There are just four games on the National Basketball Association (NBA) scheduled for Saturday, with one tip at 3:30 p.m. ET between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers. We won’t focus on that game, but we’ll offer picks for the three games on the evening slate. The three late-window games figure to be rather lopsided.
Let’s get started with today’s best NBA bets.
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Saturday’s Best NBA Bets
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All wagers are for 1 unit
Detroit Pistons (+295) at Brooklyn Nets (-370) | O/U 215 (-110/-110)
The Pistons (13-64) make the third stop on a four-game road trip against the Nets (30-47) at Barclays Center at 7 p.m. ET. This will be the fourth and final meeting between these two sides. Brooklyn won the first two battles while splitting against the spread (ATS). Detroit won 118-112 at home on March 7, cashing as a 2.5-point underdog as the Over (215) connected.
Detroit has dropped three in a row while failing to cover in two of those games. However, the Pistons are a decent 3-2 ATS in the past five games, while the Over has cashed in two of the previous three outings.
Brooklyn picked up a 115-111 win as a 7-point underdog last time out against the Indiana Pacers in the second end of a home-and-home series. Brooklyn is a respectable 4-2 straight up (SU) in the past six games, but it is just 2-3 ATS in the past five and 4-8 ATS in the past 12 outings.
As far as the total is concerned, the Over is 3-2 in the past five for the Nets, while the Over has hit in two of the past three outings. Most importantly, the total has gone high in all three meetings this season, and eight in a row in the series. Back the Pistons catching the big points and going high on the total.
Bets: Pistons +9 (-114) & Over 229 Total Points (-110)
Philadelphia 76ers (-1150) at Memphis Grizzlies (+730) | O/U 210 (-110/-110)
The 76ers (42-35) welcomed Joel Embiid back on Tuesday against Oklahoma City, and Philly has since racked up two 109-105 wins over OKC and the Miami Heat. After missing two calendar months of action, Embiid is back, and suddenly Philadelphia is looking championship caliber again.
The Grizzlies (27-50) won the most recent meeting on March 6 in Philadelphia, 115-109, cashing as a 4-point underdog as the Over (214) hit. However, again, that was without Embiid. The Sixers, naturally, look like a completely different team with him in the middle.
Philly has won three in a row while covering five straight, and it is 7-1 ATS in the past eight outings. The Over has split in Embiid’s two games back, while the Over is 4-1 in the past five.
For Memphis, it has won three in a row. While two of those games are against the lowly Pistons, they also scored a 111-101 win in Milwaukee as a 12-point underdog on Wednesday. The total has gone low in three of the past four games for the Grizz, so we’ll avoid the total, and just focus on backing Memphis with the big points on their home floor.
Bet: Grizzlies +13 (-108)
Atlanta Hawks (+530) at Denver Nuggets (-750) | O/U 221 (-110/-110)
The Hawks (36-41) and Nuggets (53-24) hook up in the Mile High City for the final game of Saturday’s slate.
Atlanta was dumped 109-95 in Dallas on Thursday, although it is still a respectable 6-2 SU in the past eight games while going 5-3 ATS. The Under has cashed in two of the past three for the Hawks, but Atlanta has hit the Over at an 8-2 clip across the previous 10 outings.
The defending champion Nuggets were tripped up 102-100 by the Clippers in Los Angeles on Thursday, failing to cover as a 3.5-point favorite. That’s a game Kawhi Leonard didn’t play, yet the Nuggs still couldn’t get the job done. Of course, Denver is working without Jamal Murray these days, too.
Denver has a losing record in the past five games, going 2-3 SU and 1-4 ATS, while the Under is on a 4-1 run. We’ll avoid playing the total, but backing Atlanta catching double-digit points is a solid play.
Bet: Hawks +12 (-110)
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Cameron Lynch is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Cameron, check out his archive and follow him @captron26.
