Top NBA Odds, Picks & Predictions: Sunday (3/3)
The NBA's Sunday slate is here again and it's a good one. There are matchups between perennial contenders as well as some of the best teams in the league this year. Let's take a deeper dive into a few of the matchups and find some best bets.
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Sunday's NBA Best Bets
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Los Angeles Clippers at Minnesota Timberwolves
It's no secret that Minnesota has been the biggest surprise of the season. They sit in first seed position in the Western Conference led by the best defensive rating in the league. The Clippers come into town as the four-seed and a potential second-round playoff matchup. They've had one of the best offenses in the league this season but have been hit with injuries recently. It'll be quite the matchup when strength meets strength.
In the last matchup, Minnesota held the Clippers to well below their team average in field goal shooting. This is despite red-hot three-point shooting. Los Angeles shot 43.6% (17-of-39) in that game and still managed only 105 points. Minnesota has allowed a fourth-best 34.9% from the arc this season and allows 3PA at nearly a league-lowest rate. If Minnesota can run Los Angeles off of the line and force them to try and score on their rim protectors down low, they'll have a huge advantage.
Minnesota has been 22-7 SU at home this season and with the Clippers in town, the crowd should be ready and rowdy. This will be a massive test for this defense and they match up well against an undermanned Clippers team. I like them to cover this short spread in a massive home game.
Pick: Timberwolves +1.5 (-110)
Golden State Warriors at Boston Celtics
The Warriors travel to Boston to take on the Celtics in a rematch of the 2022 NBA Finals. Although less than two calendar years removed from this matchup, these two rosters have had a lot of changes. Boston is still the team to catch in the Eastern Conference, and their advanced stats have them well above their competition. Their 47-12 record also sits eight games ahead of the next-best team in the East. Golden State, meanwhile, is fighting for a Play-In Tournament spot to make another postseason.
The Warriors are quietly one of the hottest teams in the league since the end of January. They're 13-3 SU in their last 16 games and 12-4 ATS. They're snake bitten by the injury bug right now but the books are vastly underrating them against even one of the most dominant regular season teams we've seen in a few years in Boston.
Golden State has powered this recent run with a strong offensive game that includes strong offensive rebounding. They haven't been the same outstanding shooting team they've been in the past but their rebounding gives them the ability to score second-chance points. This can play against one of the areas Boston isn't as strong in. In the last matchup, which Golden State won, the Warriors won the rebounding matchup. If they do this Sunday they can win the game again, but I'm comfortable just taking the massive spread.
Pick: Warriors +11 (-110)
Detroit Pistons at Orlando Magic
It has been a season to forget in Detroit. However, they've been a much more competitive team since the trade deadline. 5-11 SU and 10-6 ATS records over the last 16 games have them looking to finish the season strong. They'll match up with a surging Orlando team that they're familiar with over the last few weeks.
These two teams have matched up twice in the last month, with Orlando winning both games but splitting 1-1 ATS as they needed some late-game heroics to win last Saturday. A much improved Detroit offense has led the way the last few weeks on this run. Cade Cunningham is coming into his own as he's led the NBA in 3P% since the All-Star break. However, they will have their hands full against this strong Orlando defense that is holding opponents to 102.5 PPG over their last six games.
As great as the Orlando defense has been this season, the offense ranks 23rd in offensive rating, only two spots ahead of Detroit. I can't trust a team that turns the ball over as much as Orlando does to win by double digits or more. This is an ugly pick to round out the Sunday card, but I'm holding my nose and taking the Pistons.
Pick: Pistons +10.5 (-110)
Make sure to check out our other best bets for Sunday: