The NBA is back — the good and the bad.
A 10-game slate tips off tonight as the league returns from its break. I asked VSiN.com senior editor Zach Cohen what bettors should know heading into the stretch run.
He answered with three questions (and his answers):
How will tanking impact the rest of the season?
Tanking will make betting rather difficult moving forward. Eight teams have shown that they have absolutely zero interest in winning games. This sport is already difficult enough to handicap as the injury report situation can be a nightmare on any given night. So, please be careful when making your plays the rest of the way, and make sure you use all of the information you can find before throwing your hard-earned money on anything. We’ll do our best to keep you up to date.
👉 Read Zach’s full breakdown of the NBA’s No-Fly List
Who will represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals?
At 40-13, the Pistons have the best record, an elite defense, a world-class shot creator/closer in Cade Cunningham and size/toughness scattered throughout the rotation. Yet, nobody seems to fear Detroit. People will make cases for New York, Cleveland, and Boston in the coming weeks. We also have a few months to see if Philadelphia can enter the postseason healthy — Joel Embiid is dealing with yet another knee issue — or if Orlando can figure things out. Though the latter will be tough with Franz Wagner needing more time than expected to recover from an ankle injury.
👉 Watch / Listen to Zach’s Eastern Conference breakdown
Who can knock off Oklahoma City in the West?
While the Thunder cooled off after a scorching-hot start to the season, OKC is still the team to beat. The defending champs are tenacious defensively, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the favorite to win yet another MVP award, and the group’s depth is unmatched. However, the West is absolutely loaded. If Aaron Gordon can get healthy, there’s no reason the Nuggets can’t win another title. The Spurs have dominated the Thunder during the regular season, with Victor Wembanyama and a three-headed monster. I’m also not ready to rule out the Timberwolves, coming off back-to-back trips to the Western Conference Finals.
👉 Watch / Listen to Zach’s Western Conference breakdown
Steve Makinen has a handicapping helper for the final third of the season.
He offers 25 situational trends based on teams’ remaining schedules — all hitting at 72 percent or better.
Zach’s Best Bets and Steve’s Analytics Report will hit around mid-morning on our NBA page.
Quick Hits
College Basketball: Greg Peterson has his Best Bets for today’s menu. Adam Burke previews tonight’s Memphis-USF game and he will post more plays later this morning on our college basketball page.
Get real-time steam alerts from the DonBest Screen. Sign up now for a 7-day free trial at go.donbest.com. Use the promo code VSIN10 for 10% off your initial subscription.
NFL: Believe it or not, DraftKings released season win totals for the 2026 season. The Rams, Seahawks and 49ers are all at 10.5 wins. Adam Burke shares some very early thoughts.
Golf: ICYMI — Wes Reynolds has picks for The Genesis Invitational and joins Matt Brown and Kelley Bydlon on the Long Shots podcast. 👉 Watch / Listen.
Horse Racing: Thanks to the Daily Racing Form, we have picks for today’s card at Oaklawn Park.
