Our free NBA picks are out for Saturday, March 26th, 2022! Make sure you check our NBA picks before the action kicks off.
Look below to find our free NBA picks for the best five games on today’s schedule!
Indiana Pacers @ Toronto Raptors – 7.30pm ET
The Indiana Pacers wrap up their short two game road trip tonight with a game against the Toronto Raptors. The Pacers have lost their last two games to the Kings and Grizzlies, and this takes their overall record on the season to 25-49. The Raptors continue to push on and they have won seven of their last nine games, including last time out where they beat the Cavaliers,117-104.
Jeffery Thomas
The Indiana Pacers will travel to Toronto to try and play spoiler to the Raptors who started their four-game winning streak on Thursday by beating the Cavaliers 117-104. Pascal Siakam had a season-high 35 points in the victory, which tied them up with Cleveland in the East standings. Unfortunately, Toronto lost the previous three meetings against the Cavs earlier in the season so they do not own the tiebreaker and will need to continue getting wins to finish with the better record. Saturday offers a good opportunity for a win against a Pacers team that has lost their last two games to the Kings and Grizzlies.
The last game was the Grizzlies one, which was in Memphis and that loss pushed their record to 9-28 on the road for the season. That doesn’t bode well for them in this road tilt against a highly-motivated team pushing for the playoffs. The Toronto Raptors know how important these last few games are to secure a top-6 seed and avoid the play-in tournament so I don’t expect them to drop opportunities like this against inferior teams. Couple that with them being at home and it’s a recipe for disaster for the Pacers. I’m expecting a good ole’ fashioned blowout here by the Raptors.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Toronto Raptors -9 (-110)
Michael Lantz
Despite having an upstart offense, the Indiana Pacers continue to be a joke in the Eastern Conference. While that might be harsh, the team luckily had the likes of Tyrese Halliburton to keep them excited for the future. But will they be able to compete with a Toronto Raptors team that looks ready to compete in the playoffs?
creating enough space for the pass and finish.
Screen of the Night presented by @StVincentIN. pic.twitter.com/t43upSRSxc
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) March 25, 2022
Toronto has been one of the hottest teams in basketball, but they’ve shown inconsistency: in the last four games they’ve beaten the Cavaliers and 76ers but fallen to the Bulls and Lakers. Still, as a full team they’ve plenty of talent on both sides of the ball. The Raptors will be looking to hold onto their seventh-seed in the division and a loss against the Pacers will be unacceptable. I’ll pick Toronto to cruise in this one.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Toronto Raptors -9 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
The Indiana Pacers just continue their rough season, especially on the defensive side of the ball, as they’ve lost two straight, and the defense in both has been abysmal to say the least. Their offense has still been pretty good, but with the horrible defense, they’re not even close to playoff contention and they find themselves with not much to play for.
Toronto on the other hand, is finally playing extremely well, after a rough stretch through the middle part of the season. They’ve won seven of their last nine, and as they’re nearly completely healthy at this point, with Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam leading the way, I think the clear safe bet is to take the Raptors to roll with ease in this one, over an Indiana team that has virtually nothing to play for at this point.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Toronto Raptors -9 (-110)
Chicago Bulls @ Cleveland Cavaliers – 8pm ET
A key clash between two Central Division rivals for your Saturday night viewing pleasure, when the Chicago Bulls travel to Cleveland for a game with the Cavaliers. The Bulls have only won one game out of their last six, with their sole win in this span coming against the Raptors, 113-99. The Cavaliers will be looking to snap their two game losing streak, as they have losses to the Lakers and Raptors.
Jeffery Thomas
The Chicago Bulls will travel to Cleveland to face their Eastern Conference foe in the Cavaliers on Saturday in a pretty important game. Each team is coming into this one losers of two straight and with the playoffs around the corner, both teams will be looking to turn things around quickly. The Bulls have actually lost five of their last six and 10 of 13 following their 109-126 loss to the Pelicans on Thursday. For Cleveland it’s five of their last eight that have resulted in losses, including a 10-point loss to these same Bulls just two weeks ago in Chicago. Now with the game shifting to the Land, it’ll be interesting to see how this one plays out.
