we are going with two underdogs straight up. Let’s break down each of the two legs one by one.
Pacers ML over Spurs (+198)
On Saturday evening the Indiana Pacers will travel to the AT&T Center to battle the San Antonio Spurs. Entering play, the Pacers are only 2-5 since the all-star break, ranking 18th in net rating during that span. The Spurs have been even worse in that stretch, ranking 23rd in net rating and winning only three of eight games. Perhaps most important to the spread in this one is the fact that the Pacers have not played since Tuesday, giving them three full days of rest between their last action and today. The Spurs will be playing their third game in four nights, although they have had the benefit of having each of those matchups take place on their home floor.
Yesterday, the Spurs emerged victorious over the Utah Jazz by a final score of 104-102. San Antonio outscored Utah by 12 points in the final 12 minutes. In the victory, Dejounte Murray and Keldon Johnson each played 37 minutes. Jakob Poeltl played only 29 minutes due to foul trouble. Since trading for Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield, the Pacers have only one win in five road games — having been outscored by 5.5 points per 100 possessions in those contests. Still, the rest advantage coupled with the fact that the Spurs have struggled mightily of late could be enough for Indiana to win outright.
Check out our Pacers vs Spurs preview
Raptors ML over Nuggets (+205)
The Toronto Raptors continued their stellar form in road games with another big win as they defeated the Phoenix Suns 117-112. It was the 20th time in 34 road games they were able to cover despite entering the game as +5 underdogs. Gary Trent Jr. exploded for 42 points, while Pascal Siakam added 25 in the win. The Raptors remain without arguably their best defender, OG Anunoby, but they have others stepping up to cover for his absence at least on offense. They have now won 13 of 20 games and are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 on the road heading into tonight’s matchup with the Denver Nuggets. Denver’s chances of getting the 5th seed in the Western Conference took a hit with its 113-102 home loss to Golden State, but it wasn’t all that surprising considering it was a 2nd night of a back-to-back and fatigue started to show.
The Nuggets will be fresh for tonight’s game after resting yesterday, so I’m curious to see if they can get back on track here. They are 10-2 SU in their last 12 games, however in their last 6 they have managed to cover the spread just twice. A couple of players have knocks and are questionable, this includes Will Barton and Aaron Gordon. These teams have split the last 4 meetings and the last time they played the Nuggets came out on top a month ago by 1 point. With the way the Raptors have played recently on the road, an upset is well within reason.
Check out our Raptors vs Nuggets preview
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