Our free NBA picks are out for Sunday, March 20th, 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!
Memphis Grizzlies @ Houston Rockets – 3.30pm ET
Two teams in very different positions in the Southwest Division, the Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets, will face off against each other on Sunday afternoon. The Grizzlies had their four game winning streak snapped last time out, thanks to the Hawks, 105-120. The Rockets are currently on a four game losing streak, and this includes losses against the Mavericks, Pelicans, Suns and Pacers.
Jeffery Thomas
The Memphis Grizzlies will be wrapping up their four-game road trip on Sunday in Houston when they take on the Rockets. Their winning streak was snapped on Friday when they lost to the Atlanta Hawks by a score of 105-120. It’s possible the Grizzlies just overlooked Atlanta who were without star point guard Trae Young. Now with the loss in the rear-view mirror, they will look to get back in the win column against a Houston team that is 2-8 in the month of March. It was a 118-121 loss to the Pacers on Friday in the Rockets’ last game, despite a huge performance from Christian Wood. Wood went off for 32 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists, and gave a glimpse into the future for Rockets fans.
Sitting at 17-53, the Rockets have the worst record in the league and will hope to cash in their top 3 pick for another solid young star to go alongside Wood and company. The Grizzlies own a 2-1 record against the Rockets, with that lone loss coming in their matchup just two weeks ago. Revenge will be square on the minds of a Memphis team that is second overall in the West and I expect them to be up for the challenge. Expect Memphis to come out hot and get a huge lead early, and ride that out for a nice comfortable road win.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Memphis Grizzlies -10 (-110)
Michael Lantz
The Memphis Grizzlies were stifled on Friday by the Atlanta Hawks, as the Eastern Conference team ended their four-game win streak, beating them 105-120. Even worse for the Grizzlies: the Hawks were without their best player in Trae Young. Meanwhile the Grizzlies were at 100%, coming into the game with their potential playoff lineup. This was a disconcerting loss for a Grizzlies team trying to capture the two-seed in the Western Conference. They’ll need to pick it up and beat a Houston Rockets team that’s bad, but also knows how to pull off an upset.
Ja was last night’s @MichelobULTRA #GrizzPlayerOfTheGame pic.twitter.com/r5naTs1ImT
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) March 19, 2022
Houston has lost four in a row, but that hasn’t been due to a lack of scoring. The young Rockets team has put up nearly 109 points per game over these last four losses, so the potential is in place. Jalen Green, Christian Wood, and Kevin Porter have all shown they can pile on the points, so this Grizzlies team can’t come in too confident, especially when the Rockets beat them by double digits earlier in the month. Still, as we get closer to crunch time, I expect the Grizzlies to come through in this game and not make the same mistake twice.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Memphis Grizzlies -10 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
This game gives us the worst team in the NBA, the Houston Rockets, sitting at 17-53, taking on one of the best teams in the league, the Memphis Grizzlies, who are 48-23 on the year. The Rockets have lost four straight, and if we’re being honest, it’s not getting better, as they just don’t have the talent to compete, and at this point in the year, with nothing to play for, tanking is a much better option anyway.
With the Grizzlies, though it’s already been announced that Ja Morant is going to be out for this matchup, I don’t think that makes much difference here. They just saw a four game winning streak snapped at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks, without Trae Young in the lineup, and with them having dropped their last outing against Houston, I don’t expect the same here. Give me the Grizz in a major way.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Memphis Grizzlies -10 (-110)
Phoenix Suns @ Sacramento Kings – 6pm ET
The Phoenix Suns kick off a three game road trip on Sunday when they travel to Sacramento to take on the Kings. The Suns have won their last four games in a row, and this takes their overall record on the season to 57-14. The Kings have lost six of their last seven games, with their only win in this time coming against the Bulls, 112-103.
Jeffery Thomas
The wins just keep coming for the Phoenix Suns who are tops in the league with a record of 57-14. This current winning streak of 4 games has been offensively driven, with the Suns putting up at least 129 points in every game. On Friday, they beat the Bulls 129-102 on the back of 28 points from Devin Booker who is averaging just under 26 a game on the season. Their blossoming young center DeAndre Ayton is coming into his own as well, dropping at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in three of the last four. He gets another good matchup on Sunday against a Kings team that has lost six of their last seven games.
