The week finishes with a 9-game slate on Sunday that features several eye-catching matchups. The action starts early in the afternoon as the Phoenix Suns take on the Milwaukee Bucks, continues with the Los Angeles Lakers battling the Dallas Mavericks and finishes with the Los Angeles Clippers facing the Denver Nuggets. I’ve crafted a 3-leg parlay that pays out at nearly 8/1 odds, but also be sure to check out all of our NBA predictions for today.
Hawks -5 (-110)
Lakers ML (+145)
Kings -3 (-110)
Parlay odds: +792
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Atlanta Hawks -5 (-110) over Brooklyn Nets
To sum up Brooklyn’s last game in one word: embarrassing. The Nets lost by 44 points to the Bulls and looked like a high-school basketball team on offense. They finished with just 29 points in the first half. They ended the game shooting 37% from the field and only 27% from 3-point land, yet they finished with 44 shots from deep. Their strategy of settling for 3-point shots was not working, but they refused to drive to the basket and had just 22 points in the paint. On Sunday, I expect the Nets to score more than 29 first-half points, but for their strategy to stay the same. Brooklyn will not want to battle in the paint since Clint Capela is there, so they will be content with mid-range and 3-point shots. The problem with that is Atlanta is allowing the 5th-lowest 3-point percentage on its home court.
Meanwhile, the Hawks scored 136 points against one of the best defensive teams in the association on Friday. They were without John Collins, who has a concussion, but the productive minutes from Saddiq Bey have been monumental. This should be a comfortable win against a Brooklyn squad that is still searching for its identity.
Los Angeles Lakers ML (+145) over Dallas Mavericks
Arguably the biggest game of the day is the always-entertaining battle between LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. Both teams boosted their depth for a playoff run at the trade deadline, with the Lakers making a series of moves and the Mavericks acquiring Irving. While Los Angeles has thrived, Dallas has fallen short of expectations. Luka Doncic and Irving have played only 3 games together, and the Mavericks have gone 1-2 in them. They have dropped 3 of their last 4 games, and the problem is simple — their defense. Dallas has the 9th-worst defensive rating and the 4th-worst rebounding percentage in the last 4 games. Scoring has not been a problem for the new superstar duo since the Mavericks rank 5th in offensive rating in those 4 games, but without better defense, Dallas has a problem.
For the Lakers, it’s been the opposite, as their defense has never been better. In the 4 games with D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley and Mo Bamba, the Lakers have the 4th-best defensive rating. Vanderbilt and Bamba have lived up to expectations on defense, while Beasley has thrived in the starting rotation. These teams last met on January 12, which ended in a Mavericks win, but the Lakers forced overtime and were without Anthony Davis. I think Los Angeles can turn the tables on Sunday afternoon.
Check out our Lakers vs Mavericks Same Game Parlay
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Sacramento Kings -3 (-110) over Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder are a lot less dangerous when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander doesn’t take the court. And for the second game in a row, SGA will remain on the bench. His absence on the court was obvious on Friday night as the Thunder lacked a shot creator. It’s hard to make up for a guy averaging 30 points a night, and Josh Giddey was expected to pull that extra weight, but the Australian finished with just 7 points and 5 assists. Instead, Isaiah Joe continued his spectacular year with 28 points which led Oklahoma City. Without SGA, the Thunder offense plunges to the bottom of the league. That could be a problem against the Kings, who just scored a ridiculous 176 points in a double-overtime win over the Clippers on Friday.
The Sacramento offense has been elite this season, and while their defense has been lagging, scoring 130 points per game has offset that weakness. These teams met a little over a month ago in a game that ended with a 5-point win for the Kings, and that was with SGA scoring 37 points. Without him, I don’t see the Thunder being competitive with the fast-paced Kings.
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