Tonight's NBA slate is headlined by the Chicago Bulls hosting the Milwaukee Bucks and the New York Knicks facing the Phoenix Suns in an ESPN doubleheader. However, there's a ton of games on the board and you're going to want to read our best bets for tonight. We're 4-2 with our last six picks and like what we see this evening.
1. Indiana Pacers at Detroit Pistons - 7:00 p.m. ET
The Pacers are 19-34 against the spread in the second half of the season over the last two seasons, and the team is also 10-22 against the spread when coming off back-to-back road games in that same span. Meanwhile, the Pistons are 4-2 straight-up and 6-0 against the spread in their last six games. This team is really playing some good basketball right now, and there's no reason to believe that Detroit can't continue to beat up on some of the weaker teams in the league for the remainder of the season. With Cade Cunningham, Saddiq Bey, Jerami Grant and a rotation of reliable role players, the talent is definitely there for the Pistons. Just keep an eye on Cunningham's status in this one. He's listed as questionable and this is probably one that you'll want to avoid if he ends up sitting out. If he's out there, you should feel comfortable taking Detroit no matter what the line moves to.
THE PICK: Pistons +3.5
2. Cleveland Cavaliers at Philadelphia 76ers - 7:00 p.m. ET
The Sixers have looked awesome since acquiring James Harden from the Brooklyn Nets, but this line seems a little disrespectful to the Cavaliers. Even with Caris LeVert missing, this Cavaliers team has what it takes to keep this game close. One of the reasons for that is the frontcourt duo of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. Not many teams have what it takes to stop Joel Embiid — and Cleveland likely won't be able to do that either — but it helps having two guys with length to at least have their arms up when he's trying to score around the basket. The Cavaliers also have Isaac Okoro to stick on Harden. Okoro is a relentless perimeter defender and should make Harden work really hard in this one. Meanwhile, Darius Garland's offensive ability should pop in this game, even if he does have to deal with Tyrese Maxey. Cleveland is 18-8 against the spread against winning teams this season and it's just hard to believe the Cavaliers will lose big here.
THE PICK: Cavaliers +7.5
3. Milwaukee Bucks at Chicago Bulls - 7:30 p.m. ET
Home underdogs that are coming off a game in which they went Over the total by 18 or more points in their previous game are oddly 14-47 against the spread on Friday nights over the last five seasons. And while that trend might seem a bit strange, it's held up with those teams being 1-9 against the spread this season. The Bulls also happen to be 12-23 against the spread when playing at home against teams with winning records over the last two seasons. Chicago is also catching Milwaukee at a pretty bad time, as the Bulls are 0-3 both straight-up and against the spread over their last three games. Nikola Vucevic should really play well in this game for the Bulls, but don't be surprised if this is one where the rest of the guys struggle a bit. While the Bucks are weak on the interior without Brook Lopez, they're strong everywhere else. Giannis Antetokounmpo should be able to dominate this game on both ends, and Jrue Holiday might ultimately spend some time on DeMar DeRozan. That'll be a fun matchup to watch.
THE PICK: Bucks -4.5
