SportsTips’ free NBA picks are going at over 70% for the week and with nine games scheduled for tonight, we have another 27 predictions for you.
Both Houston and Sacramento have lost nine straight games and are in action tonight. Will Toronto and Detroit, respectively, give them their 10th straight?
Can the inclusion of Dennis Schroder get the Lakers back on track after a four game skid?
We have all the answers for you below, so don’t want to miss out on our FREE NBA picks!
Indiana Pacers @ Boston Celtics – 7:30PM ET
While we are used to seeing these teams towards the top of the East, the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics have been struggling of late. One of them will be able to get back into a groove tonight when they face off at TD Garden. When looking at both teams’ last three games, the Pacers are 1-2 while the Celtics are 0-3.
Wednesday night saw the Celtics go to Atlanta and struggle for the entire game, falling 112-127. The starting five combined to shoot 19/57 (33.33%) from the field and a 27-40 first quarter followed up with a 22-32 second quarter put the game out of reach. Jaylen Brown top scored with just 17 while Jayson Tatum managed just 13 points.
List of under .500 teams with multiple all stars:
-Boston Celtics— Daman Rangoola (@damanr) February 24, 2021
They will be hoping to turn it around when they host the Pacers in what is the third and final matchup between the two sides. Each team took a win from their two game set in Indiana earlier in the season, with Boston winning the most recent of the two. The big issue for Boston is that they are missing their defensive edge in Marcus Smart, so look for the Pacers’ wings to get loose a bit here.
Indiana held a narrow two point halftime lead over the Warriors but a poor third quarter see them give up the lead and not be able to get it back. Malcolm Brogdon top scored with 24 points while Domantas Sabonis had a big game with 22 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and two steals. But ultimately it wasn’t enough for the Pacers, despite keeping Golden State to just five made threes for the game.
The Pacers are 8-6 following a loss this and 3-2 (fourth best in the league) as road underdogs this season but we are siding with the Celtics. Despite losing three straight and going just 7-14 over their last 21, they are a much better home team and we expect they will bounce back here. There has been a lot of public scrutiny that has led to Brad Stevens and Danny Ainge making comments publicly, so they will want to quiet the noise and get back to winning.
NBA Pick – Boston Celtics (-150)
NBA Spread – Indiana Pacers +3 (-110)
Total Points Pick – Over 219 (-110)
Houston Rockets @ Toronto Raptors – 7:30PM ET
The Rockets are stooping to new lows, losing their ninth straight game (tied for worst in the league) in Cleveland on Wednesday night, despite holding a two point halftime lead. They now travel to Tampa to take on the Raptors who have had a very successful February and will want to keep that going here.
The Raptors have gone 8-5 so far this month, including wins over Philly, Brooklyn and Milwaukee. However they will be looking to snap a two game skid against the Rockets last night. Wednesday night saw Toronto lose 108-116 in Miami where Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet both scored 24 points but a 21-34 second quarter prevented them from seriously contending.
They should be able to get in a better groove against a Houston side that, despite having the fifth best defensive rating for the season, has given up an average of over 118 points per game over their nine game losing streak.
The issue has been at the other end of the floor though, averaging just over 102 points per game over that stretch, which would be the worst in the league for the season. They managed just 96 points against a Cleveland defense on the second night of a back to back and that has the fifth worst defensive rating.
Victor Oladipo had a successful return from injury with 17 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals but the Rockets don’t have enough offensive firepower to keep up with most teams, including the Raptors. Look for one of Lowry, VanVleet or Pascal Siakam to go for 30+ and the Raptors get an important home win.
NBA Pick – Toronto Raptors (TBA)
NBA Spread – Houston Rockets +7 (-110)
Total Points Pick – Under 220 (-110)
Sacramento Kings @ Detroit Pistons – 8PM ET
The Sacramento Kings could be one of the most embarrassing teams of the season. They have now lost a league worst ninth straight game and last night’s performance may have been the worst of the lot. The Kings allowed the Knicks, who average a league worst 103.6 points per game, to score a massive 140 points in their 19 point loss.
