While eyes were on the National Championship last night, our NBA picks hit at a 60% strike rate and are looking to go even better tonight.
We have some incredible matchups including Philly v Boston, Giannis v Steph and Dame v PG. We have the best analysis for five handpicked matchups tonight plus the winner of each of them. You won’t want to miss this.
Philadelphia 76ers @ Boston Celtics – 7:30PM ET
We kick off the night with a classic Atlantic Division rivalry match between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics. This is the third and final time these sides will meet for the season with the Sixers attempting to sweep the season series after picking up the first two wins, both in Philadelphia.
This one will be in Boston however and that can only lead to a more positive outcome for the Celtics, being 15-9 at home compared to just 10-16 on the road for the season. They come into this contest with some nice momentum with back to back double digit wins, both at home, with the most recent being a 30 point win over the Hornets. Jayson Tatum led six different Celtics plates in double figures with 22 while new acquisition Evan Fournier is getting more and more comfortable with his role off the bench, contributing 17 points and an equal team high six assists.
DIFFERENT 🥶☘️@TDBank_US | #HumanBehindTheNumber pic.twitter.com/UtveAsVtId
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 5, 2021
The Celtics made a massive 21 triples for the game, 11 more than Charlotte in that game and 13 more than Philadelphia made in their 100-116 home loss to the Grizzlies on Sunday. While Joel Embiid had a successful return to the Sixers’ lineup on Saturday in a win over Minnesota, he sat out the second night of the back to back and Philly suffered because of it. Tobias Harris scored 21 points on 57.1% shooting but the other four starters combined for 25 points on 8/29 (27.6%) shooting.
Embiid isn’t on the injury report heading into this clash and that is trouble for the Celtics as they have no dominant big man that can stay with him defensively. In their previous two matchups, Embiid combined for 80 points and 21 rebounds and is primed for a big one here. While Boston is a much better team at home and have two nice wins coming into this, the Sixers have an MVP candidate and have been one of the best teams all season for a reason.
NBA Pick – Philadelphia 76ers (-116)
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Los Angeles Lakers @ Toronto Raptors – 7:30PM ET
It is always a box office moment when the Los Angeles Lakers are on the screen but this current team, with the injuries they have, are seriously struggling and head into a clash with the Toronto Raptors, who are just 20-30 overall, as underdogs. LA starts a five game East coast road trip after a disappointing blowout loss to the Clippers on Sunday while the Raptors come in off two straight wins and need to keep winning to keep their slim chance of making the playoffs alive.
Toronto hosted the Wizards last night and needed a last second three from Gary Trent Jr to escape with the 103-101 win. The Raptors were hindered by shooting just 7/33 from deep by the game but used a 28-15 last quarter to get back into it and end up with the win. Pascal Siakm was the lead man with 22 points while rookie Malachi Flynn had the best game of his career with 16 points, six rebounds, four assists, four steals and three blocks.
This issue for Toronto is that they are just 1-9 on the second night of back to backs, including a 14 point loss in Detroit last time they were in that situation. The Lakers will try and take advantage of that and the fact that Andre Drummond is questionable but expected to return after two games off is a big positive.
In the afternoon time slot against their crosstown rivals, the Lakers were blown out of the water and never looked like contending. Montrezl Harrell was the best player on the team with 19 points, six rebounds and two blocks but the starters seriously struggled on both ends, with four of them shooting 40% or worse.
Both teams made just seven three point field goals in their last game, however that may be just an aberration for the Raptors. They average the third most made threes per game in the league while the Lakers are fourth last and have struggled offensively since losing their two All Stars. Toronto may play bad on the second night of back to backs but this Lakers team is playing worse.
NBA Pick – Toronto Raptors (-138)
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New Orleans Pelicans @ Atlanta Hawks – 7:30PM ET
The Atlanta Hawks host the New Orleans Pelicans in an exciting matchup, however we will be sweating on the final lineups as the injury report is looking bleak for this matchup. Both Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram are just questionable for this clash and that seriously hinders the Pelicans’ chances, especially playing on the road against an Atlanta side that they just lost to on Friday, at home, by 23 points.
