Kyrie Irving of Brooklyn Nets
Tonight, we have a four-game slate featuring the Brooklyn Nets, the Memphis Grizzlies, and the Phoenix Suns.
We will focus on the Brooklyn Nets matchup against the Orlando Magic for our Same Game Parlay of the Night, as I expect Kyrie Irving to have a huge night. Let's dive in.
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Best Bets of The Night
Please Note: All odds are accurate as of 3:00 PM EST. according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
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Game 1: Phoenix Suns at New Orleans Pelicans (+4.5)
This is going to be a fun game to watch. The Suns have Devin Booker back after his bout with COVID-19. In addition, Jae Crowder has been playing more consistently as of late. Finally, Cameron Payne has done an excellent job of covering for Chris Paul while his thumb continues to heal. The Suns should absolutely destroy the New Orleans Pelicans on the road. They’ve proven throughout the season, and especially now without CP3 how in sync they are as a team, meaning that anyone could be on the floor for them and they’ll still probably win. CJ McCollum has played pretty well for New Orleans since arriving down there, but ultimately the 28-40 Pelicans are a losing team in the West whose postseason aspirations are in the rear-view mirror. Phoenix should win by five or more points comfortably tonight.
The Pick: Phoenix Suns -4.5 (-110)
Game 2: Memphis Grizzlies at Indiana Pacers (+7.5)
It’s no surprise that the Memphis Grizzlies are the clear favorites in tonight’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers. The Grizzlies should win this game comfortably but I wouldn't expect a blowout. I’m more interested in looking at the point total for this contest. This should be a high-scoring game, but not as high as the sportsbooks expect. While Memphis is the fourth highest-scoring team in the league (114.4 PPG), Indiana hovers around the league average with 110.7 PPG. For the Over to be reached tonight, at least nine more points would need to be scored than the averages produced by these two teams combined. I also think this could be a game with competitive defense. The matchup between Ja Morant and Tyrese Haliburton should be highly contested, which could impact the scoring averages of both players.
The Pick: Under 234.5 Total Points
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Same Game Parlay of The Night
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Game: Brooklyn Nets at Orlando Magic (+10.5)
Leg 1: Kyrie Irving Over 25.5 Points (-102)
Kyrie has scored bigger numbers as of late than he did when his 2021-2022 season began. Here is what he's produced over his last four games respectively: 38 points, 19 points, 50 points, and 22 points. According to these numbers and his current scoring average of 25.9 PPG on 47.6% shooting from the field this season, Kyrie is due to have a 30+ point scoring performance tonight in Orlando.
Leg 2: Franz Wagner Over 4.5 Rebounds (+102)
Franz Wagner has been a focal piece of Orlando’s lineup this season. As a rookie, Wagner has been very consistent this season. The 6’10" German has averaged 31.7 minutes per contest this season, producing 15.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. Brooklyn is ranked 13th among all NBA teams in FG attempts taken per game (88.5 FGA per game), which will give Wagner plenty of opportunities to grab at least five boards off the glass tonight.
Leg 3: Wendell Carter Jr Over 2.5 Assists (-130)
This is a prop I have taken before and one which has hit. I like taking bigs to produce over 2.5 assists. I took Joel Embiid last night on over 2.5 assists which he hit. Wendel Carter Jr. is averaging a 14.6-point and 10.4-rebound double-double this season. He’s still producing 2.7 assists per game. He’s also dished at least five assists in three of his last five games. Carter Jr. is a pretty efficient passer as a big man. He should produce at least three dimes in approximately 30 minutes of playing time at home against the Nets tonight.
Leg 4: Kyrie Irving Over 4.5 Rebounds (-108)
Kyrie Irving is averaging 36.2 MPG and has produced 4.6 rebounds per contest this season. This prop is really a coin flip but since Kyrie hasn’t had more than five rebounds in a few of his recent contests, I’m expecting a return to the mean against some undersized guards in Orland tonight.
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Cameron Johnson of the Phoenix Suns
Welcome to another edition of NBA Best Bets!
Jaylen Brown sprained his ankle in the first few minutes of last night's game, ruining yesterday's SGP. Tonight, we will shift our focus to mostly Western Conference matchups, and specifically, the second game of ESPN's Wednesday night NBA coverage, featuring the Portland Trail Blazers and the Phoenix Suns.
Best Bets Of The Night
Game 1: Oklahoma City Thunder at Denver Nuggets -14.5
While the Nuggets should win this game comfortably, they would need to win by 15+ points to cover the spread. This is a very high point spread, meaning that if OKC loses by 14 points, the Thunder would still cover. It seems like a value bet for tonight’s slate of games. The Nuggets win by 10, but you bet on OKC to cover the spread for -110 odds and seal the deal.
