NBA Picks

The Nets are 20-14-1 away from Barclays and 19-12-1 as the road underdog. Brooklyn has covered in 32 of 58 games as the underdog across all venues, and the Nets have been competitive against divisional opponents with a 7-4-1 ATS record. Conversely, the Celtics have the third-best record in the Association at 49-19 but are just 30-37-1 ATS. Boston is 15-20 ATS at home, 29-35-1 as the favorite, and 7-7 against Atlantic Division opponents.

The late-season NBA fatigue is real and it hangs over tonight’s matchup, with Steph Curry a strong candidate for a rest and both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard listed as probable despite nagging injuries. That could give the defenses the upper hand here, and I like the Under on a total of 227.5. The Milwaukee Bucks were stifled in Sunday’s 121-105 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, and they’ll run into a savvy defense anchored by Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler III here for the Golden State Warriors. The Under feels like a value pick, even though both teams have a dead-even 34-34 O/U record this season.

The Cleveland Cavaliers finally had their lengthy winning streak end last time out against the Orlando Magic, and now they’re in further danger against a Los Angeles Clippers team which has caught fire in the last few weeks. And believe it or not, the Clippers who have out-paced the Cavaliers this month. The Clippers rank 12th or higher in every shooting zone other than the long mid-range, but as a team which has focused its offense around scoring down near the rim it’s been rather insignificant that things have broken that way. I believe this Clippers offense, which has come through some strong defenses in recent weeks, can find a victory and win the war between a strong offense and a stalwart group of stoppers.

The Cleveland Cavaliers just had their 16-game winning streak snapped and now they hit the road for a seven-game Western road trip. While we've seen the Cavs dominate teams for fun, this is a spot where they could have a letdown as they have to play the Kings on Wednesday as well. The Clippers are playing with confidence, riding a three-game winning streak, and at +3.5, I'll take the points with the home team. 

Fresh off a road upset over Golden State without both Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, the Nuggets should be at full strength when they face a Lakers team missing LeBron James and most likely starting center Rui Hachimura. Denver is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games against Los Angeles, and I expect them to take care of business on Wednesday night in Hollywood.