The Pelicans have since come out and escaped Houston with a 122-115 win thanks to some exceptional player from Lonzo Ball. The guard scored 27 points on a career high eight threes, adding nine assists, four rebounds and three steals with it. His ability to set the table for his teammates saw six other New Orleans players score in double figures in the win, however the Pelicans trailed heading into the last quarter, needing a 33-23 fourth period to get over the line.
BIG-TIME double-double for @CapelaClint in the @ATLHawks win! 💪
24 PTS | 18 REB | 2 BLK pic.twitter.com/a8nwu1Fnr4— NBA (@NBA) April 5, 2021
That sort of effort won’t go down well against an Atlanta side that has now one three straight games, including Sunday’s 117-111 win over the Warriors. However, the Hawks did it just as tough, needing a 38-29 last quarter to come back into the game and end up winning it. Danilo Gallinari was the Hawks’ leading scorer with 25 points and 10 rebounds off the bench while Clint Capela continues to dominate inside with 24 points, 18 rebounds and two blocks.
If both Williamson and Ingram miss then Atlanta simply just wins the game, so we will continue to update as news breaks of their availability. Given the Hawks got this matchup on Friday and now face the Pelicans on the road, where they average 3.5 less points per game whilst also allowing more, we like Atlanta here.
NBA Pick – Atlanta Hawks (-148)
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Portland Trail Blazers @ Los Angeles Clippers – 10PM ET
The Los Angeles Clippers continue their homestand with an intriguing matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers tonight. After two straight bad beats, to the Magic and Nuggets, LA got back on track against a struggling Lakers side on Sunday while Portland have had two nights off after a massive 48 point win over the Thunder.
No starter reached 26 minutes for the Blazers as CJ McCollum led scoring for the game with 20 points while Portland had five different bench players in double figures during the blowout. This was exactly what the Blazers needed as one night earlier, they had their four game winning streak broken by the Bucks, going down 109-127.
The Clippers are clearly more on the level of Milwaukee compared to Oklahoma City and will pose as a tough test for Portland in this clash between third and sixth in the West, respectively. LA proved that in the only matchup between the two sides this season, winning 128-105 in the second week of the season.
Sunday afternoon’s 104-86 win over the Lakers saw Marcus Morris Sr top score for the Clippers with 22 points thanks to 4/5 shooting from deep. As usual, Kawhi Leonard had his hands in everything scoring 19 points, adding 10 rebounds, eight assists and two steals with it.
The Clippers have their rotation locked in and are getting stronger as every day goes by while the Blazers are still figuring things out since the trade deadline and will be without Jusuf Nurkic for this clash. Both sides may fancy themselves here but we are riding with the home team. The Clippers have more pieces across the board and will be able to slow down the Blazers’ dynamic duo in the backcourt.
NBA Pick – Los Angeles Clippers (-255)
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Milwaukee Bucks @ Golden State Warriors – 10PM ET
The Milwaukee Bucks head out onto the floor for their fifth straight road game and are looking for their fourth consecutive win against a struggling Golden State Warriors outfit. Returning home from the three game road trip, the Warriors will be hoping for a turn of fortunes after losing three straight and seven of their last eight.
Sunday’s 111-117 loss in Atlanta saw Golden State give up a six point lead late in the third quarter, losing the final frame 29-38. This all happened despite a game high 37 points from Steph Curry and a 20 point, 11 rebound, two steal and three block night from Kelly Oubre Jr as the Warriors shot just 10/40 (25%) from deep whilst also committing 16 turnovers for the game.
The perfect way to cap a great week. pic.twitter.com/0ecayuKa8C
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) April 5, 2021
Those two areas will need to improve against a Milwaukee side that is rolling at the moment, evidenced by their three game winning streak. Saturday night saw the Bucks, on the second night of a back to back, win 129-128 in Sacramento with Giannis Antetokounmpo sitting out the game due to rest. Jrue Holiday stepped up to take control with his best game of the season, putting up 33 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds.
This Golden State team is good on paper and has one of the best players in the world, but are struggling to piece it all together and may find it too tough yet again. With Antetokounmpo getting back in the lineup and wanting to prove a point against another former MVP, Milwaukee could turn this into a blowout.
NBA Pick – Milwaukee Bucks (-275)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
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