We're 7-2 with our last three days of NBA best bets, and we'll now look to stay hot on a night that features a nine-game slate. The only televised game on the schedule has the Memphis Grizzlies hosting the Golden State Warriors, but we're avoiding that one with so many key players out. With that, keep reading to find out what we're targeting.
1. Chicago Bulls at New York Knicks - 7:30 p.m. ET
New York is 1-8 against the spread in the second half of the season when playing at home, and Chicago is 28-17 against the spread when playing as a favorite this season. The Knicks are also just 2-13 against the spread when playing at home against teams with winning records, and they have lost those games by an average of 7.9 points per game. Despite having a crowd that really gets into games, home-court advantage just hasn't been there for New York this year. The Knicks are now going to have to face a Bulls team that is just a lot more talented than they are, so it's hard to see how New York will be able to overcome that. RJ Barrett has played some great basketball for the Knicks this season, but he isn't as good as DeMar DeRozan or Zach LaVine. So, the Bulls are going to have an edge on the wing. Also, Alex Caruso will be out there to defend Immanuel Quickley, if the youngster starts getting hot for New York. And even on the inside, Nikola Vucevic should be able to outplay Julius Randle.
THE PICK: Bulls -3
2. Boston Celtics at Toronto Raptors - 7:30 p.m. ET
The Celtics were dealt a blow on Monday when they found out that Robert Williams III has a torn meniscus. The center is a huge part of the reason that Boston is the best team in the league on the defensive end, and he's also a key player at one of the few positions of weakness for Toronto. With that in mind, the Raptors really should end up winning this game. They match up extremely well all over the place, as they are one of the few teams in the league that has wings good enough to hold their own against Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Toronto is also 13-5 against the spread when playing teams with winning records in the second half of the season, and the Raptors have won those games by an average of 5.7 points per game. The team is also 26-13 against the spread when facing teams with winning records this year, in general.
THE PICK: Raptors -4.5
3. Oklahoma City Thunder at Portland Trail Blazers - 10:00 p.m. ET
The Thunder are one of the best teams in the league when it comes to covering the spread, but the Blazers are in a good position to win tonight's game. Since 1996, Portland is 41-23 against the spread when coming off back-to-back losses to an opponent, with the Blazers winning those games by an average of 6.0 points per game. Oklahoma City also happens to be playing its second road game in a row, so the young team is dealing with some difficult circumstances entering this one. The Blazers also catch a Thunder team that is without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kenrich Williams and Darius Bazley tonight, in addition to the team being without Lu Dort for the rest of the season. This team is just really low on talent at the moment, so the Thunder are going to be relying way too heavily on rookie Tre Mann in this spot.
THE PICK: Blazers +2
