Against The Spread: Miami Heat at Boston Celtics
This might be the most marquee game on Wednesday’s schedule, which should mean it’ll draw heavy betting action at popular online sportsbooks. Both teams are battling for the Eastern Conference’s number-one seed so a lot will be at stake for all parties involved. Among the bets offered, we’re drawn most to the Miami-Boston spread.
That’s because, on the surface, we feel it should be bigger given how the two teams are trending — in polar opposite directions. In the span of three months, the Celtics have gone from the conference's 11th seed to first. The Heat, meanwhile, finally ended a three-game losing streak that involved multiple blowout losses and a Jimmy Butler-Erik Spoelstra shouting match on the team bench.
For Boston, the coming-out part of Jayson Tatum has fueled them, especially this month. During the month of March, Tatum’s averaging 33.7 points (on 54 percent shooting). The team has lost just twice in that span, but admittedly, one defeat was the last time out versus Toronto.
Perhaps the top NBA betting sites only have this spread at three points because the C’s were just dealt bad news — big man Robert Williams is hurt and out indefinitely. Without him, Boston is without its elite rim protector that’s averaging 2.2 blocks per game (second-most in the NBA). If coach Spo is smart, which we feel is a good assumption to make given his track record, he schemes to beat the Celtics up inside where Williams usually protects. We feel it’s a winning strategy, hence why we’re taking the Heat to cover despite its recent struggles.
Over/Under 225.5 Points: Phoenix Suns at Golden State Warriors
Many bettors and pundits are penciling in Phoenix and Golden State as the 2022 Western Conference Finals matchup. While we’d agree and could call this a Western title preview, we’re also aware Steph Curry is absent, which lessens the allure of Wednesday’s matchup. Speaking of Curry, him being out with an injury has a huge influence on the Suns-Warriors over/under as you’d expect — and probably negatively so.
Golden State has struggled without its franchise player. They are 1-5 since Curry’s injury and its offense has been up-and-down in that span. The team is also playing with a recovering Draymond Green. He’s back from a two-month injury of his own but is slowly nursing himself back to 100 percent.
While taking the Suns as seven-point favorites were tantalizing, we’re instead favoring the games under. We just don’t see the Warriors scoring much Wednesday — not against a Phoenix team that ranks number one in team defensive efficiency and has won seven in a row on the road. Hammer the under here!
Against The Spread: Sacramento Kings at Houston Rockets
This game is almost a pick ‘em, however, the Kings are marginal one-point favorites. The teams will square off in Houston two straight times — just like they did early in the season, only in Sacramento. The Kings won the first matchup by 12 but the Rockets came back to win by six in the follow-up.
What jumps out most about this matchup is how much talent WON'T be suiting up. The likes of De’Aaron Fox, Eric Gordon, Domantas Sabonis, Dennis Shroder, and Christian Wood are all out. While Sacramento has clear-cut injuries, to us, it feels like Houston is shutting down players in the hopes of “tanking” and improving its NBA Draft positing. That’s the smart decision on their part given how bad this roster is, but as a bettor, you need to fade that. Fade them hard, in fact.
And you know who’s not tanking? The Kings’ Davion Mitchell. He’s averaging 24 points and almost nine rebounds each of the previous four games. Mitchell will likely be the game’s best player and we see him carrying Sacramento to a win on Wednesday.
Over/Under 231 Points: Memphis Grizzlies at San Antonio Spurs
No Ja Morant, no problem? It sure seems that way for Memphis. Without its best player (and an MVP candidate), the Grizzlies have continued winning AND scoring. The team has gone off for at least 120 points in each of the past five games, none of which featured Morant. Backups like Tyus Jones and Desmond Bane have picked up the slack so far. That leads us to believe another high-scoring game is on tap, which would point at over 231 points scored between the Spurs and Grizzlies.
How To Bet On NBA Today
While we love the four NBA bets mentioned above the most, you're certainly not limited to just those. If you want to take a crack at other games and wagers, look into the top-rated betting sites listed below. They’ll have every bet on NBA today — and the remainder of the season for that matter (including the NBA Finals). Click around the table below to see for yourself!
