The National Basketball Association (NBA) has five total games on the schedule on Saturday. We have one matinee game between the New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks at 3:00 p.m. ET, but we won’t consider that game to give you more time to set your plays.
The Memphis Grizzlies and Detroit Pistons meet at 7:00 p.m. ET on NBA TV, kicking off the evening slate. We have one West Coast game between the Dallas Mavericks and L.A. Clippers at 10:30 p.m. ET at Intuit Dome, too. Enjoy our best NBA picks for Saturday, April 5th.
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Saturday’s Best NBA Picks
NBA odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All picks are for 1 unit
Minnesota Timberwolves (-1350) at Philadelphia 76ers (+810) | O/U 225 (-110/-110)
The Timberwolves (45-32) make their third stop on a five-game road trip against the 76ers (23-54) at Wells Fargo Center at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Minnesota picked up a 105-90 win on Thursday as a 14-point favorite, just barely grabbing the cover. The Timberwolves have managed four straight wins and covers since a loss on March 24th at Indiana. The over has cashed in three of the past four games, too.
Against the Eastern Conference, the Timberwolves are 6-2 straight up (SU) and 4-4 against the spread (ATS) in the past eight games. That includes a 126-112 win as a 13-point favorite at Target Center in Minneapolis on March 4th in the first meeting. TheoOver (222) cashed in that game, too.
The Timberwolves ended up having seven players with 12+ points in that victory over the Sixers, led by Naz Reid with 23 points, six rebounds and two assists, and knocking down five three-pointers. Veteran Mike Conley was good for 12 points with three triples, while adding seven rebounds and six assists. Donte DiVincenzo came off the bench for a solid 12 points and eight dimes.
The Sixers saw Quentin Grimes go off for 30 points on 12-of-18 from the field, including three three-pointers, while Kelly Oubre Jr. managed 24 points on 11-of-19 shooting. Guerschon Yabusele was good for 18 points and seven boards, but there was a huge drop-off after that.
Philly is in freefall, dropping 10 straight games since March 16th. They have failed to cover the past nine games, too. The over and under has cashed in each of the past seven games since March 23rd.
We’ll back the Timberwolves since the 76ers are skidding hard. The over is worth playing based on the first meeting and Minnesota’s results recently. The over is 6-2 in the past eight outings.
Picks: Timberwolves -15 (-110) & Over 225 Points (-110)
Dallas Mavericks (+280) at L.A. Clippers (-350) | O/U 220 (-108/-112)
The Mavericks (38-40) and Clippers (45-32) meet at Intuit Dome at 10:30 p.m. ET.
Dallas is looking to stay in the playoff picture, but since the trade of Luka Doncic to the Mavericks, and subsequently the Quentin Grimes trade to Philly, the Mavs have been sinking like a stone in the standings. Dallas is now two games under .500 and is just 7-14 in the past 21 games since February 23rd. They have failed to cover the past three outings.
The Clippers picked up a 114-91 win as 12-point favorites in the front end of the back-to-back set against the Mavs on Friday. Kawhi Leonard was good for 20 points, while Ivica Zubac continued his solid play with 14 points and 13 boards.
The Clippers rolled up a 35-point lead in the fourth quarter before powering down on Friday, inserting some reserves in mop-up duty. It helped the Clippers remain tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies for sixth place in the Western Conference with five games remaining. Los Angeles is trying to avoid having to experience the NBA Play-In Tournament.
The Mavericks received solid play from Naji Marshall, hitting 8-of-14 from the field and going for 22 points, but it was a poor shooting night. Dallas was just 20% (4-of-20) from behind the arc, the second-worst mark of the season for the Mavs, while hitting just 65.4% (17-of-26) from the free-throw line. Dallas also turned it over 17 times, while it was a -9 in the rebounding department.
Not only have the Clippers won three in a row, but they’re a solid 5-1 ATS in the past six games, while going 10-2 ATS across the past 12 contests since March 12th. The under is on a 3-0 run for the Clippers.
Let’s back L.A. laying the points and we’ll go low on the total.
Picks: Clippers -8 (-110) & Under 220 Points (-112)
