The NBA is now entering the final 10 days of the regular season. There is a full slate of eleven NBA games tonight for fans to enjoy. Below I offer my opinions on what may be some profitable betting opportunities. The opinions provided in these NBA picks are my own and are not of LWOS. As always, I do not offer financial advice, rather simply share my opinions and NBA Picks on the games I am already betting on myself. Gamble responsibly and enjoy the action.
NBA Picks – March 30th, 2022
Mavericks (-3) @ Cavaliers $
The Cavaliers are in trouble. After sitting in the top third of the standings for much of the season, it looks like it is starting to unravel. Firstly, Jarrett Allen was lost to a broken finger. Now their talented rookie Evan Mobley is out with an ankle sprain.
The timing for the injuries could not be worst as the Cavaliers fight for a playoff spot. They are currently looking at a play-in game against the Nets. If they lose that game, they may have to beat conference semi-finalists from Atlanta just to snag a playoff spot that seemed in the bag just a few months ago.
No NBA team wants to play the Mavericks right now. Luka Doncic is playing like a future Hall of Famer and the team defense is smothering all their opponents. Spencer Dinwiddie is suddenly an all-star talent since escaping Washington. Last night Dallas had a light scrimmage against the Lakers practice squad in a game that was never close.
Two months ago, this line would have been Cleveland favored by the four points. Now I see no reason to expect the Cavaliers to win this matchup even at home.
Celtics (-5) Vs Heat $
Boston remains one game back of Miami and in third place in the eastern conference but a victory in this game would vault them into first place. A loss would drop the heat into third with Milwaukee stuck in the middle. Despite having nearly identical records, it should be obvious to anyone paying attention over the past several weeks that the Celtics are by far the best team in the eastern conference.
Boston was dealt a serious blow with the news of Robert Williams being ruled out for the rest of the season a torn meniscus. Williams will be missed, but I still think they are the best team in the East right now. The Celtics had a one-game road trip to Canada this weekend and didn’t even bother bringing three of their starters with them on the trip. It was an extreme show of confidence by the coaching staff that nearly paid off big. The Celtics played hard and nearly knocked off a very good Raptors team on the road.
I do not like the direction of the Miami Heat right now. They are not playing well and the roster simply is full of too many average players. Several of their stars are past their prime and a couple of their young guys don’t seem quite ready for prime time. It appears a bad mix and I would not consider the Heat serious contenders right now. They will be hard-pressed to find a win in Boston.
Thunder (+12) Vs Hawks $
This is a huge line for a pretty average Hawks team to be laying on the road. As for the Thunder, it is difficult to keep track of who is even playing for them most nights. They are battling with injuries again and their best player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is out for this game. But I do know the Thunder have been one of the best teams all season when listed as big underdogs.
These are the stats you really only need to know for this matchup. OKC is 46-25 (64.8%) ATS this season. Atlanta is 12-25 (32.4%) ATS this season on the road. Those numbers are enough to give the node to the Thunder here. OKC just seems to find a way to lose slowly and get covers.
Pelicans (-12.5) @ Trailblazers $
This is just a ridiculous line. New Orleans is (-12.5) favorites in Portland? It seems unfathomable that the Trailblazers could have fallen this far this quickly, yet here we are. I checked the opening day box score for the Blazers all nine players on the court that night are either traded or injured. Every player they received in trades is also injured. Frankly, I won’t pretend to know exactly who IS playing for Portland right now. But I do know they are not an NBA-caliber team.
Portland has been losing regularity by double digits most nights and this despite having a very soft schedule of late. In this current homestand, they lost to the Spurs, Thunder, and the Rockets twice. It seems they are in full tank mode in hope of getting a high draft pick.
The Pelicans had a spirited comeback win against the Lakers in their last outing. They seem destined for the second play-in game now so there is a reason for hope in New Orleans. If they stay healthy and continue playing well, their reward would with a first-round matchup against the Suns.
The Pelicans should win this game with the only question being by how much. I see them getting out to an early lead then hanging to get the cover.
NBA: Suns (-5.5) @ Warriors
This is the game of the night showcasing two of the top teams in the western conference. Frankly, I cannot make sense of either of these teams. The Suns look merely good on paper yet continue to destroy every team in the NBA even without Chris Paul. The Warriors on paper look incredible yet can’t even beat Washington or Orlando. The absence of Stephen Curry obviously hurts, but the Warriors should be better than they are playing.
At first glance, this big line for Phoenix seems unjustified. But going purely on recent results, it could be reasonable. Bet this game if you must, but I cannot decide who I like.
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NBA Odds provided by Odds Shark. Posted lines are of writing time.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
