Our free NBA picks are out for Tuesday, April 5th, 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!
Atlanta Hawks @ Toronto Raptors – 7.30pm ET
The Atlanta Hawks have just one game on the road when they travel to Toronto and take on the Raptors. The Hawks are putting in a lot of stellar performances as of late, and they are currently on a five game winning streak, which includes wins over the Warriors, Pacers, Thunder, Cavaliers and Nets. The Raptors just had their five game winning streak snapped, as they went down to the Heat in their last game, 109-114.
Jeffery Thomas
The Atlanta Hawks are peaking at the right time and have won 5 straight games, getting their record over .500 on the year and jumping up to the 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. They are coming off a 122-115 win over the Nets on Saturday where Trae Young had 36 points and 10 assists. The Hawks will now shift their focus over to the Toronto Raptors who have won five of their last six games. The lone loss in that span however, was last game against the Miami Heat.
It was a 109-114 home loss for them who were welcoming in longtime Raptor Kyle Lowry, who is now a member of the Heat. Lowry had 16 points and 10 assists against his former team and dealt them their 33rd loss of the season. The Hawks have been hot but the Raptors have been just as hot and been the more consistent team all year. I like Toronto in this spot at home to take care of business and keep that distance between themselves and the play-in tournament. The Raptors are already 2-1 this year against the Hawks and on Monday will make it 3-1.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Toronto Raptors (-166)
Noah Dunlap
The Atlanta Hawks are playing great basketball as of late, and it comes at the right time, as they’ve won five straight and have now managed to climb to the eight spot in the East as we enter the last week and a half of the year. Trae Young remains the key for this Hawks squad, as his offensive ability is the difference maker, which is a gift and a curse at the same time, as he wins games, but also doesn’t get enough help for me to view this team as a legitimate contender to make a run through the East playoffs.
They get the Toronto Raptors in this one, and it’s a Raptors team that is playing nearly as hot as Atlanta is. Toronto comes into this one winners of five of their last six, which has created a decent gap between them and the play-in tournament, and a win in this one would just about seal that. With them being virtually totally healthy, led by Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam, I’m going Raptors at home in this one, though Young does manage to keep it close.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Toronto Raptors (-166)
Milwaukee Bucks @ Chicago Bulls – 8pm ET
The Milwaukee Bucks and the Chicago Bulls will go toe-to-toe on Tuesday night in the NBA. The Bucks will be looking to get back on track after dropping their last two games, against the Clippers and Mavericks. The Bulls have split their last six games, and this takes their overall record on the season to 45-33.
Jeffery Thomas
The Milwaukee Bucks are traveling to take on the Chicago Bulls for the third time in the last month. The first two meetings both went to the Bucks, and the last matchup just two weeks ago was a 28 point victory. It’s been a rough past two games for the defending champion Bucks, losing to both the Clippers and Mavericks to begin the month of April, so they’ll be happy to see a familiar foe on Tuesday. The Bulls are closing in on their first playoff appearance in five years so there’s a lot of buzz around the city but there’s still a lot of question marks.
The Bulls have struggled mightily against the top teams this season and were once again beaten by one on Saturday, losing 109-127 to the Miami Heat. Their record is now 2-19 against the top four teams in the East and West, so an early playoff exit is surely in the cards for them. The Bulls are never to be trusted against a top team and we aren’t going to start now. Milwaukee will be angry after the home loss to Luka and the Mavs on Sunday and I’m expecting a bounce back performance as they try to make a final push at Miami for the 1 seed in the East.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Milwaukee Bucks (-198)
Noah Dunlap
Milwaukee Bucks, all day. Milwaukee has been playing extremely well lately, have MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo continuing to play incredible ball, and are coming off of a tight loss to Dallas on Sunday that should have them motivated for this matchup. Assuming Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton continue to play well, to give Giannis some support, I like Milwaukee to win this one and potentially be the team that ends up winning the East.
They take on Chicago in this one, and the only really important fact to keep in mind about this game is that, as good as the Bulls have been in this matchup, they simply haven’t been able to beat the best teams in either conference, and since Milwaukee is one of the top two teams in the East, regardless of how either team is playing, the safe play is to take the Bucks, even on the road in the Windy City. Milwaukee by at least eight.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Milwaukee Bucks -4.5 (-110)
Washington Wizards @ Minnesota Timberwolves – 8pm ET
The Washington Wizards are in the middle of their three game road trip on Tuesday when they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves, who themselves are kicking off their three game homestand. The Wizards have won four of their last six games, but last time out they did fall to the Celtics, 102-144. The Timberwolves will be looking to build on their current two game winning streak, as they have wins over the Nuggets and Rockets.
Jeffery Thomas
The Minnesota Timberwolves are starting up a three-game homestand to finish the year and are desperate for victories in all three, as they sit 1.5 games back of the 6 seed Utah Jazz. They won their second straight game on Sunday, beating the Houston Rockets 139-132. Anthony Edwards had 33 points in the win while Karl-Anthony Towns added 29. The Wolves will now shift their focus to the Washington Wizards who they haven’t beat in the team’s last four meetings. That includes the matchup way back on December 1 that moved Washington to 14-8 on the year.
After that win the Wiz lost seven of eight and now have a plethora of injuries and are eliminated from playoff contention. They are also coming off their worst loss of the season, losing 102-144 to the Boston Celtics. There’s no doubting that the Minnesota Timberwolves will win this game but can they cover this double digit spread? It hasn’t been a favorable matchup for them but a lot has changed since their last meeting and the Wolves are highly motivated right now. They’ll also be at home and just have too much offensive firepower for me to see Washington keeping up as currently constructed. Give me Minnesota in a much needed blowout.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Minnesota Timberwolves -11.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
This matchup gives us two teams that have very different things they’re trying to achieve as we close out the regular season. The Washington Wizards are playing better basketball, as they’re winners of four of their last six, but they’ve brought this surge a bit too late, as they’re already out of playoff or play-in contention. Their run makes little sense though, as it seems like they’d be better off tanking at this point, but nonetheless, with Kristaps Porzingis leading the way, they do have a bit of momentum heading into next season.
