We have a huge slate of 13 NBA games to look forward to today. I have curated the best NBA bets for April 5 for you to jump on. Relax, enjoy the games, and let’s win more than a couple of bucks.
Best NBA Bets For April 5, 2024
Magic @ Hornets
Magic -12.0 (-110)
The Orlando Magic travel to Charlotte to take on the Hornets in the fourth and final game of their divisional season series. The previous game ended in a dominant 20-point win for the Magic.
The Magic are fourth in the East. They are tied with the fifth-seeded Knicks, and it will be interesting to see who ekes out more wins to get home advantage for their potential first-round clash. The Magic are three wins away from securing an automatic seed in the playoffs.
The Hornets have dealt with so many injuries this season. With a plethora of high lottery prospects on the team, this is clearly a team wasting its potential. No surprise that Steve Clifford is stepping away from the team.
The Hornets have as many as ten players on the injury report. LaMelo Ball and Mark Williams are still sidelined. They have a couple of game-time decisions including Brandon Miller, Grant Williams, Miles Bridges, and Vasilije Micic. The Magic have a clean bill of health.
The Hornets are on a three-game losing streak while the Magic are on a four-game winning streak.
The Magic have been a bettors’ delight on the spread in recent road games. Over their last five road games, they have covered the spread in four games. The Magic are 3-0 covering the spread against the Hornets this season. Helping our cause is the fact that the Magic have been a top 5 defense all year. They don’t really need to score high to cover this number.
In this straightforward, we’re backing the Magic to cover the spread because they have a healthier and more motivated team.
Trailblazers @ Wizards
Wizards -2.5 (-110)
The Washington Wizards welcome the Portland Trailblazers to the Capital One Arena. This is the final meeting of the season between both sides. The Wizards won the most recent encounter in Portland by one point.
The Wizards are set to have a top three pick at the very least in the 2024 draft. On lottery night, they will be hoping to get the first overall pick. The Trailblazers are also set to have a top five pick.
Of the two sides, the Wizards come into this game in better form. They have won four of their last eight. The Trailblazers’ win in their last game was their first in almost three weeks.
The Wizards have been ultra-competitive in games since they moved on from Wes Unseld Jr. as their head coach.
The Wizards have scored at least 107 points in seven of their last eight at home. In contrast, the Trailblazers have scored more than 100 points in just two of their last five on the road. It’s hard to win games in this league if you can’t score points.
In this NBA bet, we are backing the Wizards to eke out the win in a game with no implications for either team’s season.
Kings @ Celtics
Celtics -10.0 (-110)
The Sacramento Kings travel to Boston to take on the Celtics in the second game of the season series. The previous game ended in a 25-point win for the Celtics at the Golden 1 Center.
The Kings are in danger of slipping to the ninth seed in the play-in tournament. That seemingly simple slip could lead to their season ending in one game if they lose their play-in tournament game against the 10th seed. Being the eighth seed gives them two shots at making the playoffs. The Lakers are hot on their heels.
The Celtics have clearly been the best team during the regular season, winning games for fun. Their net rating is comparable to all-time teams like Jordan’s Bulls or the Warriors dynasty.
The Kings continue to deal with the absence of Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter. The Celtics have Jaylen Brown and Derrick White ruled out.
This will be the second game of a back-to-back for the Kings.
The Celtics have been machines at home, covering the spread in seven of their last eight. During that run, they beat their opponents by a margin of at least 15 points in seven games.
In this bet, we’re backing the Celtics because they are the deeper and more rested team.
Knicks @ Bulls
Over 212 (-110)
The Chicago Bulls welcome the New York Knicks to the United Center for the second of their season series. We will see these teams face each other three times over the course of eight days. The previous game between these two sides ended in a six-point victory for the Knicks.
Both these teams are playing for home advantage down the stretch. While the Knicks will be aiming to finish as a top-four seed and secure home advantage for the first round, the Bulls are seeking home advantage for their nine-ten play-in game.
The Bulls have Torrey Craig as a game-time decision, while the Knicks have Julius Randle ruled out for the rest of the season.
The Knicks are on the second night of a back-to-back. Historically, defenses are worse off in these games. Sprinkle in Tom Thibodeau’s penchant for playing his trusted players for 40+ minutes, we could see a heavily-fatigued Knicks team.
This over would have hit in all 10 of the Bulls’ home games. It would hit in four of five of the Knicks’ previous road games.
Bet the over in what will probably be a three-point shooting contest between both teams.
These are my best NBA bets for April 5, 2024. Let’s repeat some recent successes.
Good luck with your bets.
Odds courtesy of DraftKings as of approximately 3:00 p.m. EST on April 5. These are for entertainment purposes only and by no means a guarantee. Wager responsibly.
