Who do we have coming out on top? Who are the best bets of the night? We have all of the answers for you below in our free NBA picks to tonight.
Charlotte Hornets @ New York Knicks – 1pm ET
Having clinched a playoffs berth the Knicks will seek to improve their seeding in order to avoid the third seed in the first week of the playoffs which at this stage is likely to be the Milwaukee Bucks. The Hornets will be desperate to maintain eighth position in the East in order to keep the opportunity to progress through the play-in tournament with a single win.
The Knicks kept their homes of moving out of sixth alive with a superb comeback against the San Antonio Spurs, coming from 17 points behind in the third quarter to win 102-98. Julius Randle was again superb with 25 points, 9 assists and 9 rebounds. He was assisted by Alec Burks who poured in 30 points of his own.
The Hornets have faltered towards the end of the season with continued absence of Gordon Hayward. The Hornets have won 3 from their last 7 games and will face the Knicks on the back of a 3 game losing streak.
The Hornets were thoroughly outclassed at home by the Los Angeles Clippers in a 90-113 defeat on Thursday. LaMelo Ball was gallant putting up 18 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds but didn’t have much help.
Charlotte’s future = ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️#LaMeloForROY | https://t.co/lIaZLN1gsY pic.twitter.com/xinc0a6Gq5
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) May 15, 2021
Fortunately for the Hornets they do hold tiebreaker advantages against both the Indiana Pacers and the Washington Wizards having gone 2-1 against both teams this season. This may aid them in their hopes to hold onto eight position, but they may need to manufacture a win from their last two games.
With the Hornets struggling and the Knicks buoyed by their first playoffs qualification since 2013 we expect the Knicks to be too strong at home.
NBA Pick – New York Knicks (-245)
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Los Angeles Lakers @ Indiana Pacers – 1pm ET
Having negotiated a difficult season with injuries to key stars Lebron James and Anthony Davis the Lakers will look to move themselves out of the play-in tournament and qualify for the playoffs outright. Meanwhile, having clinched a play-in spot the Pacers will be looking to move into seventh or eighth position in the East to secure the chance to claim seventh seed with a single win.
The Lakers have found form and enter this game on a 3 game winning streak. An undermanned Lakers outfit was able to barely overcome the Houston Rockets 124-122. The Lakers were without Lebron James, Anthony Davis and Alex Caruso. Kyle Kuzma was instrumental with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists, as was Talen Horton-Tucker with 23 points and 10 assists.
Anthony Davis is likely to return against the Pacers but the situation regarding Lebron James is far less clear. Having missed the last 6 games, the Lakers may continue to take a conservative approach with James. The Lakers will also likely welcome back Dennis Schroeder.
Indiana have been struggling lately, winning just 4 of their last 6 and come into this game after a defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Pacers were outclassed by the Bucks in a high scoring affair, going down 133-142.
Like the Lakers, The Pacers were not without their own injuries with both Caris LeVert and Malcolm Brogdon missing. The Pacers shared the load with 8 players putting up 10+ points. Justin Holiday led the way with 26 points.
Both teams enter this game with a lot to play for. The Lakers have a chance to avoid the Play-in tournament while the Pacers can secure a more favourable position in the play-in tournament. Having found some form and with the likely return of Anthony Davis the Lakers should be too good.
NBA Pick – Los Angeles Lakers (-300)
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Boston Celtics @ Minnesota Timberwolves – 2pm ET
After a worrying stretch, the Boston Celtics will look to arrest their late season slide against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Celtics have managed only 4 wins in their last 13 games and have had to settle for a play-in spot.
The Celtics will hope to build some sorely needed momentum heading into the play-in tournament. While the Timberwolves have struggled this season, they have rallied lately with 6 wins from their last 10 and the Celtics can ill afford to take them lightly.
Boston slumped to a fourth straight loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday in a 102-94 loss. Jayson Tatum battled hard for the Celtics with 29 points and 8 rebounds but was unable to compensate for a host of missing personnel.
The Celtics were without Jaylen Brown, Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart and Robert Williams. While Brown has been ruled out for the remainder of the season the Celtics will likely welcome back Walker against the Timberwolves.
