We’re more than halfway into 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 Wednesday, March 5th. 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 March 5th
NBA Best Bets Today – March 5th
Portland Trail Blazers at Boston Celtics – 7:00 pm ET
There will be some significant absences on both sides here, but Boston is in worse shape. As of right now, Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams III are out for Portland. Meanwhile, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis are both listed as doubtful for the Celtics, who also have Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum listed as questionable. The Blazers have Donovan Clingan to man the middle without the two centers. However, if the Celtics end up missing three or four of the previously-mentioned players, that’s a significant drop in talent.
This is already a Portland team that is 11-5 both straight-up and against the spread in its last 16 games, and the Blazers are also 13-6 SU and 16-3 ATS when facing Eastern Conference opponents this season. On top of that, Portland can use a win after seeing Phoenix beat Los Angeles last night. The Blazers are currently in the mix for the 10th seed in the Western Conference, so they’re going to be playing hard every night moving forward. On top of all of that, the Celtics are just 12-20 ATS as favorites of 10 or more this season. They’re also just 7-10 ATS as home favorites of 6.5 to 12 points.
All year long, this Boston team has struggled to put teams away and convincingly win when expected to do so. Well, with some injuries throughout the rotation, I don’t see that changing here. I also just like that the Blazers are fourth in the NBA in defensive rating over the last 15 games. Chauncey Billups has this team defending at a high level, and Portland is also 12th in offensive rating in that same span. If the Blazers keep playing like this, they’ll be competitive most nights.
Bet: Blazers +10 (-109 – 1.5 units)
NBA Player Props Today – March 5th
Portland Trail Blazers at Boston Celtics – 7:00 pm ET
Donovan Clingan is coming off a game in which he had 13 rebounds against the Sixers. The rookie is a consistent presence on the glass, but he tends to get into foul trouble rather often. Fortunately for him, Boston doesn’t exactly play through a big man in the post. So, Clingan likely won’t get caught hacking players trying to back him down. Instead, he just needs to try and avoid picking up dumb fouls when the Celtics wings attack the rim. Of course, there’s no guarantee he’ll be able to do that. But overall, Clingan is averaging 16.0 rebound chances per game over the last 10 games, and the Blazers are going to be hoping to have him on the floor for 30 or so minutes here. So, it’s hard to imagine him not making his mark on the glass, especially against a Celtics team that doesn’t go hard after offensive rebounds.
Bet: Clingan Over 8.5 Rebounds (-122)
Utah Jazz at Washington Wizards – 7:00 pm ET
Over the last five games, Kyle Filipowski is averaging 13.4 rebound chances per game, and that includes a game in which he played only 14 minutes due to foul trouble. But Filipowski has had at least 10 rebounds in three of his last five outings, and I’m just not sure I see him struggling to pull down some boards tonight. The Jazz are facing a Wizards team that is just 27th in the league in rebound rate (48.3), and Utah is going to be without Walker Kessler, John Collins and Lauri Markkanen. So, there’s the potential that Filipowski will be playing big minutes tonight, and he’ll be doing it against a team that’s soft when it comes to rebounding. That said, I’m firing him up to have at least 10 boards tonight. Like Clingan, let’s just hope he can avoid picking up cheap fouls.
Bet: Filipowski Over 9.5 Rebounds (-110)
Dallas Mavericks at Milwaukee Bucks – 8:00 pm ET
With Kyrie Irving now out for the season, the Mavericks need somebody to distribute the basketball. Well, don’t be surprised if it’s Spencer Dinwiddie. Last game, Dinwiddie had six assists in a loss to the Kings. And in 19 starts this season, the veteran guard is averaging 5.1 assists per game. However, some of those games were played with other capable ball handlers on the court. This time around, Dallas has very little outside of him. Not only is Irving out for the year, but Luka Doncic was shipped to Los Angeles. And the Mavericks just found out that Jaden Hardy is out indefinitely. So, outside of Dinwiddie and Dante Exum, I’m not sure who is going to be running the show for Dallas. That said, I’m alright with dealing with a little juice on Dinwiddie to rack up six assists tonight.
Bet: Dinwiddie Over 5.5 Assists (-130)
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: Timberwolves ML vs. Hornets & Nuggets ML vs. Kings (-111 – 1.5 units)
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2024-25 NBA Record: 280-285-2 (-5.10 units)