DeMar DeRozan sat out the Bulls’ last game against New Orleans but there’s no doubt he’ll be back in action for this one and it’ll be needed. I love backing teams with a revenge narrative after just losing to their opponent less than two weeks ago (it worked out for us again on Friday with Minnesota) and that’s the exact situation we have here. Darius Garland should be able get whatever he wants scoring and passing the ball and with the backing of the home fans, I’m all over the Cavaliers here.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers (-116)
Michael Lantz
In a potential playoff matchup between two of the Midwest’s best, the Chicago Bulls travel to Cleveland to take on the Cavs. The Cavs have had one of, if not the, most impressive season this year. Last year they were a lottery pick, now they’re competing for a playoff spot. But, it seems the Cavs have run out of steam as they’ve lost two in a row to the Raptors and Lakers. They’ll look to get back on track against the Bulls.
𝘼𝙡𝙡-𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙧 in Year 3 by @BKR_Creative 🤩#FanArtFriday | @SociosUSA pic.twitter.com/gcnaxWD4Ay
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) March 25, 2022
After a year that’s been damaged by injuries the Bulls are almost back at full strength. But, that hasn’t equated to wins: after a big win against the Raptors last Monday, the Bulls proceeded to lose two straight games against the Bucks and Pelicans — both by double digits. Despite the Bulls being incredibly talented on paper, they don’t look ready for the playoffs. With this one being in Cleveland, I’ll back one of this year’s great surprises to pull off the win.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers (-116)
Noah Dunlap
After spending much of the year as one of the best teams in the East, the Chicago Bulls now find themselves in a bit of panic mode, as they’re 1-5 in their last six as we get closer to the end of the regular season. Given their struggles against the top teams in each conference, the last thing that they want is to find themselves taking on one of these teams in the first round.
They get the Cleveland Cavaliers in this one, and the good news for Bulls fans is that Cleveland finds themselves in a similar situation, as they’ve struggled greatly as of late as well, though a lot of that is due to injury issues all year long. The problem right now for this matchup is that outside of Darius Garland for this Cavs team, I’m just not sure where the points are going to come from. Give me the Bulls in a close one, as I think they have a slightly more balanced roster right now.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Chicago Bulls (-102)
Brooklyn Nets @ Miami Heat – 8pm ET
The Brooklyn Nets wrap up their short two game road trip tonight in Miami with a game against the Heat, who themselves are in the middle of a four game homestand. The Nets have won six of their last eight games, but last time out they went down to the Grizzlies 120-132. The Heat are playing on back-to-back nights and last time out they lost to the Knicks, 103-111.
Jeffery Thomas
The Brooklyn Nets got some great news interestingly enough on Kyrie Irving’s birthday on Wednesday. The state of New York lifted their mandate that was preventing Irving from playing home games, so he will be able to play out the rest of the season which is huge. The night of the announcement though, the Nets weren’t able to get the victory, falling 120-132 to Memphis despite 43 points from Kyrie. Now a trip to Miami is in the cards for Saturday as they look to take another win off a vulnerable Miami team. The Heat will be on the back-to-back after losing their third straight game, this time to the New York Knicks, after giving up a 13-38 run to end the game.
It may just be a motivation thing for Miami at this point because all three of these losses were against teams severely undermanned and missing literally their best player. If that is the case then there should be no lack of motivation with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving coming to town. I’m not sure what is going on with the Heat lately but I don’t like it at all. I know Tyler Herro has been missing games with injury but there’s no excuse to be losing some of the games they’ve been losing. It’s hard to see them just flip the switch back on when facing a tough opponent and it’s possible they’re just broken right now. That’s how I see it and for that reason I’m taking the road team.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Brooklyn Nets (-112)
Michael Lantz
The Nets are thrilled to finally have Kyrie Irving back full time, not that that would matter on the road, but with the Nets on the verge of avoiding the play-in, they’ll take any boost of confidence they can get. While the Nets were stifled by the Grizzlies this week, they also were missing the likes of Seth Curry and Goran Dragic. Both are scheduled to be back for this game as the Nets look to beat a Heat team that might be in shambles.