Their defense has been a huge issue, giving up an average of over 131 points a game in the last three losses. A matchup of a great offense and horrible defense makes this an easy prediction. The loss of Chris Paul hasn’t hurt the Suns too much, especially since Cameron Payne returned from injury soon after CP went out. He is orchestrating the offense to perfection, averaging over 9 assists a game since his return, so a bet on his assist prop is a great look. A bet on the Suns covering and also exceeding their team total is a great look as this game will not be a contest.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Phoenix Suns -10.5 (-110)
Michael Lantz
While the Kings have lost six of their last seven games, the team has at least had a silver lining in Domantas Sabonis’ play. The Kings traded for Sabonis just a month ago, and in the deal had to part with Tyrese Hailburton, a player many consider a future star. After a couple of games out, Sabonis is back and is putting up big points in the process. They’ll need him to keep coming up big if they have any chance against the Phoenix Suns.
Our man @SlamsonTheLion is in the building! 🦁 pic.twitter.com/MplItHZ1HG
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) March 19, 2022
Phoenix remains the best team in the NBA: even without Chris Paul and Cam Johnson, they were able to dominate the Chicago Bulls 129-102, further proving why they’re the team to beat in the NBA. The Suns have had guard Devin Booker continue to step up, but they’ve also been pleased to see their depth excel as well, as seven players scored in double digits against a Bulls team that has some great defensive talent. The Suns are hungry for a title run, after they came short last season, losing to the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Finals. Still, that loss seemed to have humbled the Suns, as they’ve looked even more mature and lethal from the floor than last season.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Phoenix Suns -10.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
Following a brief rough stretch, the Phoenix Suns are back to showing why they’re the best team in the league, and have been all year long. They’ve won four straight, with that being nearly all offensively focused, as they’re averaging over 130 during the streak, and now with them getting a Sacramento team that doesn’t always play the best defense, in fact, it’s been atrocious lately, I think we’re set for another offensive explosion from Phoenix.
The Kings come in having lost six of seven, and as mentioned earlier, the defense in that span has been horrible. They do have an offense that can score points, but with De’Aaron Fox being the main offensive playmaker for this Sacramento team, I like Phoenix to try to shut Fox down, forcing the other Kings to beat them, which I don’t think they can do. Phoenix by at least 12.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Phoenix Suns -10.5 (-110)
Boston Celtics @ Denver Nuggets – 8pm ET
The road trip continues on for the Boston Celtics, who will go toe-to-toe against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night in the NBA. The Celtics have only dropped three games since the start of February, and this takes their overall season record to 43-28. The Nuggets have a similar record to the Celtics, at 42-29, but last time out they were defeated by the Cavaliers, 116-119, in overtime.
Jeffery Thomas
With just 11 games left in the season, the Boston Celtics will try and keep their winning ways going up and into the postseason. They are truly the hottest team in the league after a very slow start and now have only lost 3 games since the start of February. This run has the 2 seed in the Eastern Conference right within reach, just one game behind the Philadelphia 76ers. I’m sure they are fully aware of that and I expect them to come out all business on Sunday against a Nuggets team who got Saturday off after a tough overtime loss to the Cavaliers on Friday.
Reigning MVP Nikola Jokic came two assists shy of a triple double and was the game leading scorer with 32 points. Despite that, Denver has been on a great run themselves winning 12 of their last 16 overall. One thing we’ve learned in the past two months is to never bet against the Boston Celtics. If you just stick to that one simple rule you would have made yourself a lot of money and here’s another great spot to back them. We just saw this matchup last month, with the Celtics coming away with a 108-102 win despite Jokic having a triple-double in the game. This is a train I don’t want to jump in front of, and I’ll keep backing Boston until they give me a reason not to.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Boston Celtics (-148)
Michael Lantz
After a gritty loss to the Dallas Mavericks last Sunday, the Boston Celtics were able to recompose themselves and win back-to-back games on the West Coast. They smothered both the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings, as they’ll look to win their third straight against a resilient Denver Nuggets squad. The Nuggets have continued to excel despite a variety of injuries to key players. Still, they’ve had Nikola Jokic almost the entire season, as the reigning MVP has continued to dominate, keeping Denver in the playoff race. Denver scored a big win last Monday as they outlasted the new-look Philadelphia 76ers and then followed that with an easy win against the Washington Wizards.
