Wednesday’s nine-game NBA slate has exciting matchups across the board. Now that college basketball is over, the pro game has the sport’s attention all to itself for the remainder of the season. ESPN has the national-TV doubleheader, featuring the New Orleans Pelicans at Brooklyn Nets & Utah Jazz at Phoenix Suns.
I had a perfect 4-0 Tuesday night to bring my season-long record to 85-49-2 ATS (63.4%). Here are four more free NBA picks to get things going in the right direction for the second half of the week.
Table of contents
- Washington Wizards (-3) at Orlando Magic – Total: 222.5
- Memphis Grizzlies at Atlanta Hawks (-2) – Total: 225
- San Antonio Spurs at Denver Nuggets (-7.5) – Total: 222.5
- Utah Jazz (-2) at Phoenix Suns – Total: 225.5
Washington Wizards (-3) at Orlando Magic – Total: 222.5
WSH: normal rest
ORL: 2 days rest
I actually picked the Magic recently to cover on the road against the Clippers. Now that they’re home against the Wizards, with loads of trends in their favor, I have no problem going back to these guys. Orlando may have unloaded a ton of talent at the trade deadline, but it still owns a 6-1 ATS record over the last seven games. At the end of the day, all it takes is a bad night from Russell Westbrook for things to go off the rails for Washington. I’m really impressed with the Magic of late and believe they can probably even win this game outright.
Some other great numbers to know: Orlando is 6-1-1 ATS vs Southeast Division opponents while Washington is only 2-6 ATS. In addition, the Magic are 6-2 ATS on extended rest (2+ days) and have beaten the Wizards in six straight meetings.
Betting Pick: Magic (+3)
Memphis Grizzlies at Atlanta Hawks (-2) – Total: 225
MEM: back-end b2b (@MIA yesterday), 3 games in 4 days (all on road), 4 in 6
ATL: back-end b2b (vs NOR yesterday), 3 games in 4 days (all at home), 4 in 6, 5 in 7
This could wind up being a competitive game, but it is asking a lot of the Grizzlies. After all, they are playing their second game in as many nights and it is their third road game in four nights. It won’t be easy for the Hawks either, as they’re playing a B2B in addition to a string of five games in seven days. The caveat here, though, is that Atlanta has been home for the last few days. Not to mention, the Hawks are 7-0 SU/ATS in their last seven home games.
Betting Pick: Hawks (-2)
San Antonio Spurs at Denver Nuggets (-7.5) – Total: 222.5
SA: normal rest
DEN: back-end b2b (vs DET yesterday), 3 games in 4 days (all at home)
I actually bought this up to +9.5 for the Spurs- the jump from +8.5 to there wasn’t much, so I just took it ran. Nevertheless, tonight will be the second game in as many nights for the Nuggets, and their third in four nights. Not to mention, they did struggle at times against lesser teams like the Magic and Pistons. I know Denver is an amazing team, I just feel like these are a lot of points to cover on the back-end of a B2B.
It’s also worth noting the Spurs 13-6 ATS on the road and 8-3 ATS as a road underdog. Meanwhile, the Nuggets are 11-14 ATS at home and 9-11 ATS as a home favorite.
Betting Pick: Spurs (+7.5)
Utah Jazz (-2) at Phoenix Suns – Total: 225.5
UTA: 4 games in 6 days, front-end b2b (vs POR tomorrow)
PHX: normal rest, front-end b2b (@LAC tomorrow)
And now, for tonight’s main event! If things keep on this course, this matchup between the Jazz and Suns could be a Western Conference Finals preview. Luckily, the game will be available for the world to see on ESPN. But I do favor the Suns here, considering they have been great in almost every scenario. This particular scenario matters tonight, as the Suns are a whopping 19-7 ATS at home and 6-2 ATS as the underdog. In the only meeting between the teams this season, Phoenix (as a four-point underdog) beat Utah outright by 11.
Betting Pick: Suns (+2)
Supercharge your bets tonight! View the best NBA betting sites in our expert guide with some offering up to $1000 in free bets.
