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 Wednesday, April 3rd. 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 3
2023 Record: 297-315-2 (-17.30 units)
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NBA Best Bets Today – April 3
Portland Trail Blazers at Charlotte Hornets – 7:00 pm ET
The Hornets have some key players listed as questionable tonight, with Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges and Grant Williams on the injury report. But I trust whoever Charlotte will have out there in a home game against this Portland team. The Blazers come into this game on a 10-game losing streak, and they lost six of those games by double digits. Portland is also in the midst of a seven-game road trip, so this team is likely exhausted and just wants this season to end. Things might not be much better for Charlotte, but the Hornets have covered in three of their last four games and they earned an outright win over the Cleveland Cavaliers last week. They have just been a touch more competitive than the Blazers lately, and that makes them much easier to trust at home.
These teams are both at the bottom of the league when it comes to both offensive and defensive rating over the last 15 games. But Portland is dead last in the league in net rating in that span. And Charlotte has been better both offensively and defensively. On top of that, the Hornets likely want to get Steve Clifford a win or two before he rides off into the sunset. That said, I think there will be a little more motivation for the home team. So, I’m backing Charlotte with today’s NBA best bets. And if some of the team’s top players end up playing, this should be somewhat straightforward.
Bet: Hornets ML (-109 – 2 units)
Orlando Magic at New Orleans Pelicans – 8:00 pm ET
When these teams met in Orlando on March 21st, the Magic earned a 121-106 win and really beat the brakes off the Pelicans. Orlando shot 54.7% from the floor in that game, and the team also went 14 for 36 from behind the 3-point line. That offensive performance is very unlikely to repeat itself when the Magic take on the Pelicans in New Orleans tonight. But I do think this is a bad matchup for New Orleans, especially with no Brandon Ingram.
This Magic team is just tremendous on the defensive end, with Orlando being second in the league in adjusted defensive rating this season. Well, in these last six games the Pelicans have played without Ingram, they have an offensive rating of 113.5. That’s quite a bit lower than their season-long number of 116.6. And it’s very hard to beat the Magic if you’re not at your best offensively. Orlando has defensive pieces to make life on New Orleans rough. Jalen Suggs can handle the CJ McCollum assignment, and Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero have big bodies to make Zion Williamson uncomfortable when attacking the basket.
The only question I have is whether the Magic can get enough going offensively to win this game. But this is a team that is 12-5 in its last 17 games, so it has been answering that question for weeks now. And the Magic are 15-7 against the spread as underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points this year.
Bet: Magic +4.5 (-115 – 2 units) & Magic ML (+150)
Indiana Pacers at Brooklyn Nets – 7:30 pm ET
Cleveland Cavaliers at Phoenix Suns – 10:00 pm ET
I’m not interested in laying the points with the Pacers or Suns tonight. But I do like both of the teams to win tonight, so I’m throwing them into a moneyline parlay for tonight’s NBA best bets.
With Indiana, it’s hard to ignore the difference in motivation for these teams. The Pacers are still trying to hold off the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers for the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference. They also have some upward mobility if they can rattle wins off to end the season. But the Nets are just about eliminated from Play-In contention. On top of that, Indiana is the far better team offensively, and Brooklyn barely has an edge defensively. So, this is one that should go the Pacers way as long as they can prevent Cam Thomas and Mikal Bridges from going nuts.
As for the Suns, the team should be able to build on a big 124-111 win over New Orleans the other night. And this is just the second game in five days for Phoenix, so the team should be well rested. Cleveland is on the second night of a back-to-back, so the same can’t be said for the road team. The only thing I’m nervous about with the Suns is that Grayson Allen is questionable. He’s such a big part of this team, as he has been the best 3-point shooter in the NBA all season. But Phoenix has enough firepower to give Cleveland issues, and Jusuf Nurkic should be a load in the paint. With that in mind, the Suns should win this game as long as they at least show some effort defending the 3-point line.
Parlay: Pacers ML + Suns ML (-109 – 1.5 units)
NBA Player Props Today – April 3
Los Angeles Lakers at Washington Wizards – 7:00 pm ET
Jordan Poole has had at least 27 points and assists in nine of his last 16 games, and he also happened to have 34 points and seven dimes against the Lakers on February 29th. Poole’s season has been a complete roller coaster thus far, but he’s starting to play some good basketball. In fact, he had 16 points and 13 assists in leading the Wizards to a win over the Milwaukee Bucks last night. Now, I like him to continue to rack up numbers in another meeting with Los Angeles. The Lakers have been playing very well in recent weeks, but they still don’t have a relentless point-of-attack defender. So, Poole should be able to create separation for himself rather easily. And the assists will also come. He’s averaging 10.9 potential assists per game over the last 10 games.
It’s also nice knowing that Poole is going to play heavy minutes here. Washington is invested in the former NBA champion, so he’s playing big minutes now that he is finally finding a groove. And if he flirts with 35+ minutes here, I really like his chances. That’s why I’m going Over on his player combo with tonight’s NBA player props.
Bet: Poole Over 26.5 Points + Assists (-125 – 1.5 units)
Cleveland Cavaliers at Phoenix Suns – 10:00 pm ET
Jusuf Nurkic’s rebounding calmed down a little towards the end of March. But a lot of that had to do with his ankle injury and games where Phoenix needed to go small. But Nurkic had 19 boards in Monday’s win over the Pelicans. And he’s now facing a Cavaliers team with a lot of size. So, he’s going to need to be at his best on the glass in this game. And I’d be surprised if he doesn’t show up in a big way there.
Cleveland is 14th in the league in rebound rate this season, but I’m not too worried about that. Jarrett Allen can be soft on the boards, and Nurkic’s brute force should be too much for him. I know Nurkic only had eight rebounds against them on March 11th, but that’s because he got into foul trouble. I’m expecting a much stronger effort from him here, which is why I’m going with him to have at least 12 boards with tonight’s NBA player props. I’m also putting a little on him to have 15+.
Bet: Nurkic Over 11.5 Rebounds (-110 – 1.5 units) & Nurkic Alt Rebounds 15+ (+285 – 0.5 units)
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