Post-game stats 📊 pic.twitter.com/107zDw3j2t
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) March 19, 2022
But on Friday, the Nuggets were brought back down to earth as they lost in overtime to a playoff hungry Cleveland Cavaliers team. The Nuggets will try to put that loss behind them, but it’s going to be hard against a Boston Celtics team that’s so good on both sides of the ball. This is a tough one to choose, but I’m going to go with the Celtics, as they’ve been one of, if not the, hottest team(s) in basketball lately. Their two way talent in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown should lead the way, but so should the likes of Marcus Smart and Robert Williams. Even though this is in Denver, I’m on the Celtics train when it comes to grabbing victories. I’ll go with them to win.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Boston Celtics -3 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
The Boston Celtics are on fire right now. Following a tremendously slow start to the year, they’re 16-3 since the start of February, and are clearly the hottest team in the NBA during that stretch. Shooting, mixed with outstanding defense, has been the catalyst for this run, and with guys like Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum leading the way, I don’t see why we should look for that to stop anytime soon.
They do get another hot team in this one, as the Denver Nuggets have won 12 of their last 16, being led almost single-handedly by MVP candidate Nikola Jokic. With Jokic playing the way he has, this is a Denver team that can beat anyone on any given night, though I’m not sure that’s going to be enough in this one. Boston has just been too hot as of late, and I think that probably continues in this one, as I think they’re too deep for this Nuggets roster right now. Give me the C’s in a close one.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Boston Celtics (-148)
Toronto Raptors @ Philadelphia 76ers – 8.30pm ET
On Sunday night in the NBA, the Toronto Raptors head on over to Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia to take on the 76ers. The Raptors unfortunately had their five game winning streak snapped last time out, with an overtime loss to the Lakers, 123-128. The 76ers will be hoping to build on their modest two game winning streak with a win tonight, and their current record stands at 43-26.
Jeffery Thomas
The Toronto Raptors had a five-game winning streak snapped at home on Friday when LeBron and the Lakers came to town and beat them in overtime. There wasn’t much the Raptors could do against Los Angeles’ future Hall of Famers, as Russell Westbrook had a triple-double and LeBron had 19 points in the fourth quarter and overtime periods. Now another dynamic duo awaits in the form of Joel Embiid and James Harden who have rattled off wins in their last two games. Their last game on Friday was a big 111-101 win over the Dallas Mavericks, as they held Luka Doncic to 5-20 shooting.
The Raptors and Sixers have split the first two meetings this year but that was before the acquisition of James Harden. He’s brought a new dynamic to the team and there’s not a soul on the Raptors roster who will be able to stop Joel Embiid. He missed the first matchup, but dropped 36 points on 11-16 shooting in the second one and I’ll expect a similar dominant performance from the MVP candidate. I like this spot a lot for Philly to take care of business and keep sole possession of that 2 seed in the East.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Philadelphia 76ers -5.5 (-110)
Michael Lantz
This should be a fun Eastern Conference battle, as both the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers are looking to rise in the Eastern Conference. The Raptors are currently in seventh in the East, but after an impressive five-game win streak, they fell to the Los Angeles Lakers at home on Friday. This came just a couple of days after they beat the Lakers at home, so Los Angeles sure weren’t going to lose two games to the same opponent in less than a week. The Raptors fought hard, as they followed the play of Fred Van Vleet, Pascal Siakim, and Nathan Barnes to an impressive offensive performance. Still, that can only go so far, as the team has been looking for defensive upgrades to push them over the top.
for Philadelphia. pic.twitter.com/svXJcwTILK
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) March 19, 2022
Their task is a tough one on Sunday night, as they take on a Philadelphia 76ers that’s second in the Eastern Conference. The Sixers are starting to look up though; after a tough loss to the Brooklyn Nets, the 76ers have to feel good about how three of their last four games have gone, as they’ve knocked out opponents they could play in the playoffs, such as the Cleveland Cavaliers and Dallas Mavericks. They’ll look to add the Raptors to their book, as they face a team that has so much scoring talent. Luckily for Philly, I expect Joel Embiid to be the difference maker in this one, as he should be able to boss around the Raptors frontcourt squad.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Philadelphia 76ers (-235)
Noah Dunlap
This is a matchup between two teams that have had odd seasons to say the least. The Toronto Raptors have been a team that has had to ride runs all year long, starting out hot, slowing down for a stretch, catching fire once again, and now they’re in a situation of trying to keep that heat going. They did lose to the Lakers in their last game, but having won five in a row before that, they certainly seem to be headed in the right direction. For Philadelphia, they were one of the best teams in the East for much of the year, before having to try to find a way to manage without Joel Embiid in the lineup for a period.
