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NBA Best Bets
Record: 111-106-3 | Units: -3.00 | ROI: -1.3%
*Los Angeles Lakers (-12.5, 234) at *Washington Wizards
Los Angeles is playing its third game in four nights with no rest, but this situation is different than usual. The Lakers smoked the Raptors last night, which allowed LeBron James and Anthony Davis to take a seat early. Davis did not play in the fourth quarter, and James left with 9:22 left in the game. Head coach Darvin Ham told the media that both will be on the floor tonight.
With that in mind, this should be a spot in which Los Angeles takes care of business. Unlike Milwaukee – which lost to Washington last night – this team usually takes care of poor teams. The Lakers are 18-5 SU with a +8.9 net rating in non-garbage time against teams in the bottom 10 of non-garbage time net rating this season. Since the All-Star break they are 5-0 with a +13.1 net rating against those opponents.
Best Bet: Lakers (-12.5) – Playable to (-13.5)
NBA Best Bets
Lakers (-12.5)
Remaining Games
Portland Trail Blazers at Charlotte Hornets (-1, 215.5)
Portland covered in Orlando the other night, but that was largely due to the offensive struggles of the Magic. The Trail Blazers were still limited to 1.084 points per possession in the loss. It is not a performance that would make me run to back them here. In fact, the Hornets would be the side here, but they have some injury concerns. Miles Bridges, Brandon Miller and Grant Williams are all questionable, and Vasilije Micić is doubtful. That is three of the starting five that could miss the game for Charlotte here. Their status is obviously paramount to how this line falls, and that makes this game easy to scratch off.
Memphis Grizzlies at *Milwaukee Bucks (-13, 225)
Milwaukee looked absolutely awful in Washington last night. The Wizards went a combined 35-of-48 inside 14 feet, and they averaged 1.50 points per play in transition. The Bucks are now 32-42-1 ATS on the season and inconsistent as ever. We also have no idea if either Khris Middleton or Giannis Antetokounmpo will play tonight, and Damian Lillard is a question as well with his groin injury. Memphis won’t have Desmond Bane tonight and John Konchar is doubtful. Still, bettors are likely better off waiting to jump on Milwaukee in-game at a cheaper price, should it appear.
*Oklahoma City Thunder at Boston Celtics (-8, 227.5)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been dinged up and missed the loss to Philadelphia last night. So too, did Jalen Williams. Williams participated in shootaround yesterday before being ruled out, so his status is closer to probable here. Gilgeous-Alexander should be considered a true questionable for bettors this morning. Especially with this being the Thunder’s sixth game in nine days. Jaylen Brown is questionable for the Celtics, but they are rated so highly by the market that his absence would not alter the line much. It is Gilgeous-Alexander’s status that needs to be monitored by bettors today.
Indiana Pacers (-7, 230.5) at Brooklyn Nets
These two teams meet once again after Indiana blew out Brooklyn at home on Monday. Now at the Barclays Center, the Pacers are laying seven points, despite the questionable status of Myles Turner who left the previous meeting with a dislocated finger. Indiana closed as a 12.5-point favorite in that game on Monday. That would translate to a 10-point difference on a neutral and a 7.5-point spread in Brooklyn. But, that was with a fully healthy Turner pre-flop. There has clearly been an adjustment here.
*Toronto Raptors at *Minnesota Timberwolves (-14, 215.5)
Toronto got back both Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett last night, but it did not change the result against Los Angeles. One or both of them resting in this spot tonight is a possibility, considering part of the delay for their returns was conditioning concerns. On the other end, Anthony Edwards has been working like a dog. Since Karl-Anthony Towns’ injury, Edwards has not missed a game and has averaged 37.0 minutes per game. If there was a night to take off, it would be this one, especially with a road trip to Phoenix and Los Angeles coming up.
*Cleveland Cavaliers at Phoenix Suns (-6, 225.5)
Cleveland is the side that I want to back tonight, but concerns about injuries are keeping me on the sideline for now. Donovan Mitchell should play after resting his injured knee yesterday. My concern is that Max Strus – who had been dealing with a calf injury for some time – pops up on the report. If the Cavaliers are at full strength I will do my best to hop on the number before it moves. Phoenix is not this much better than Cleveland when it is at full strength. Factor in the potential absence of Grayson Allen tonight, and I’m in if the Cavaliers are starting everyone this evening.