#HEATPlayoffPush pic.twitter.com/YIY3zSx6Da
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) March 26, 2022
The Heat have lost consecutive games against inferior opponents. They fell to a 76ers team that was without Joel Embiid and James Harden. They then fell to a Golden State Warriors team without Steph Curry. These losses have been costly, as three Eastern Conference teams have come within two games of the Heat. Miami has always played Brooklyn well, and with their recent run of tough games they need to snap out eventually. I expect them to barely get past this Brooklyn team at home.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Miami Heat (-104)
Noah Dunlap
This is a very intriguing matchup on the Saturday night slate, as the Miami Heat, who are the one seed in the East, despite struggling a bit lately, are taking on the Brooklyn Nets, who are now looking to make a run after Kyrie Irving has been made available for home games, after a change to New York City’s COVID mandates. The Heat are in need of a win, as they’ve dropped three straight, and are now just trying to hold off a Milwaukee team that’s playing much better basketball. The other problem is that Tyler Herro is questionable for this matchup, which coming on the back end of a back-to-back, isn’t great news for this Miami team.
Brooklyn comes into this one having won six of eight, though they did lose to Memphis in their last outing. The good news is that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving played extremely well in that one, and with three days rest, everyone on the roster should be ready to go. I do question the supporting cast from this Nets squad, as they’ve been a bit too reliant on KD and Kyrie to lead the way, but with a struggling Heat squad playing their second game in two nights, even on the road, I’m going to take Brooklyn to get a close win.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Brooklyn Nets (-112)
Milwaukee Bucks @ Memphis Grizzlies – 8pm ET
The Milwaukee Bucks kick off a three game road trip tonight when they face off against the Memphis Grizzlies. The Bucks have only lost two games in March so far, and this takes their season record to 46-27. The Grizzlies are in a similar position, only dropping three games so far in March, and in their last game out, they beat the Pacers, 133-103.
Jeffery Thomas
The Milwaukee Bucks swept a quick two-game homestand, beating the Bulls and Wizards by a combined 40 points. The win over the Wizards was without Giannis Antetokounmpo or Khris Middleton who both sat out for injuries and rest. That’s not a problem against a Wizards team that was winless in March at the time of the meeting and also when you have NBA champion Jrue Holiday who you can trust to thrive in an expanded role. He did just that, going off for 24 points and 10 assists to lead the way and secure the Bucks’ 46th win on the year. Unfortunately, Jrue has already been ruled out for Saturday’s game against Memphis who will also be without their star point guard Ja Morant.
It hasn’t stopped them from putting up 132 and 133 respectively in the two games he’s missed, and they now have a 16-2 record in games without Ja this season. It’s going to be a battle on Saturday to get win number 17. The Milwaukee Bucks will try and hand the Grizzlies a rare home loss and honestly this game is a toss-up. The loss of Ja hasn’t seemed to be too much to deal with so far but we’re not sure what no Jrue will do for Milwaukee. I expect we will see expanding ball handling and playmaking duties for Giannis and Middleton, so look out for their assists props. As far as the game goes though, I can’t pass on the value of the Bucks as underdogs against a short handed Grizzlies team.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Milwaukee Bucks +1 (-110)
Michael Lantz
In a dark horse NBA Finals matchup, the Milwaukee Bucks face the Memphis Grizzlies in Graceland. The Grizzlies will definitely be without all-NBA candidate Ja Morant — but that hasn’t seemed to faze them. They’ve gone 16-2 without Morant this year, zeroing in on three-point shooting and defense. With Morant still out, they’ll look to keep on going against a very good Bucks team.
What’s your pregame playlist vibe?