They now have to back it up against tonight in Detroit, and this game may not be as easy as it seems. Despite being glued to the bottom of the East, the Pistons are 6-8 at home this season including wins over the Nets, Lakers and Sixers. Jerami Grant sat out Wednesday night’s 118-128 loss in New Orleans, allowing Mason Plumlee to have one of the best games of his career with 21 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and four blocks.
The Kings have lost 9 straight games.
They have the worst defensive rating in NBA history.
They have held an opponent under 100 points only once this season. pic.twitter.com/gc55U5Pfk7
— StatMuse (@statmuse) February 26, 2021
Grant will return in this one and the Pistons will be looking to get the jump on the Kings who are at the end of a five game Eastern Conference road trip and suffered a demoralising loss last night. De’Aaron Fox had a massive night with 29 points and 11 assists while Harrison Barnes was solid with 22 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals.
The issue is defense however. Sacramento allowed the Knicks to score 38+ in three of four quarters and allow over 120 points per game, a league worst mark. The Kings are just 1-5 on the second night of back to backs and 0-3 as road favorites this season while the Pistons are 6-6 as road underdogs and we like Detroit to add to Sacramento’s misery.
NBA Pick – Detroit Pistons (TBA)
NBA Spread – Detroit Pistons +1 (-110)
Total Points Pick – Over 224 (-110)
Utah Jazz @ Miami Heat – 8PM ET
The league leading Utah Jazz get back on the road and head down to South Beach to take on the Miami Heat. Utah’s massive 114-89 win over the Lakers on Wednesday was their 22nd win from their last 24 games and they will look to add another in Miami. It may not be so easy though as, since Jimmy Butler returned from COVID-19, the Heat have gone 9-5 and won their last four games.
Their most recent was a 116-108 win over the Raptors where a 34-21 second quarter gave them a lead that they never gave up. Jimmy Butler had a near triple double with 27 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds and three steals while Bam Adebayo had a big game inside with 19 points and 12 rebounds in the win.
However, the Heat may have been lucky to escape with the win in this one. Despite being the 10th best defense in the league, Miami allowed the Raptors to shoot 50% from the field and go 20/45 from deep. That won’t work well against a Utah side that just broke an NBA record by making 50 threes over their last two games.
The Jazz are the only team to be in the top three for offensive and defensive rating in the league and that was evident in the win over the Lakers. Over the middle two quarters, Utah outscored the Lakers 66-41 and that was the ball game there. Six different players scored in double figures, with the most being 18, and no one reached 31 minutes, meaning they will be rested and ready for this contest.
These sides met just under two weeks ago and the Jazz shot just 12/46 (26.1%) from deep. They still managed to win 112-94. They are playing incredible team basketball on both ends of the floor and they will be halting the Heat’s winning streak at just four games.
NBA Pick – Utah Jazz (TBA)
NBA Spread – Utah Jazz -5.5 (-110)
Total Points Pick – Under 218.5 (-110)
Phoenix Suns @ Chicago Bulls – 8PM ET
The Chicago Bulls play host to the Phoenix Suns in what is the first of two matchups between the two sides this season. Phoenix comes into this one on the back of a shock home loss to the Hornets but have won nine of their last 11 games and sit comfortably in fourth in the West. Chicago has been playing well themselves, winning three straight and five of their last six.
They needed an extra five minutes but Chicago got the better of the Timberwolves on Wednesday night, winning 133-126. Zach LaVine led seven Bulls players in double figures with 35 points on 66.7% shooting while Wendell Carter Jr. dominated down low with 17 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
Keep this GOING.#BULLSWIN #BULLSNATION pic.twitter.com/9S2vqFHtbc
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 25, 2021
The Bulls may have won three straight, but they were against Minnesota, Houston and Sacramento, the three worst teams in the West and three of the worst five teams in the league. Phoenix has emerged as one of the best teams this season behind exceptional play from their All Stars, Chris Paul and Devin Booker.
