We’re nearing the end of the 2024-25 NBA season. I’ll continue giving out NBA best bets and player props here as often as possible, and I’ll also occasionally write up features on big news that shakes up the league. So, make sure you check out my work throughout the season. With that out of the way, let’s get into some NBA best bets and NBA player props for Tuesday, April 8th. Also, make sure you check out the picks page (linked right below) before games tip off. I occasionally add picks throughout the day.
MORE: Check out our Pro Picks page for everything our experts have on April 8th
NBA Best Bets Today – April 8th
Boston Celtics at New York Knicks. -7:30 pm ET
The Knicks are 10-5 in their last 15 games, which is impressive considering Jalen Brunson just returned from a serious ankle sprain. Some good also happened to come out of that Brunson absence, as OG Anunoby became way more comfortable creating offense for himself. The big wing has scored at least 23 points in 13 of his last 15 games, and it’ll be interesting to see if he can keep that up moving forward. If he can, perhaps New York can live up to pre-season expectations and compete in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. But either way, I like the Knicks to pick up a win over the Celtics tonight.
Boston has been scorching hot lately, winning 16 of its last 18 games. The Celtics are once again looking like the best team in basketball, and that shouldn’t be much of a surprise to anybody. However, Al Horford is out for Boston this evening, and Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis are all questionable. That’s quite a bit of uncertainty. And honestly, even if the Celtics have all three of those guys, I’d still like the Knicks here.
While Boston has absolutely demolished New York this season, it’s hard not to consider the team’s lack of motivation. The Celtics are going to be the second seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Nothing can change that. But the Knicks still have a little work to do to hold off the Pacers for the third spot in the East. Also, New York treats every game like a postseason game anyway. That said, I feel better about getting a strong effort from the Knicks than I do the Celtics.
The Celtics are also just 1-2 straight up as road underdogs this year, and they’re also 2-4 SU when the line is +3 to -3 this season. They haven’t been very reliable in games that are expected to be close. On the flip side of that, the Knicks are 8-4 SU in games with lines of +3 to -3. They’re also 6-3 SU as home favorites of 6 or fewer points.
Bet: Knicks ML (-117 – 1.5 units)
San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Clippers – 10:30 pm ET
It’s hard to be thrilled about backing the Spurs right now. De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama are out for the season, plus San Antonio is better off losing. But the Spurs are 9-6 against the spread in their last 15 games. They’re still playing hard and will continue to do so as long as Chris Paul is out there with some of the young guns. So, I’m not too worried about the possibility of them packing it in. Also, the real reason I even looked at this game is that Los Angeles is playing Houston in a massive game tomorrow night. That’s why Kawhi Leonard is listed as questionable on the injury report, and I’d be pretty stunned if he plays. The Clippers should be confident they can win this one without him, allowing him to get himself ready to go for tomorrow. And if Leonard isn’t out there this evening, San Antonio should be able to find a way to avoid a lopsided loss.
This is going to be a game in which Stephon Castle will be extremely important. The rookie will likely be given the James Harden assignment, so he’ll need to play his usual brand of in-your-nose defense. However, he’ll need to do it without reaching. Harden has always been able to take advantage of overzealous defenders.
Bet: Spurs +12.5 (-108)
NBA Player Props Today – April 8th
Memphis Grizzlies at Charlotte Hornets – 7:00 pm ET
Since Tuomas Iisalo became the interim head coach of the Grizzlies, Ja Morant is averaging 28.5 points and 6.0 assists per game. Morant also happens to have a usage rate of 34.1%, which is a pretty sizable jump when compared to his 31.0% usage rate on the season. I wrote this a couple of days ago, but part of the reason Memphis moved on from Taylor Jenkins is that the head coach’s offense was designed in a way to empower the team’s role players. But it’s pretty clear that the front office wants a heavy pick-and-roll offense that brings out the best in Morant. So, I’m not backing away from playing Morant props, as I feel we’re going to get the best of him moving forward — even if it comes at the expense of the rest of the team. This is also a really good matchup for Morant. The only issue is that it could be too good. We need to hope Morant plays well without Memphis blowing out Charlotte.
Bet: Morant Over 31.5 Points + Assists (-115)
New Orleans Pelicans at Brooklyn Nets – 7:30 pm ET
At this time of year, I like to go to our VSiN NBA Prop Analyzer and sort by the last seven games. That gives you a good idea of who is playing well for bad teams, which is crucial when considering a lot of them are tanking and lineups can be funky. Well, Yves Missi is 7-0 to the Over on his rebound prop in that span, and he has had at least 10 boards in seven of his last nine contests. With that in mind, I’m looking to the rookie to go Over his number in tonight’s meeting with the Nets. This is a game with a spread of only 2.5, so it should be close and call for Missi to play close to 30 minutes. If that’s the case, he should be very productive on the glass. Missi actually had 11 rebounds in his only other meeting with the Nets this season, and Brooklyn is a bottom-10 team when it comes to rebound rate this year. So, this is a good matchup for a player that has been reliable recently.
Bet: Missi Over 9.5 Rebounds (-120)
Additional Plays
This is where I’ll include any late added plays, teasers/parlays or in-season futures. Come back before tip if you don’t want to miss anything. It’s always possible I’ll add something to my card.
PARLAY: Hawks Alt +10.5 vs. Magic & Timberwolves ML vs. Bucks (-103 – 1.5 units)
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2024-25 NBA Record: 352-356-2 (-5.36 units)