When Embiid returned, they stepped their play up again, and then made a massive move at the trade deadline by acquiring James Harden. At the time, I wasn’t a huge fan of the move, as I thought they gave up too much, but it seemed to have worked, as they played well with Embiid and Harden together. They have slowed down a bit as of late, which puts us in a situation of not knowing how well this move is actually going to pay off in the long run. For this one, I think Harden and Embiid have too much star power for Toronto, so I’m taking Philly, but I do think it comes in a really close one.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Philadelphia 76ers (-235)
San Antonio Spurs @ Golden State Warriors – 8.30pm ET
The San Antonio Spurs kick off a four game road trip on Sunday night when they take on the Golden State Warriors, who themselves wrap up a four game homestand. The Spurs have lost three of their last four games, with their only win in this time coming against the Thunder, 122-120. The Warriors had their four game winning streak snapped last time out, when they were comprehensively beaten by the Celtics, 88-110.
Jeffery Thomas
With the San Antonio Spurs’ season wrapping up and Gregg Popovich just setting the all-time NBA record for head coaching wins, it’s hard to not think about the possibility of him calling it a career after these last 11 games. It’s been a very accomplished career with a lot of championships and with the Spurs roster in rebuild mode for the foreseeable future, I don’t think he will want to stick around throughout that process to end his career. If that is the case, then this will be the second-to-last time Pop faces this Warriors team that will be without Steph Curry indefinitely after getting hurt against Boston on Wednesday.
It was a 88-110 loss for Golden State, snapping a four-game winning streak and now with no Curry, their battle with Memphis for the two seed is in serious danger. Jordan Poole will see an increased role and has been having a breakout season, increasing his points average by almost 5 points from last year. There will be games against stiffer competition where Curry will be missed, but this isn’t one of those games. This Spurs team plays minimal defense and now that Pop has his record they have no motivation to go out and win games. I like the Warriors here at home to get the win on the back of Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Jordan Poole.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors -6.5 (-110)
Michael Lantz
After four straight wins, the Golden State Warriors look human again, but it should be noted that Steph Curry obtained an injury, and it might cause him to miss a few games. This is unfortunate for a Warriors team that just got Draymond Green back from injury, as they were looking to finally be close to 100% and carry that over to the playoffs. Now, nothing is for certain, as they face an always difficult San Antonio Spurs squad.
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) March 19, 2022
The Spurs might be in 11th place, but they still know how to put up a fight as they have plenty of talent in DeJounte Murray and Keldon Johnson. Still they haven’t been able to put up much of a fight lately going 3-7 over their last ten. But, with Steph Curry out for the Warriors they should be able to have a shot at Golden State. While the likes of Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Andrew Wiggins will make it tough, I think the Spurs have a shot at at least making it a game. I’ll pick them to cover as the best option for this one.
Michael’s NBA Pick: San Antonio Spurs +6.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
The San Antonio Spurs just aren’t very good. They play hard, and watching them you can tell they’re not that far away from being a good team, but they’re still a few pieces away. That’s why they’ve lost three of their last four, and the only win during that stretch came against the Oklahoma City Thunder, one of the worst teams in basketball. They now get the Golden State Warriors in this matchup, one of the best teams in the league, though the Dubs will be without Steph Curry for an indefinite amount of time.
Golden State spent much of the year looking like one of the top two teams in the league, but then slowed down a bit with the return of Klay Thompson, which had many people worried. They then responded in a big way by turning things on once again. However, it’s yet to be seen how this Curry injury affects them moving forward as we get closer to the postseason. Even without Steph, I think Golden State takes this one with ease, but the bigger concern for them is getting him healthy for the postseason run. Take the Warriors by double-digits in this one though.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors -6.5 (-110)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