Despite falling 121-124 to Charlotte on Wednesday, Booker had an efficient 33 points while CP3 put up a vintage performance with 20 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. The issue was the other end, allowing seven different Charlotte players to score in double figures with three of them reaching 20.
Chicago may be up in seventh in the East but they are just 7-9 at home this season and we like Phoenix to bounce back with a win here. They haven’t lost back to back games over the last four weeks using the seventh best offense and nine best defense in the league to give themselves the edge.
NBA Pick – Phoenix Suns (-225)
NBA Spread – Phoenix Suns -5 (-115)
Total Points Pick – Over 228.5 (-110)
Los Angeles Clippers @ Memphis Grizzlies – 8PM ET
The Los Angeles Clippers will be chomping at the bit to get back on court against the Memphis Grizzlies tonight after a disappointing showing last night. Memphis came away with a 122-94 win, dominating the final three quarters and having no players reach 30 minutes in the blow out.
Tyus Jones top scored with 20 points off the bench plus Ja Morant and Jonas Valanciunas had 16 points a piece. Morant added seven assists with no turnovers and Valanciunas had a massive 15 rebounds. As a team the Grizzlies shot an incredible 54.3% from the field and 57.9% from deep but they will need to shoot like that again tonight if they want to make it two from two.
Memphis force the second most turnovers in the league and forced LA into 14 last night while committing just six of their own. The Clippers, who before last night had the best offensive rating in the league, were restricted to just 94 points which is the second lowest total of the season.
Kawhi Leonard and Paul George combined for just 30 points with the latter shooting a miserable 25% from the field. It will be interesting to see if either of them play on the second night of a back to back, but after racking up just 30 minutes each in an embarrassing loss like that, we expect them not only to play, but play well and hard.
If last night was anything to go off, Memphis should have a breeze again tonight but we know that the league isn’t like that and these Clippers care too much to let that happen again. Take LA to pick up the win and split the two game set.
NBA Pick – Los Angeles Clippers (TBA)
NBA Spread – Memphis Grizzlies +7.5 (-110)
Total Points Pick – Over 226.5 (-110)
Atlanta Hawks @ Oklahoma City Thunder – 8PM ET
Two sides coming in off the back of two wins from their last three games as the Oklahoma City Thunder host the Atlanta Hawks tonight. OKC managed to just get over the line against a depleted San Antonio on Wednesday night thanks to the ice cold, clutch shooting from Lu Dort who hit the game winning three as time expired.
In the 102-99 win, Dort may have iced the game with his three on the buzzer but the game was won by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The third year guard put up a career high 42 points on 65% shooting from the field and 6/11 from deep in the win. There are some worrying signs for the Thunder as the Spurs were missing half their rotation and Dort was the only other player to shoot over 44%.
🐓 38 PTS on 13-16 shooting for Gallo
🐓 10 3s (career high & franchise record)@gallinari8888 WENT OFF in the @ATLHawks win. pic.twitter.com/H6mZF80GSo— NBA (@NBA) February 25, 2021
Atlanta will be looking to take advantage of that better than the Spurs did and carry their momentum from a big 127-112 win over the Celtics on Wednesday. Trae Young did his best to prove the coaches wrong for not selecting him to the All Star game by putting up 33 points and seven assists but the game ball went to Danilo Gallinari. The Italian forward with unlimited range put up 36 points thanks to a career high and Atlanta franchise record 10 threes.
The Hawks are a much more complete team than the Thunder and are coming off a much more impressive win last time out. Even after their win, OKC are just 5-10 at home this season and we like Atlanta to go in and use their ninth ranked offense to shoot the Thunder out of the game.
