The 2023-24 NBA regular season is coming to an end and we’re continuing to tackle it hard at VSiN. As always, Jonathan Von Tobel continues to provide you with his exceptional coverage of the greatest league in the world. Just click here for all of his content. However, all of my picks will be featured in this daily column, which will combine my NBA best bets and NBA player props. So, keep reading to find out how I’m playing the NBA slate on Thursday, April 11th. Also, check out our NBA Odds page for the latest line movement.
MORE: Check out our Pro Picks page for everything our experts have on April 12
NBA Best Bets Today – April 12
Indiana Pacers at Cleveland Cavaliers – 7:30 pm ET
Not only are the Cavaliers just 13-22 against the spread in the second half of the season, but the Pacers are 15-7 ATS when facing an opponent that beat them in their last meeting. So, we’re getting a perfect storm of a struggling Cleveland team going up against an Indiana team that is out for revenge, and also happens to have Rick Carlisle to make world-class adjustments. And if that isn’t enough, the Pacers are just one game back of the Cavaliers for the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. So, they still have the ability to move up in the standings before the end of the regular season on Sunday. That said, you can expect both of these teams to be locked in for this game, but it’s hard to trust the Cavaliers given the way they’ve played in recent weeks.
This is also a tough matchup for this version of Cleveland. The Cavaliers have been struggling offensively lately, with Donovan Mitchell looking nothing like himself. The star guard had PRP injections on his knee and is also playing with a mask on, and he seems to be lacking in both burst and confidence. Well, the Pacers’ main problem is that they are weak on the defensive end. If the Cavaliers can’t exploit that, they’ll be in trouble. That’s why I’m taking Indiana to cover the spread, and I’m also backing the Pacers to win.
Bet: Pacers +4 (-110 – 2 units) & Pacers ML (+140)
NBA Player Props Today – April 12
Denver Nuggets at San Antonio Spurs – 8:10 pm ET
Tre Jones has had at least seven assists in three of his last five games, and one of those was an 11-assist performance against this Denver Nuggets squad. It took way too long for the Spurs to give Jones the keys to this offense, as it was always very clear that he was the best table setter for this squad. But Jones did eventually get a chance to run the show and he does a great job of setting Victor Wembanyama up, while also utilizing his ability to get to the basket to create opportunities for some of the Spurs perimeter players. So, I’m going to Jones to have at least seven dimes at plus-money odds tonight. As long as Denver doesn’t blow San Antonio out, I’d be surprised if Jones doesn’t get his numbers. And I expect the Spurs to hang around here.
Bet: Jones Over 6.5 Assists (+105 – 1.5 units)
Added Plays
PARLAY: 76ers ML vs. Magic + Suns ML vs. Kings (+104 – 2 units) – I decided to add this one a little after originally writing up these picks. I’m just parlaying two teams that need victories at plus-money odds. Philadelphia is hosting a struggling Orlando team and is a relatively big favorite to win. So, throwing the Sixers in gets me plus-money odds with the second game, which will have me sweating out yet another Suns game. It has not been fun backing Phoenix lately, but Sacramento is on the second night of a back-to-back. The team should be a little fatigued in this spot, and the Suns very likely need to win their next two games in order to get the sixth seed in the Western Conference.
Spurs +13 (-110) vs. Nuggets – As mentioned earlier, I do think the Spurs have the ability to hang around tonight. And with the spread ballooning up from +11 to +13, I decided to put a little something on it.
Pelicans/Warriors Over 220.5 (-127 – 2 units) – I meant to add this a bit earlier, but I got caught doing some things and the total has gone up. So, I’m paying a bit of a premium to take the Over at this price. But I feel good about it going Over, and it’s not overwhelming juice.
2023-24 Record: 319-337-2 (-17.00 units)
