Ricky Dimon
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The best day of the NBA regular season is in the rearview mirror, but there is no slowing down after Christmas. As of Wednesday morning, not a single game has been scrapped because of health and safety protocols. It’s a post-Christmas miracle! There are nine NBA games on the schedule; among the teams taking the court are the Knicks, Clippers, Celtics, Lakers, Heat, Suns, and Jazz.
We have plenty to work with as we try to formulate a winning mega parlay, so here we go — and this one ain’t for the faint of heart, folks.
Charlotte Hornets +2.5 (-110)
Memphis Grizzlies -5.5 (-110)
Oklahoma City Thunder ML (+1100)
Parlay odds: +4274
For this parlay we are going with two teams against the spread and one underdog on the money line. Let’s break down each of the three legs one by one.
Charlotte Hornets +2.5 over Indiana Pacers (-110)
The Hornets have won their last 2 games and are back over .500. Miles Bridges has become a more consistent scorer this season but he is now in health and safety protocols. That hurts the Hornets’ offense, which is second in the NBA; he is a rare player for Charlotte that can play a little defense too. They are worst in the NBA in points allowed. This is a chance for rookie James Bouknight to step up. They have been getting nothing from him so far this season.
It has been weeks since it came out that the Pacers are thinking rebuild but there has been no movement other than top guard Malcolm Brogdon getting hurt. He and Jeremy Lamb are questionable for this one and being limited on the perimeter is dangerous against Charlotte. Indiana should be able to get whatever they want inside against the Hornets. When these teams met in the season opener, Domantas Sabonis scored 33 points and has 15 rebounds. He was much quieter the second time they played, though. Both were Indiana losses. Charlotte has been one of the best ATS teams in the NBA. The Hornets have covered in their last 3 games and they are 9-3 ATS in December. These teams have played twice this season — both in Charlotte and both close. The Hornets won both by a combined 4 points.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Charlotte Hornets vs Indiana Pacers
Memphis Grizzlies -5.5 over Los Angeles Lakers (-110)
I was originally going with the Heat here, but then their game against the Spurs got postponed. All good, since the Grizzlies have some value on Wednesday as well. The Lakers are an absolute mess, but continue to get overpriced because oddsmakers have too much respect for LeBron James. It took another miraculous performance from James just for the Lakers to squeak past the lowly Rockets last night.
Now this is the second half of a back to back, which is bad news for Los Angeles’ aging stars. Against a Grizzlies team that just beat the Suns on the road their last time out. Memphis has a ton of momentum, and Ja Morant is going to show out here. The last time these teams played, the Grizzlies won by 13. And that was when Anthony Davis was still playing for the Lakers, but when Morant was out for the Grizz!
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Los Angeles Lakers vs Memphis Grizzlies
Oklahoma City Thunder ML over Phoenix Suns (+1100)
With 4 wins in their last 6, we have seen quite a lot of improvements from the young Thunder. They are coming off a loss at Sacramento, but with a 21-12 ATS record this season they have the 3rd-best mark in the NBA after Cleveland and Golden State. On the road they have covered 10 times in 16, including against the Suns earlier this season when they were +14.5 underdogs. Head coach Mark Daigneault has entered the health and safety protocols, joining 6 other players including rookie Josh Giddey and veteran Derrick Favors.
The Suns are coming off 2 straight home losses — something that has happened to them only one other time this season. A last-second layup by Ja Morant handed them their 7th loss of the season via a 114-113 decision on Monday. This team has struggled against the spread in home games; it is only 9-10 ATS for the season and against the Thunder the Suns have covered just twice in the last 10 meetings. Sure OKC +14.5 is a much safer play, but the money line at +1100 has great value. Why not?!
Check out all our NBA previews and picks for Wednesday
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