Best bets for Wednesday's NBA games ⛹️
Best bets for Wednesday's NBA games
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On Wednesday nights, typically the busiest night of the week, our NBA experts -- Andre Snellings, Jordan Schultz and Doug Kezirian -- give their best bets for the slate of games.
Lines displayed are from Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook as of Wednesday morning. As always, shop around for the best price.
Golden State Warriors at Houston Rockets(-3.5)
Kezirian: At times, the Warriors have demonstrated an ability to turn it on and convince us that apathy is the cause for their regular-season struggles, but that is more of a false narrative. They are 7-13 ATS off a loss this season, which is the worst mark in the NBA. Golden State is also a league-worst 26-39-1 ATS overall.They are just not living up to their brand, which is compounded tonight without Kevin Duranttonight, who's out with an ankle injury. Houston believes it is the better team and will look to make that statement again and finish off a season sweep. The Warriors will be an underdog for just the fifth time this season, but this spread still seems short to me.
Pick: Rockets -3.5
Snellings: The defending champion Warriors are the top seed in the West, but the Rockets are the hottest team in the NBA. Houston has won nine straight games with an average scoring margin of +8.2 points, including wins over the Warriors, 76ers, Raptors and Celtics. Over that same span, the Warriors are 4-5 with a -2.0 scoring margin.
The Rockets have been chasing the Warriors, feel that they were a Chris Paulinjury away from dethroning them last season and have swept the three games against the Warriors this season by an average margin of 9.3 PPG. Golden State will also be without Durant, who injured his ankle this weekend.
Pick: Rockets -3.5
Detroit Pistons at Miami Heat (-1.5)
Snellings: These teams are battling for playoff positioning in the East, and on the season have very similar score differentials. The Pistons blew out the Heat in Miami just after the All-Star break (and lead the season series 2-1), but both teams are playing at a different level since that game.
The Pistons won their first three games after the ASB, and since have gone 5-2 with losses against both full-strength playoff teams they've faced (Spurs by 12, Nets by 28). The Nets lost their first three games after the ASB, then split with two Western powerhouses (beat Warriors by 1, lost by 3 in Houston) and have since gone 4-1 with a +6.4 margin in their last five including a 29-point win over the Nets.
The Heat have been a bit better of late, are at home and have a bit more playoff pressure as they try to hold onto that No. 8 seed. That's why I like them tonight.
Pick: Heat -1.5
Schultz: Detroit has been one of the league's top teams since the All-Star break. Don't let an aberration -- the Pistons lost 103-75 to Brooklyn on Monday in a game where I picked the Nets -- distract you from just how well they have played. Blake Griffin continues to make a strong case for an All-NBA team, helping the Pistons achieve one offensive feat after another. In fact, before the loss to Brooklyn, Detroit had averaged 123 PPG during its five-game winning streak. The Pistons right the ship tonight in South Beach.
Pick: Detroit +1.5
Memphis Grizzlies (-1) at Atlanta Hawks
Snellings: The Grizzlies and Hawks are both headed to the lottery, so at this time of season there is a lot of volatility in their level of play compared to at other points of the season. In the very short term, the Hawks have gone 2-3 with a scoring margin of +1.4, with both wins over lottery teams and losses to all three playoff teams they've faced. On the other hand, the Grizzlies have gone 4-1 with a +10.6 scoring margin, including three straight wins over teams competing for the playoffs and their only loss at Oklahoma City.
Pick: Grizzlies -1
ESPN PLUS ($ MATERIAL)
On Wednesday nights, typically the busiest night of the week, our NBA experts -- Andre Snellings, Jordan Schultz and Doug Kezirian -- give their best bets for the slate of games.
Lines displayed are from Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook as of Wednesday morning. As always, shop around for the best price.
Golden State Warriors at Houston Rockets(-3.5)
Kezirian: At times, the Warriors have demonstrated an ability to turn it on and convince us that apathy is the cause for their regular-season struggles, but that is more of a false narrative. They are 7-13 ATS off a loss this season, which is the worst mark in the NBA. Golden State is also a league-worst 26-39-1 ATS overall.They are just not living up to their brand, which is compounded tonight without Kevin Duranttonight, who's out with an ankle injury. Houston believes it is the better team and will look to make that statement again and finish off a season sweep. The Warriors will be an underdog for just the fifth time this season, but this spread still seems short to me.
Pick: Rockets -3.5
Snellings: The defending champion Warriors are the top seed in the West, but the Rockets are the hottest team in the NBA. Houston has won nine straight games with an average scoring margin of +8.2 points, including wins over the Warriors, 76ers, Raptors and Celtics. Over that same span, the Warriors are 4-5 with a -2.0 scoring margin.
The Rockets have been chasing the Warriors, feel that they were a Chris Paulinjury away from dethroning them last season and have swept the three games against the Warriors this season by an average margin of 9.3 PPG. Golden State will also be without Durant, who injured his ankle this weekend.
Pick: Rockets -3.5
Detroit Pistons at Miami Heat (-1.5)
Snellings: These teams are battling for playoff positioning in the East, and on the season have very similar score differentials. The Pistons blew out the Heat in Miami just after the All-Star break (and lead the season series 2-1), but both teams are playing at a different level since that game.
The Pistons won their first three games after the ASB, and since have gone 5-2 with losses against both full-strength playoff teams they've faced (Spurs by 12, Nets by 28). The Nets lost their first three games after the ASB, then split with two Western powerhouses (beat Warriors by 1, lost by 3 in Houston) and have since gone 4-1 with a +6.4 margin in their last five including a 29-point win over the Nets.
The Heat have been a bit better of late, are at home and have a bit more playoff pressure as they try to hold onto that No. 8 seed. That's why I like them tonight.
Pick: Heat -1.5
Schultz: Detroit has been one of the league's top teams since the All-Star break. Don't let an aberration -- the Pistons lost 103-75 to Brooklyn on Monday in a game where I picked the Nets -- distract you from just how well they have played. Blake Griffin continues to make a strong case for an All-NBA team, helping the Pistons achieve one offensive feat after another. In fact, before the loss to Brooklyn, Detroit had averaged 123 PPG during its five-game winning streak. The Pistons right the ship tonight in South Beach.
Pick: Detroit +1.5
Memphis Grizzlies (-1) at Atlanta Hawks
Snellings: The Grizzlies and Hawks are both headed to the lottery, so at this time of season there is a lot of volatility in their level of play compared to at other points of the season. In the very short term, the Hawks have gone 2-3 with a scoring margin of +1.4, with both wins over lottery teams and losses to all three playoff teams they've faced. On the other hand, the Grizzlies have gone 4-1 with a +10.6 scoring margin, including three straight wins over teams competing for the playoffs and their only loss at Oklahoma City.
Pick: Grizzlies -1