NBA Odds, Picks & Predictions: Thursday (3/27)
The National Basketball Association (NBA) has eight games scheduled for Thursday evening, with three games going off at 7:00 p.m. ET, including a nationally televised game on NBA TV between the Dallas Mavericks and Orlando Magic. The night wraps up with the Portland Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings tangling at Golden 1 Center at 10:00 p.m. ET.
We ended up going 4-0 against the spread (ATS) last Thursday. Let’s keep things rolling with some more winning picks for Thursday, March 27.
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Thursday’s Best NBA Picks
NBA odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All picks are for 1 unit
Indiana Pacers (-520) at Washington Wizards (+400) | O/U 235.5 (-110/-110)
The Pacers (42-30) hit the road to battle the Wizards (16-56) at Capital One Arena with a tip-off time of 7:00 p.m. ET.
With 10 games to play in the regular season, Indiana is currently occupying the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference standings, which would mean home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. It is 1.5 games clear of the Detroit Pistons, with a game in hand, while leading the Milwaukee Bucks by two games.
Indiana lost a heartbreaker on Wednesday to the Los Angeles Lakers, 120-119, halting a five-game win streak. It is still just 1-4 against the spread (ATS) in the past five outings while going 2-10 ATS in the previous 12 games dating back to March 6th. The under is 3-1 in the past four games for the Pacers, too.
The Pacers have won both of the previous meetings with the Wizards this season, although the most recent victory was 134-130 in overtime at Capital One Arena, with Washington covering as a 10-point underdog as the over (242.5) easily cashed. The Pacers won 115-103 in Indianapolis on November 24th, pushing as a 12-point favorite at most shops as the under (240) connected.
Washington gained a little confidence with a 119-114 victory in Philadelphia as a three-point underdog as the over (229) cashed, a game I bet rather heavily. The over is now 3-1-1 in the past five games for the Wizards while going 5-2-1 across the previous eight outings.
However, the Wizards have cashed the under at a 3-0-1 clip in the past four games when playing on no rest. The under is also 3-1 in the past four games for Indiana when playing on no rest, too, so that’s the way we’ll lean on Thursday.
As far as the line, let’s take the Wizards with the points, as they’re 6-3 ATS in the past nine games as a double-digit underdog.
Picks: Washington Wizards +11 (-110) & Under 235.5 Points (-110)
Memphis Grizzlies (+610) at Oklahoma City Thunder (-900) | O/U 224.5 (-110/-110)
The Grizzlies (44-28) and the Thunder (60-13) square off at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Memphis will have to play without Ja Morant for a sixth consecutive game, as he continues to recover from a strained left hamstring. With Morant on the shelf, Luke Kennard and Scotty Pippen Jr. have been working to fill the void, with Pippen drawing the start in the past two outings.
For Oklahoma City, it has a handful of depth players sidelined. Ousmane Dieng is out with a calf ailment, Alex Ducas is out with a quadriceps injury, and Aaron Wiggins will be in street clothes, as he is hampered by an Achilles strain. Cason Wallace and Jalen Williams each carry questionable tags due to various lower-body ailments, too, but the core of the team remains healthy and ready to go.
The banged-up Grizzlies belted the Utah Jazz 140-103 in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, cashing as an 11.5-point favorite as the over (240.5) cashed. However, the Grizzlies are just 1-3 ATS in the past four games, while going 3-15-1 ATS in the previous 19 contests. The over is 3-1 in the past four games, but the under is 7-4 across the previous 11 outings.
As far as the Thunder is concerned, they’ve won seven in a row and 14 of the past 15 outings. Oklahoma City has covered in seven straight and 10 of the past 11, including going 4-1 ATS in the past five games as a double-double favorite. The over has cashed in 10 straight games for the Thunder when it is favored by 8.5+ points.
Oklahoma City has won eight straight meetings in this series, including a 3-0 straight up (SU)/ATS mark in three meetings this series. The under is 2-0-1 in those games. Oklahoma City is 7-1 ATS in the past eight in the series, while the under is 8-1-1 in 10 meetings since November 18th, 2022.
We’ll go against the series trends, playing the over, based on recent trends for Memphis. Oklahoma City’s overwhelming trends are to the over in games when favored by 8.5+ points. With the Grizzlies banged up and Morant still on the shelf, let’s back the Thunder to grab the cover.
Picks: Oklahoma City Thunder -10 (-110) & Over 237.5 Points (-110)