Their opponents, the Minnesota Timberwolves are also playing reasonably well lately, as they’re on a short two-game winning streak, and are trying to ride decent momentum heading into the West’s play-in tournament, which they’re virtually locked into at this point. With the Wolves having Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards leading the way, and at home in Minnesota, the safe play in this one is T’Wolves by double-digits, as I think they just have too much for Washington this late in the year.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Minnesota Timberwolves -11.5 (-110)
San Antonio Spurs @ Denver Nuggets – 9pm ET
The San Antonio Spurs hit the road on Tuesday night and travel to Ball Arena in Denver for a game against the Nuggets. The Spurs are really making a push for the play-in tournament at the moment, they have overtaken the Lakers and sit in 10th position in the Western Conference standings, thanks to a 7-1 run. The Nuggets need to keep winning if they want to maintain their spot in the playoffs and not slip down into the play-ins, and they have won four of their last five games.
Jeffery Thomas
The San Antonio Spurs were on a 22-year postseason run with head coach Gregg Popovich but have been absent the last two seasons. Now with the implementation of the play-in tournament, they have a chance to get back in the postseason, as they lead the Lakers by 2 games for the final spot with 4 games left to play. The bad news is all four of those games come against teams with winning records and that challenge starts on Tuesday with a visit to the 5th seeded Denver Nuggets.
The Nuggets are coming off a 129-118 win over the aforementioned Lakers on Sunday, in a game where LeBron sat out due to an ankle injury. Nikola Jokic had his way, going for 38 points and 18 rebounds to lead the way and practically lock up the MVP award for the second consecutive year. The Nuggets are going to be a tall task for the Spurs to tackle but these guys know what’s at stake. I’m not sure if the Spurs can win this game but I believe Pop will have the boys competing enough to cover this spread. Give me the desperate Spurs to put up a whale of a fight.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: San Antonio Spurs +7 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
The San Antonio Spurs have done what not many people thought they could do about a month ago, as they’ve now leaped past the Los Angeles Lakers for the tenth seed in the West, and are now in the play-in tournament, as they look to hold onto their spot. They’ve used a run of 7-3 in their last 10 to get there, including going 7-1 in their last eight. If they hold off Los Angeles for the 10 spot, it’s a great accomplishment, though I don’t know that it’ll matter much, as I just can’t see them advancing out of the play-in.
Even with the great run, they’re going to have their hands full in this one, as they take on the Denver Nuggets. While Denver has been a bit disappointing this season, partially due to injuries, they’re still getting ridiculous play from Nikola Jokic, who has quietly become the odds on favorite to win his second MVP award in consecutive years. With Jokic playing at the level he’s currently at, this Nuggets team can beat anyone on any given night, and this game just feels like another one that he almost single-handedly takes over. Take Denver at home, and with relative ease, at that.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Denver Nuggets -7 (-110)
Memphis Grizzlies @ Utah Jazz – 9pm ET
The Memphis Grizzlies kick off a two game road trip tonight with a game against the Utah Jazz. The Grizzlies have been confirmed as the second seed out west, as they have a 55-23 record, and have gone on a 12-1 run as of late. The Jazz are the 6 seed, the final place that leads to the playoffs without having to be involved in the play-in, so they need to keep winning, which is something they haven’t been doing as of late, going on a 1-7 run.
Jeffery Thomas
The struggling Utah Jazz are in serious danger of having to earn their way into the postseason by way of the play-in tournament. They’ve now lost six of their last seven games after blowing a 16-point lead in the fourth quarter and losing 107-111 to the Golden State Warriors. The Minnesota Timberwolves are hot on their heels for that 6 seed and now with a date against the Memphis Grizzlies on tap for Tuesday, they’re entering must-win territory. The chances of the win are slim however, as the Grizzlies have won seven straight games and are just a very scary team to face at the moment. Memphis’ last win was a 122-114 statement victory over the league’s best team in the Phoenix Suns.
The win snapped a nine-game winning streak for the Suns and without Ja Morant nonetheless. This team is really going to be something to watch in the postseason. The Utah Jazz just can’t seem to get out of their own way and that’s terrible news with the Memphis Grizzlies coming to town. I couldn’t bet against the Grizz right now even if I wanted to and I won’t until they give me a reason to. It also helps that Utah hasn’t given us much reason to back them, so the choice here is obvious. Give me Memphis to keep the hot streak rolling and put some heat on the Jazz in the playoff race.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Memphis Grizzlies +5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
The Memphis Grizzlies are looking to round out the end of what has been arguably their best regular season in franchise history with a few more wins, and that starts on the road against a struggling Utah Jazz squad. Despite having Ja Morant out of the lineup, the Grizz continue to dominate without him, as they’re now 20-2 on the year without their superstar playing. This is an absolutely astounding record, and shows just how dangerous they can be once the playoffs roll around.
Utah, in the other hand, had hopes of being a real contender this year, but with how they’ve played over the second half of the season, and where they find themselves now, I just don’t think that’s likely, despite still having a ridiculously talented lineup led by Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, and Mike Conley. They’ve lost six of seven, and with the team that may be the second best team in the league coming in, this could mean real trouble for the home team here. Give me the Grizz in this one, which has great value, seeing as they’re an underdog coming into this matchup.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Memphis Grizzlies (+176)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
