On Friday, the NBA Three at 3 went 2-0-1 in what was a great night of basketball. Now, we'll look to provide you with a few more winners on a Tuesday slate that includes the Indiana Pacers facing the Miami Heat and the Phoenix Suns taking on the Los Angeles Lakers in a TNT doubleheader:
1. Pacers at Heat - The Heat are going to be without Bam Adebayo for another month or so. That's going to make it very hard for Miami to deal with the size that Indiana has on the inside. The Pacers have a two-big combination of Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner. That doesn't exactly work against most teams, but it could pose a problem for a depleted Heat frontcourt. Miami also has a number of different players dealing with some small injuries, so guys like Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro will either be banged up or miss this one. The road team is 4-1 both straight-up and against the spread in the last five games in this series, so that's something else to consider here. It's also worth noting that Indiana is 6-1-1 against the spread when coming off a home no-cover in a game that the team won as a favorite.
THE PICK: Pacers -2
2. Blazers at Pelicans - The Blazers are just 2-11 straight-up and 3-10 against the spread when playing on the road this season, and they now have to try to win with Damian Lillard dealing with a bad hamstring — he's questionable in this game — and CJ McCollum out indefinitely with a punctured lung. The Pelicans might not have Zion Williamson this year, but there's still some talent left on this roster. Brandon Ingram and Jonas Valanciunas are capable of going out there and winning games, and this New Orleans team has been more competitive as of late. The Pelicans come into this one after having won three of their last four and seven of their last 12. New Orleans should be able to keep it rolling here. The Pelicans have a decent enough backcourt to hang with a banged-up Lillard for 48 minutes, with Devonte' Graham's explosiveness from the three-point line potentially being something to watch there.
THE PICK: Pelicans -1
3. Suns at Lakers - The Lakers are 20-36 against the spread in home games over the last two seasons, and Los Angeles comes into this game after having lost two games in a row. This Lakers team isn't nearly as good as the one the historic franchise has fielded in recent seasons, and they'll also be without Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, Malik Monk and Avery Bradley in this game. With Davis out, the Suns should feast around the basket with both Deandre Ayton and JaVale McGee. Phoenix also has a massive advantage in the backcourt, where Chris Paul and Devin Booker should be able to do a lot of damage all over the floor. LeBron James will obviously try to lead the Lakers on some type of push in this game, but Mikal Bridges is one of the best perimeter defenders in basketball. He'll be keeping a close eye on James, and should be able to meet him with resistance quite often in this one. Overall, this looks like a game that Phoenix should win easily, but perhaps these games will get closer once Davis gets back.
THE PICK: Suns -6.5
