Welcome to another wonderful day in the association. We have an 8-game slate that has several huge spreads, so there could be some big wins on Wednesday night. That’s what I’m counting on in today’s mega parlay as I’m backing 2 favorites against the spread and another favorite with a win margin bet. Let’s get right into it!
Check out our NBA predictions for all today’s games.
Celtics -8.5 (-110)
Knicks win by 11+ (+210)
Grizzlies -14 (-112)
Parlay odds: +1020
Boston Celtics -8.5 (-110) over New Orleans Pelicans
It was such a promising first half of the season for the Pelicans, but the injury bug has started to infect the team. Brandon Ingram has not played since November 25, Zion Williamson is out for the next 3 weeks and Herbert Jones has been downgraded to doubtful for Wednesday’s game. Williamson has been out for the last 4 games, and while the Pelicans’ bench has picked up the slack on offense, their defense has been miserable. The aspect their defense has struggled the most on is defending the perimeter, as they have allowed teams to shoot 43.8% from deep in the last 3 games.
That could be their downfall on Wednesday because only the Golden State Warriors attempt more 3-pointers per game than the Celtics. Boston lives and dies on the perimeter, so if New Orleans fails to defend the Celtics’ elite shooters, they will once again find themselves with a double-digit loss.
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New York Knicks win by 11+ (+210) over Indiana Pacers
Even though New York suffered a 4-point defeat to the Bucks on Monday, I am not concerned. The Knicks shot just 38% from the field, their lowest mark in weeks, in addition to being without RJ Barrett. Also, Giannis Antetokounmpo was held to just 22 points, and Jalen Brunson recorded a career-high 44 points. Even though Indiana has won 8 of its last 10 games, the opposition hasn’t been very strong. Only one team has a winning record out of their last 6 victories. Despite the Pacers’ success with such a youthful core of players, they may have a difficult time against the Knicks’ stifling defense.
In the past 5 games, the Knicks have had the 2nd-best defensive rating and 4th-best rebound percentage. The Knicks have allowed only 100.8 points per game over those games, holding opponents to 90 or fewer points twice. Their defense should carry them to an 11+ point win on Wednesday.
Memphis Grizzlies -14 (-112) over San Antonio Spurs
We’re not even halfway through the season, but it has felt like an eternity for Spurs fans. They have just 13 wins in the first 41 games, including losing 5 of their last 6 games. Unfortunately for San Antonio, it will likely only get worse as both Keita Bates-Diop and Keldon Johnson are questionable for Wednesday’s matchup. They are already without Devin Vassell, so losing Johnson would rule out San Antonio’s top 2 scorers, or about 40.6 points per game. The Spurs were without Johnson in Monday’s matchup against the Grizzlies, and San Antonio ended up losing by 8 points.
But a key difference will be the return of Ja Morant. The Grizzlies star has missed the last 2 games with a thigh injury and is designated to return on Wednesday. With Morant back and Desmond Bane finally healthy, the Memphis lineup is dangerous. They had 7 players in double figures in Monday’s win, and with Morant back, this should be a blowout win for Memphis.
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