Bet: Oklahoma City Thunder +14.5 (-110)
Game 2: Portland Trail Blazers at Phoenix Suns
This is the risky bet of the night but I’m going to take it. The Portland Trail Blazers are a team that frequently pulls off upsets. Despite the absence of Damian Lillard and now CJ McCollum, the Blazers have been able to maintain a decent record this season. While Phoenix should win this game, the +480 odds are pretty nice for a 25-36 team, especially since the Suns have lost their last two games in a row following the injury of superstar point guard Chris Paul. Even though the Suns can afford to lose a handful of games, they have lost the last two after winning eight straight. Portland has also lost their last two contests, but the odds for this game make it the worthwhile yet risky bet of the night.
Bet: Portland Trail Blazers ML +480
Same Game Parlay Of The Night
We're going back to a three-leg Same Game Parlay for tonight's player props for Portland at Phoenix. Without CP3 in the Suns' rotation, Cameron Johnson and Mikal Bridges are seeing an increased role. Let's dive in.
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Game: Portland Trail Blazers at Phoenix Suns
Leg 1: Josh Hart Over 16.5 Points
Josh Hart was one of the main acquisitions made by Portland in exchange for McCollum. He was immediately thrown into the Blazers' rotation upon arrival and has looked really good in red and black. In his first five games for Portland, Hart has played at least 27 minutes in each contest. He scored 23, 27, 22, 12, and 11 points in each of his first five games for the Blazers respectively. What really stands out about Hart though is his conversion rate from the field (54 FG%) and his scoring (19.0 PPG). He’s a very efficient shooter who the Blazers are making good use of. His Over/Under for points tonight is fairly low because of his last two games. Josh Hart bounces back and scores 20+ tonight against the Suns.
Leg 2: Mikal Bridges Over 4.5 Rebounds
Bridges is an important part of the Suns' frontcourt and really has branded himself as a complete player, able to defend and score. He’ll be going up against his fellow Villanova teammate, Josh Hart, who might even be his main matchup. Bridges is averaging 4.4 rebounds per game but has recorded 5+ rebounds in four of his last five contests. He’s playing an impressive 34.9 minutes per game this season and has even seen somewhat of an uptick in minutes since CP3 was sidelined. He’s played 38 minutes or more in three of the last four games. As a result, he has a better chance to surpass his season average of 4.4 rebounds per game and will record at least five tonight. He is more physical and a more gifted athlete than Hart and Justise Winslow, his two most likely primary defenders tonight.
Leg 3: Cameron Johnson Over 17.5 Points
Cameron Johnson’s role on the Suns was immediately increased once Chris Paul went out, paving the way for the third-year man out of UNC to step up in the Suns' rotation. Over the last four games, Johnson has played at least 29 minutes and scored a minimum of 14 points in each contest. This includes 21 points (7-12 FG) on Feb. 24 and 23 points (7-11 FG) on Feb. 27. He’s shooting a very respectable 46.5% from the field (43.2% from beyond the arc) and is playing closer to 30+ MPG with CP3 out as opposed to his season average of 26.3 MPG. Cameron Johnson at 6’8" should have a size advantage as well on whoever is guarding him against the three-point line tonight.
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The Lakers looked lost in the Valley
The Phoenix Suns are just a win away from sending LeBron James home in the first round of the playoffs for the first time in the King's illustrious career.
After stating that "These shoulders were built for a reason," James referring to facing the challenge of taking on added responsibilities after Anthony Davis was ruled out for Game 5, the Lakers and LeBron disappointed in a big way Tuesday night. L.A. started off hot jumping out to a 10-5 lead behind a couple shots from James and a three from Davis' replacement Markieff Morris. But it didn't take long for the wheels to completely fall off for the defending champion Lakers as they spent most of the first half trying to remember how basketball works.
LeBron looking on during Game 5Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Two numbers stick out in the Game 5 loss for the Lakers and those are 34.5 and 12. Los Angeles shot 34.5% from the field on Tuesday night and were minus 12 in turnover ratio. No matter who's on your team, if you can't shoot and you can't protect the ball, the outcome is already determined.
The Suns weren't simply beneficiaries of a poor performance however as the Suns put it on the Lakers early and often and they never let their foot off the pedal for 48 minutes. Phoenix ended with 15 more assists, had seven more combined steals and blocks, and outscored L.A. in the paint by 12 points. Devin Booker and Cameron Payne were spectacular and they seemed to hit big shots every time the Lakers appeared to threaten a comeback. Mikal Bridges was effective on both sides of the ball adding three steals and two blocks to help electrify his team with the defensive effort.