(sponsored by @SociosUSA)
— x – Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) March 25, 2022
While the Grizzlies are without their most explosive playmaker, the Bucks will be without their beat perimeter defender as they will be without Jrue Holiday. This one should be a thrill to watch, but it’s hard for me to go against Giannis in this situation, even with the Grizzlies having Jaren Jackson Jr on their side. I’ll pick this Milwaukee team to pull off the slight upset.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Milwaukee Bucks +1 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
The Memphis Grizzlies continue a home stand in this one, as they take on the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks. The Grizz are without Ja Morant for at least two weeks, as he deals with knee soreness, but seeing as they’re 16-2 without Ja this season, it shouldn’t be of too much concern at least. With them still having Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr, and De’Anthony Melton, this is certainly still a team that can roll.
Milwaukee comes into this one playing extremely well also, as they’ve only slipped up twice in the month of March, which, after a somewhat mediocre year for their standards, has to have them feeling good as we get closer to the postseason. Despite this one being in Memphis, and the Grizzlies playing well, this feels like a game that Giannis finds the need to take over, and just carries his Bucks to a win. Give me Milwaukee on the road, in an extremely close one.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Milwaukee Bucks (-102)
Oklahoma City Thunder @ Denver Nuggets – 9pm ET
The Oklahoma City Thunder hit the road on Saturday night when they travel to Ball Arena to face off against the Denver Nuggets. The Thunder were finally able to put an end to their 10 game losing streak last time out, as they beat the Magic, 118-102. The Nuggets have lost three of their last four games, taking their season record to 43-31.
Jeffery Thomas
The Denver Nuggets will know not to take this Oklahoma City Thunder team lightly after losing to them earlier this month on March 2nd by a score of 107-119. The Nuggets were riding a six-game winning streak going into that game, but are coming off a loss to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday. OKC was able to finally snap their 10-game losing streak by beating the Orlando Magic on Wednesday at home so we’ll see if they can ride that momentum into another upset of Denver.
The Nuggets had to sit idle and watch the Minnesota Timberwolves dismantle the Dallas Mavericks and move to within 0.5 game of them for that 6 seed in the West so don’t expect them to take this winnable game for granted. Nikola Jokic will have a field day on this same lineup and carry his team to a blowout win.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Denver Nuggets -14 (-110)
Michael Lantz
The Oklahoma City Thunder are an unpredictable bunch when it comes to the spread. Yes, they’re 21-52, but with little pressure on them they still are able to put up fights against decent teams. Unfortunately, they’ve been without the likes of Lu Dort and Josh Giddey; while they wouldn’t probably be a playoff team with those two, they’d at least be a little more competitive. Still this team is learning to mesh and even though that’s not equating to wins, it should equate to covering the spread.
Holding on to that 6 seed, with plans to move up this week💪 pic.twitter.com/4qdgqwVGi9
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) March 25, 2022
Meanwhile, the Nuggets have been incredibly impressive despite having massive injuries on their team. They’re still sixth until he Western Conference and have been anchored by Nikola Jokic, who’s looking to repeat as MVP. While the Thunder are evolving and helping them be able to compete in the next couple of years, the Nuggets will still want to avoid the play-in games. I expect them to beat the Thunder — but I think 14 is a lot. The Nuggets will win, but the Thunder cover.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Oklahoma City Thunder +14 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
Well, the Oklahoma City Thunder were finally able to end a 10-game losing streak, as they took down the Magic their last time out, but they better enjoy the feeling of winning in that one, as they won’t be getting a win here. They’re one of the worst teams in the league, and while they’ve played a bit more competitively as the year has gone on, they just don’t have enough to get past Denver here.
The Nuggets come into this one trying to hold off the Minnesota Timberwolves for the six-seed, as they try to avoid the play-in tournament, but with the Wolves getting the win over Dallas last night, this game becomes of massive importance. With Nikola Jokic playing at an MVP level, even though they’re too much of a one man team right now, partially due to injuries, I think Jokic has the ability to simply shoulder the load and carry Denver to a win in this one, though I don’t think they’re able to win by the spread number, so give me OKC to at least cover.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Oklahoma City Thunder +14 (-110)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
