NBA Picks Of The Night
By Angelo Montilla
First place in the Western Conference is within reach for the San Antonio Spurs, who will be tested on Saturday when they face the Memphis Grizzlies on the road. In other action, the Golden State Warriors will take on the surging Milwaukee Bucks on home court.
Here are a few NBA betting options to consider, with odds courtesy of BetOnline.
San Antonio Spurs (-160) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (+150)
The Memphis Grizzlies are riding a three-game win streak and will look to make it four straight on Saturday night when they host the visiting San Antonio Spurs at the FedExForum.
The Spurs, who’ve won eight of their last 10 games, enter action on Saturday night as -160 favorites on the road where the club owns an incredible 27-8 record this season. It’s a crucial match for San Antonio, which sits 1.5 games behind the Western Conference-leading Golden State Warriors. The Grizzlies — comfortably in a playoff position — are intriguing +150 underdogs on home court.
This will be a match of two strong defensive clubs as the Spurs allow a second-best 98.5 points per game. In comparison, the Grizzlies are allowing on average 100.4 points per game — good for fourth overall in the NBA.
The head-to-head matchup hasn’t been much of a contest overall, as the Spurs own a 9-1 record against the Grizzlies over the last 10 meetings.
The total points projection for Saturday night’s game is set at 197.5 and while it seems enticing to take the over, expect a low-scoring affair with the Spurs stealing the road victory.
Pick: San Antonio Spurs (-160) and the Under (197.5)
Golden State Warriors (-800) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (+600)
The Western Conference-leading Golden State Warriors have only lost four games on home court all season long and they’ll intend to keep it that way on Saturday when they take on the visiting Milwaukee Bucks at Oracle Arena.
With a 28-4 record at home this season, the Warriors enter action on Saturday as commanding -800 favorites. The Bucks, who have won back-to-back games and continue to battle for their playoff lives in the Eastern Conference, head to the Bay Area as +600 underdogs.
The Bucks can expect to defend against the long ball on Saturday as the Warriors sit third overall in three-point percentage — shooting .380 from beyond the arc. Not surprisingly, that puts the Warriors first in points as the 2015 NBA champions are averaging 116.2 per game.
In the head-to-head matchup over the last 10 meetings, the Warriors hold a slight advantage with a 6-4 record against the Bucks during that stretch.
If you’re considering an over/under wager, BetOnline has set the total points projection at 215.5 — a mark these two high-scoring clubs should surpass.
Pick: Golden State Warriors (-800) and the Over (215.5)
Houston Rockets (-140) vs. Denver Nuggets (+120)
One of the hottest teams in basketball — the Denver Nuggets — will seek a fifth consecutive victory when they take on the visiting Houston Rockets at the Pepsi Center.
Houston remains third in the Western Conference and are the -140 favorites entering action on Saturday. The Nuggets, who are battling for their playoff lives, have won four straight and seven of their last 10 games. The Nuggets are enticing +120 underdogs on home court, where the team has found most of their success this season.
When mentioning potential MVP candidates, Rockets guard James Harden surly comes to mind. Harden sits third in league scoring with 29.1 points per game and first in assists with an average of 11.2. Houston is second only behind the Golden State Warriors in points per game (115) this season. The Nuggets are third at 111.2.
The head-to-head history has tilted in favor of the Rockets over the last 10 games as they’ve defeated the Nuggets six times while averaging 112 points per game during that span.
As good as these two clubs are offensively, the total points projection of 239.5 is far too high to take the over.
Pick: Houston Rockets (-140) and the Under (239.5)