Tristan Thompson shares his approach to offensive rebounding and how he’s able to gain positioning against defenders. pic.twitter.com/UJWpO80z2u
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 13, 2021
The Celtics only need to find one win to solidify a favourable position in the play-in tournament but could drop as low as ninth if they lose out and both Charlotte and Indiana win their remaining games.
Despite a rally in the third quarter the Timberwolves ultimately went down to the Denver Nuggets 103-114. No.1 Pick Anthony Edwards continued his strong rookie season with 29 points, 5 assists and 7 rebounds.
Karl-Anthony Towns provided support, producing 20 points and 11 rebounds. The Timberwolves should relish the opportunity to finish the season strongly against a weakened Celtics outfit.
The Celtics are up against it as is with their injuries and run into a Timberwolves team that has found their spark in recent weeks. Despite having less to play for we think the Timberwolves should be too strong at home.
NBA Pick – Minnesota Timberwolves (-152)
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Phoenix Suns @ San Antonio Spurs – 2pm ET
The Suns will seek to cap off a superb regular season campaign with a win against the Spurs in the first of two games in San Antonio. The Suns currently sit second in the Western Conference and trail the Utah Jazz by one game.
Look for the Suns to take some momentum into what their first playoffs berth since the 2009-2010 season against a Spurs side will be that has been struggling recently.
The Suns kept their chance of topping the West alive with a win over the Portland Trailblazers in the dying seconds on Thursday. Devin Booker was quiet early shooting 5/17 from the floor but shook this off to drain both free throws with 2.4 seconds on the clock to give the Suns a 118-117 victory.
Chris Paul led the way for the Suns with 26 points and 7 assists while Mikal Bridges also contributed strongly producing 21 points and 11 rebounds. With first seeding on the line as well as the opportunity to gain momentum before the playoffs expect the Suns to come out strong.
The Spurs have limped into the play-in tournament, sitting tenth in the Western Conference, having won only 2 of their last 10 games. The Spurs slumped to a second straight loss on Thursday going down 102-98 to the New York Knicks.
This was despite holding a commanding 17 point lead in the third quarter. DeMar DeRozan was the shining light for the Spurs scoring 27 points while Dejounte Murray also contributed with 14 points, 7 assists and 9 rebounds.
Despite their recent woes the Spurs will take heart from their last meeting with Suns in which they completely shut Phoenix out for an emphatic 111-85 win. However, given the form of each team leading into this game it is difficult to see the San Antonio prevailing here. We think Phoenix should be far too good for the Spurs.
NBA Pick – Phoenix Suns (-560)
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Miami Heat @ Milwaukee Bucks – 8pm ET
Miami will hope to continue its strong from but will face a stern challenge from the Bucks. The Heat have roared to life, winning 11 of their last 14 after struggling at times earlier in the season. This has allowed the Heat to clinch a playoff spot and avoid the play-in tournament.
A win here would go a long way to help the Heat secure home court and avoid a potential first round playoff matchup against the Bucks which could be on the cards should the Bucks triumph.
The Heat are fresh off an impressive 106-94 win over the Eastern Conference leaders the Philadelphia 76ers, courtesy of a 38-22 first quarter which set the tone for the rest of the game. Jimmy Butler was the standout for the Heat, putting up 21 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in a rounded display.
Content created for the “Jimmy can’t shoot 3s” crowd. Perfect last night 🤭
Ultimate Plays // @UKGInc pic.twitter.com/pFNRvq6lKr
— x – Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) May 14, 2021
The Heat have a strong recent record against the Bucks having split games earlier this season and eliminating the Bucks in 5 games during the second round of last season’s playoffs. Taken together with their strong recent form the Heat will go into this game with confidence.
The Bucks did what they had to do against a plucky Pacers outfit, prevailing 142-133. Giannis Antetokounmpo was dominant again for the Bucks with 40 points, 15 rebounds and 6 assists. Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton were also influential putting up 20 and 22 points, respectively.
While the Bucks may still improve their seeding, it seems likely they will finish the season third in the East. This may allow the Bucks to manage the minutes of some of their stars but ultimately the Bucks likely want to gain momentum against a team they may play in the first round of the playoffs. We think Bucks in a tight game.
NBA Pick – Milwaukee Bucks (-142)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
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