The National Basketball Association (NBA) has a total of six games on the schedule today, with the Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets kicking off the slate at 6:00 p.m. ET. The only nationally-televised game is the Golden State Warriors and Philadelphia 76ers, battling at 8:30 p.m. ET at Wells Fargo Center on ABC and ESPN+.
Let’s get that bankroll in the black with our best NBA picks for Saturday, March 1st.
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Saturday’s Best NBA Picks
NBA odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All NBA picks are for 1 unit
Brooklyn Nets (+410) at Detroit Pistons (-550) | O/U 217 (-110/-110)
The Nets (21-38) and Pistons (33-27) do battle at Little Caesars Arena with a scheduled tip-off time of 7:00 p.m. ET.
Brooklyn is just 12-18 on the road this season, while the Pistons are 17-13 at home. Both numbers aren’t necessarily overwhelming or telling. However, Detroit has been red-hot lately, rattling off wins in eight of their past nine games, while also going 6-1 against the spread (ATS) in their past seven.
The Pistons had some cold water splashed on them Friday, as the visiting Denver Nuggets humbled them 134-119, as Detroit did not cover as a 2-point favorite. I am still kicking myself for not playing that one all over. The over (240) cashed, too, as Detroit allowed more than 118 points for just the second time in the past 10 games.
The Nets were thrashed at home by the Portland Trail Blazers last time out, falling 121-102 on Friday as a 1.5-point home underdog while the over (221) cashed. The Nets have dropped three in a row, allowing 125 points per game (PPG) in the past two games. Still, they’re a rather respectable 8-4 ATS across their previous 12 games. As an underdog of five or more points, Brooklyn is 5-1 ATS in the past six such instances in February.
Let’s back the Nets catching the points and based on Brooklyn’s lack of defense lately, we’ll go high on the total.
Picks: Brooklyn Nets +11 (-108) & Over 217 Points (-110)
San Antonio Spurs (+330) at Memphis Grizzlies (-420) | O/U 244.5 (-110/-110)
The Spurs (24-33) and the Grizzlies (38-21) hook up on the banks of the Mississippi River at 8:00 p.m. ET. If you’re in the Memphis area, tickets via a third-party vendor can be had for as low as $11. Come on, Memphis. This team is exciting. Go out and support it.
The Spurs slink in on a four-game losing streak. They’re 0-4 ATS during the skid, too. San Antonio’s offense and defense have been rather listless since Victor Wembanyama was ruled out for the season due to deep-vein thrombosis in his shoulder. Things were looking up for the Spurs, but now they’re not.
These teams just met on February 3rd in Memphis, with the Grizzlies coming away with a 128-109 victory as 3.5-point favorites. That was with Wembanyama in the lineup, throwing down 27 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two blocked shots, two steals and a pair of three-pointers.
The Grizzlies have been having some trouble against the number lately, going just 0-5-1 ATS in the past six games. Their defense has been rather non-existent, allowing 127+ points in four of the past six outings. That’s why the books have adjusted the total so high. However, we’re going to go against both of those ugly Memphis trends. Take the Grizzlies to grab the cover against the dejected Spurs and go low on the total, as Memphis should get plenty of points and San Antonio won’t crush the stat sheet against the Grizzlies.
Picks: Memphis Grizzlies -9 (-110) & Under 244.5 Points (-110)
Golden State Warriors (-320) at Philadelphia 76ers (+260) | O/U 227 (-110/-110)
The Warriors (32-27) hit the road for the City of Brotherly Love to battle the 76ers (20-38), a team that has struggled all season and now must do so without the services of Joel Embiid for the rest of the season.
Golden State has won each of the past four meetings in this series, while also covering each of those outings. That includes a January 2nd outing in San Francisco where the Warriors pounded the Sixers 139-105 as 3.5-point favorites as the over (220) cashed. In that win, Embiid had 28 points, 14 rebounds and two blocked shots, so that’s not a good sign for this home game.
Golden State had seven players score 10+ points in that January rout, and five went for 15+ points, including Steph Curry, who was unconscious from behind the arc with an 8-of-8 night, finishing with 30 points and 10 assists.
The Dubs streak in with five straight wins and covers, while going 7-1 straight up (SU)/ATS in the past eight games. The over is 3-1 in the past four outings, too. Golden State is 6-0 SU/ATS in the past six tries against Eastern Conference teams since a brutal 125-85 loss to the Boston Celtics at home on January 20th.
The Sixers weren’t very good with Embiid, and they’re going to be worse without him. Whatever, Philly. At least y’all won the Super Bowl. Stop complaining.
Let’s back Golden State to lay the points, as Philadelphia is just 1-9 ATS in the past 10 games. We’ll avoid the total.
Pick: Golden State Warriors -8 (-110)
Make sure to check out our other best bets for Saturday:
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Daniel E. Dobish is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Daniel, check out his archive and follow him @danieledobish.
