Tonight's loaded NBA slate features the Memphis Grizzlies facing the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers looking to get back on track in a meeting with the Los Angeles Clippers. We're attacking one of those two games while trying to put together back-to-back profitable nights.
1. Memphis Grizzlies at Boston Celtics - 7:30 p.m. ET
The Celtics are 16-6 against the spread when coming off a game in which the teams combined to score 205 or fewer points. The average score in those games saw Boston winning by an average of 11.2 points per game. The Celtics will be missing Jaylen Brown in this game, but the team is still talented enough to beat the Grizzlies at home without him. This Boston defense can be suffocating, as evidenced by the way the team shut the Atlanta Hawks down last game. Look for Derrick White to do a decent job on Ja Morant in this one, and then you can count on Jayson Tatum turning in a good enough performance to carry the Celtics across the finish line on the other end of the floor. For what it's worth, Boston is 8-1 against the spread when facing teams that outrebound opponents by 3.0 or more rebounds per game this season.
THE PICK: Celtics +3
2. Miami Heat at Brooklyn Nets - 7:30 p.m. ET
The Nets won't have Kyrie Irving in this home game against the Heat, but Kevin Durant is set to make his return in this one. That changes absolutely everything for Brooklyn, even in a matchup with one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. The fans should be extremely fired up to see Durant back out there, and the atmosphere should really lift the rest of the Nets role players. Also, over the last three seasons, Brooklyn is 59-41 against the spread when facing teams that make at least 36.0% of their threes. The Heat are also playing on the second night of a road back-to-back, which is never easy in this league. It's even tougher when you consider that last night's game was a hard-fought battle with the Milwaukee Bucks.
THE PICK: Nets +3
3. Golden State Warriors at Dallas Mavericks - 8:30 p.m. ET
The Mavericks beat the Warriors on February 27 and they're also coming off of a solid win over the Los Angeles Lakers two nights ago. This Dallas team has been one of the best in the league after a slow start to the year, and a lot of that has to do with Luka Doncic taking his game to another level. No matter who is playing with him, Doncic is capable of making his offense a nightmare to play against. Meanwhile, Dallas is also fifth in the league in defensive rating now, which is part of the reason the Mavericks are now legitimate threats in the Western Conference. Overall, that's not a good thing for a Warriors team that is playing horribly at the moment. Golden State really misses Draymond Green and that will be even more evident in this game against Doncic. Dallas is also 20-8 against the spread when coming off a road game this year. The team should perform at a high level in front of a juiced-up crowd.
THE PICK: Mavericks +2.5