NBA Pick – Atlanta Hawks (TBA)
NBA Spread – Atlanta Hawks -3.5 (-110)
Total Points Pick – Under 223.5 (-110)
Charlotte Hornets @ Golden State Warriors – 10PM ET
A very interesting matchup as these sides just met on Saturday night for a Charlotte 102-100 win, but the Warriors have won two straight games since then and more importantly get back on home court for this one.
Back to back wins in New York and Indiana will give this Warriors team a bunch of confidence plus the fact that they just dropped a game to this Hornets team means that they will come in with a point to prove. In their 111-107 win over Indiana on Wednesday, Steph Curry had a modest 24 points, eight rebound, eight assists and two steals, but five other Golden State players reached double figures in the win.
Draymond Green had a classic game with 12 points on 4/5 from the field along with team highs of 11 assists, nine rebounds and three steals. He will be looking to take this performance into tonight and needs to make amends after costing the Warriors the win in Charlotte last Saturday.
Despite Curry sitting out the game the Warriors were ahead with under 10 seconds remaining but Green picked up two techs and was tossed, allowing the Hornets to tie the game with just seconds left before Terry Rozier hit the game winner as time expired.
Rozier had a quiet night in their 124-121 win in Phoenix with just 10 points but he was one of seven different Charlotte players to reach double figures. Malik Monk put in a team high 29 off the bench plus both LaMelo Ball and Gordan Hayward reached 20.
While the Hornets performance was very impressive, we are all over the Warriors back at home in this one. They picked up the win in Indiana despite shooting just 5/26 from deep and committing 18 turnovers. They return home, where they are 11-6 on the season, and should be winning this one tonight.
NBA Pick – Golden State Warriors (-250)
NBA Spread – Golden State Warriors -6 (-110)
Total Points Pick – Under 233 (-110)
Portland Trail Blazers @ Los Angeles Lakers – 10PM ET
A very intriguing matchup to round out the night as the Los Angeles Lakers look to snap their four game losing streak when they host the Portland Trail Blazers. LA have been struggling since losing both Anthony Davis and Dennis Schroder but the latter is expected to play tonight which is a big boost for the home team. However, these sides have already met once this season and Portland, as the road underdog much like they are tonight, got the 115-107 win.
Looking at more recent history, the Blazers have been struggling, losing three straight and unable to get consistent effort across the board. They have had two nights off to recuperate since their last loss, a 106-111 showing in Denver on Tuesday. Damian Lillard had 25 points and 13 assists while Enes Kanter had a big double double and Carmelo Anthony put in 24 off the bench, but they couldn’t keep up in the last quarter.
Portland shot just 14/41 from deep and had eight more turnovers for the game and things will only get tougher against a Lakers side that have their backs against the wall and get some added support with Schroder back in the lineup.
The Lakers list Dennis Schroder as probable to make his return from his contact tracing absence on Friday vs. Portland. L.A. has gone 0-4 without him.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 26, 2021
LA is 22-7 when Schroder plays and 0-4 without him, so his return will help take a load of LeBron James’ shoulders and give them another weapon on both ends of the floor. However even Schroder might not have been much help in Utah on Wednesday. The Lakers lost 89-114 and never really looked like they were trying after the first quarter. James had 19, four and four but the team shot just 40% from the field and 24.2% from deep.
The Lakers are an impressive 6-4 after a loss but the Blazers are an even more impressive 8-4 in the same situation. LA is just 9-7 at home this season while Portland thrives on the road, 10-7. With that being said, James and the Lakers should pick up the win and quiet the haters momentarily here. LeBron is gunning for a fifth MVP and this four game skid has only hurt those chances. A big performance in a big win would remind everybody that he is still the King and that you should never doubt him.
NBA Pick – Los Angeles Lakers (-210)
NBA Spread – Portland Trail Blazers +5.5 (-110)
Total Points Pick – Over 222 (-110)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of Bet365.
