On Wednesday, there's an NBA TV doubleheader that features the Atlanta Hawks hosting the Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Clippers facing the Sacramento Kings. With our best bets being 4-1-1 against the spread over the last two nights of picks, keep reading as we try to dish out some more winners:
1. Magic at Hawks - The Magic have lost a ton of crucial rotation players coming into this one, and they're likely looking at a starting lineup that includes Gary Harris, Mychal Mulder, Franz Wagner, Chuma Okeke and Robin Lopez tonight. That's not a pretty lineup to look at, but it is worth noting that Harris, Wagner and Okeke are all very reliable defenders. And even Lopez, who is a bit slow on his feet, is a capable defender in the post. With that in mind, Orlando is a better defensive team with this cast of peculiar players than it is with some of its best guys in the lineup. Also, the Hawks are going to be without Trae Young and Clint Capela in this game, which means that Atlanta is without its best offensive player and also the anchor of its defense. With all of that in mind, you should expect a somewhat low-scoring game tonight. That makes this too many points to give to a Magic team that is coming off of a road win over the Brooklyn Nets.
THE PICK: Magic +7.5
2. Cavaliers at Celtics - Like most teams in the league, the Cavaliers are going to be missing a lot of players tonight. The two most important ones are Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, who have combined to be one of the best frontcourts in basketball this season. Cleveland is also going to be without Isaac Okoro, who is playing some of the best basketball of his career lately. The Cavaliers do, however, still have Darius Garland and Ricky Rubio in the backcourt, and those two should be able to outplay Dennis Schroder and Marcus Smart significantly. And while Cleveland teams of the past might not have been able to perform at high levels while dealing with so many injuries, this Cavaliers team has seemingly undergone a serious culture change. Cleveland is also 12-3 against the spread when facing teams that give up 108.0 or fewer points per game this season. The Cavs are also 23-6 against the spread in all games this season and they now face a Celtics team that has completely underperformed this year.
THE PICK: Cavs +6.5
3. Clippers at Kings - The Kings have won and covered in each of their last three meetings with the Clippers, and those three victories include two this season alone. Sacramento is dealing with a lot of key absences in the rotation, with De'Aaron Fox and Davion Mitchell being two of the more notable ones. The Kings do, however, have Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield tonight, and those two still make this backcourt better than the one that the Clippers will have out there. Also, while Paul George will be the best player on the floor in this game, Sacramento forward Harrison Barnes is an excellent two-way player. It wouldn't be all that surprising if he were to play up to somewhere near George's level in this game. And the Kings might also get Richaun Holmes back from an eye issue tonight, and he's an absolute menace in the paint. Overall, not much separate these two teams, even with Sacramento being somewhat depleted. The Kings look to be getting too many points in this one, and there is even a chance they'll win outright.
THE PICK: Kings +5.5
