Germantas Kneita
The NBA playoffs are now fast approaching, and the league brings us another big 10-game slate that will see teams jostling for postseason position. Most notably, all of the 4 Western Conference play-in teams will be in action tonight as they try and close the gap to the Golden State Warriors and an automatic playoff berth. You can find out our NBA picks for tonight’s hottest matchups, but for now, let’s check out my NBA best bets for each of tonight’s NBA games.
Celtics vs Heat best bet: Celtics -8 (-110)
The Celtics have comfortably taken care of business against the Heat this season, winning the 2 games by 18- and 19-point margins, respectively. The hosts have lost 5 straight games and have not been showing the type of form that suggests they could turn the tide here. They are dead last in the league in offensive rating during that time and will have issues matching the scoring of the visitors, who rank 3rd.
Read our full Celtics vs Heat prediction
Pacers vs 76ers best bet: Pacers -13.5 (-110)
The injury reports for these teams could not be more contrasting, with the 76ers missing a lot of their scoring power tonight. Even of those likely to take to the floor like Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andre Drummond are dealing with niggling injuries. Against a motivated Pacers team chasing the 4th seed, the hosts lack of depth should prove telling.
Read our full Pacers vs 76ers prediction
Clippers vs Hawks best bet: James Harden over 9.5 assists (-120)
James Harden as been on an assist tear of late, hitting double-digits in each of his last 3 games. The Hawks should prove a perfect opponent for him to continue this against. Over the last 10 games they are 3rd in the league in pace, 23rd in defensive rating and only the Pelicans have given up more assists per game to opponents during that stretch. Harden had 15 assists the last time the sides met and should feast once more.
Find out JutPicks’ best NBA player prop bets for tonight — he’s on a 9-3 run!
Hornets vs Spurs best bet: Josh Green over 6.5 points (-105)
Josh Green has averaged at least 7 points per game in every month this season. He has started March slow, but can bounce back tonight against the Spurs. Over the last 10 games the Spurs are in the top 10 in pace and dead last in defensive rating. They are also 28th in opponent paint points per game and should allow Green to boost his confidence by getting easy scores on the inside.
Cavaliers vs Grizzlies best bet: Zach Edey over 7.5 rebounds (-110)
Zach Edey will have a huge role to play tonight to match the size of the Cavaliers bigs. He delivered 9 rebounds the last time the sides met and should be in line for a similar performance considering the likes of Jarrett Allen not being able to stretch the floor to pull him away from the rim. The length of Edey should help him considerably here.
Read our full Cavaliers vs Grizzlies prediction
Mavericks vs Rockets best bet: Over 220 (-110)
The Mavericks have given up at least 120 points to their opponents in each of their last 7 games. The Rockets should be next in line. Alperen Sengun will be a mismatch for the Mavericks, which should help him get the Rockets offense firing on all cylinders. Considering the Turkish centers lack of rim protecting capabilities, the visitors should be able to get their own tonight too.
Magic vs Timberwolves best bet: Rudy Gobert to record a double-double (+130)
Over the last 10 games the Magic have been one of the most inefficient teams in the NBA, ranking 27th in true shooting percentage. Gobert should be the one cleaning up the misses here. He already had a 12-rebound performance against them earlier this season. Considering he has scored double-digit points in 10 straight games, the double-double seems great value here.
Read our full Magic vs Timberwolves prediction
Lakers vs Nuggets best bet: Under 229.5 (-110)
The last 2 games for the Lakers without LeBron James have not been great offensively, with the team failing to surpass the 110-point mark. If the same happens tonight, the under will be terrific value, especially with the Nuggets slowing down the pace to feed the ball inside to Nikola Jokic.
Read our full Lakers vs Nuggets prediction
Raptors vs Jazz best bet: Immanuel Quickley over 2.5 made threes (-115)
Immanuel Quickley has been one of the Raptors most lethal outside threats. In March he is averaging 3.3 made threes per game on 39.4% shooting. Over the last 10 games the Jazz are 30th in opponent 3-point attempts per game and 29th in opponent 3-point makes. Quickley should be able to take full advantage.
Kings vs Suns best bet: DeMar DeRozan over 8.5 assists & rebounds (-135)
Over the last 10 games, DeMar DeRozan has been stuffing the stat sheet, averaging a combined 11 assists and rebounds per game. It has allowed him to hit the over on this line in 4 of his last 5 games. The Suns are 28th in opponent assists per game during that stretch which the Kings guard should be able to exploit to help hit the over on this line.
