Our free NBA picks are out for Tuesday, March 1st, 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 @ Boston Celtics – 7.30pm ET
The Atlanta Hawks hit the road on Tuesday night when they travel to TD Garden to face off against the Boston Celtics. The Hawks have won three of their last four games, with their only loss coming against the Bulls, 108-112. The Celtics had their two game winning streak snapped last time out, thanks to the Pacers.
Jeffery Thomas
It was an up and down February for the Hawks who went 5-5 in the month, and they will hope for a better showing in March in their chase for the playoffs. They ended the month with a 127-100 win over the struggling Raptors, so that’s something to build on and Trae Young showed he’s still that elite franchise player, going off for 41 points and 11 assists. At 29-31, they are currently at the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference. For Boston, they had a great February, going 9-2, but the two losses were head-scratching to say the least.
Losses to Detroit and Indiana, who are both at the bottom of the East, are definitely inexcusable but they’ll hope to keep up their consistency down the stretch. That Indiana game was their last outing, a 107-128 score, and they just couldn’t get things going defensively. The Celtics got a slap in the face in the last game against Indiana and I expect them to be fully focused now that they are back at home in front of their fans. They lost the first two matchups against the Hawks this season, but in the third matchup, were able to get a 10 point victory at home. This Celtics team is much more locked in lately and I expect them to repeat that result on Tuesday.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Boston Celtics -6 (-110)
Michael Lantz
Coming into Sunday, the Boston Celtics were one of, if not, the hottest team(s) in basketball. They had won 11 of 12 and were getting outstanding performances from their star players Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, who were giving them boosts on both sides of the ball. The Celtics defense has also risen the ranks in recent months to become one of the best in basketball. But after a run of great games, the Celtics lost steam on Sunday, as they lost to a bad Indiana Pacers team 107-128. They’ll need to revamp that defense quickly as they face an Atlanta Hawks team that has plenty of scoring options including All-Star Trae Young.
Wash, rinse, repeat 🔄@TheTraeYoung x @CapelaClint pic.twitter.com/03JuOsFjH0
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) February 28, 2022
The Hawks have won three of their last four, solidifying their place in the play-in standings as they look to move up from 10th to 9th place in the East. Young has been phenomenal, including a 41-point performance on Saturday against the Toronto Raptors. But he’s also getting a lot of help from some of the team’s other recent draft picks. De’Andre Hunter is healthy again and 2020 first-rounder Onyeak Okongwu is coming into his own on both sides of the ball. Still after an odd loss on Sunday, I expect the Celtics to bounce back, especially against a competitive team on the rise. I’ll pick the C’s to cover.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Boston Celtics -6 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
At this point, how do you predict anything when it comes to this Boston Celtics team? They started the year relatively poorly, playing no defense and not being able to shoot, and then all of a sudden they turned it on for about three weeks, looking like one of the best teams in the league. Now, they’ve slipped back again, as in their last three they have losses to Detroit and Indiana, and a tight win over that same bad Detroit team. This game provides them another chance to try to get back on track.
The Atlanta Hawks are in a similar situation, as they’ve been underwhelming for virtually the entire year, until now, as they’ve won four of five and finally seem to be playing better ball. I’m still nervous about their reliance on Trae Young, though, as right now they’ve been virtually a one-man team. For this one, despite the struggles since the All-Star break, I’m going to lean Boston by a nose at home, as I think they’re a slightly more balanced team.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Boston Celtics -6 (-110)
Brooklyn Nets @ Toronto Raptors – 7.30pm ET
This will be the second game of a back-to-back between these two teams. In the game played last night, it was the Raptors who came out victorious, 133-97. Can the Nets fight back in the game tonight, or will the Raptors use the home court to their advantage?
Jeffery Thomas
The Toronto Raptors got back in the win column in a big way on Monday night with a 133-97 win in the first game of this home and home series with the Brooklyn Nets. It was a breakout performance for their rookie forward Scottie Barnes who made his first 11 shots en route to a 28 point game, with a career high 16 rebounds. He had to pick up the slack for Pascal Siakam who was having an off night, only shooting 2-14 and also All-Star point guard Fred VanVleet was out for the contest.
The Nets were searching for offense from anybody, and no one guy could really get it going. The team high in points was 15 by LaMarcus Aldridge and only three guys were able to even reach double digits. They’ll just burn the tape on this game and move on to the Tuesday matchup. The Nets are one of the rare teams that actually have a bigger advantage in road games, due to the availability of Kyrie Irving. But they won’t have him for this one, as he cannot enter Canada with his status as unvaccinated. The Raptors weren’t playing well heading into Monday’s game and they needed a career-game from Barnes to get that victory. That won’t be sustainable and Brooklyn won’t play that horribly two nights in a row.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Brooklyn Nets (+295)
Michael Lantz
The Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors will play for the second time in consecutive nights on Tuesday, with a change of location from Brooklyn to Toronto. In last night’s matchup the Raptors ran through a Nets team that was missing Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Ben Simmons, 133-97. The Nets also found out shortly before game time that they’d be without head coach Steve Nash, who entered health and safety protocols. All of the above will be missing again on Sunday, even Kyrie Irving, who despite his usual ability to play away games, isn’t prohibited to enter Canada with his unvaccinated status.
🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/ovyrlVO49g
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) March 1, 2022
Meanwhile, the Raptors blowout win last night was a huge sigh of relief for a team that had been blown out in their past two games after the All-Star break. Sure, they’ve been without OG Anunoby, but this team still has too many talented players to be getting blown out like that. They were thrilled to be the one providing the blowout last night, even if it was against a Nets team that’s without their best players. With this game being in Toronto and the Nets still being without their top talent, I expect a pretty similar result to last night.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Toronto Raptors -8.5 (-106)
Noah Dunlap
Even without Kevin Durant in the lineup, there’s simply no excuse for how bad the Brooklyn Nets are right now. There’s still a bit of talent on the team, yet they can get absolutely nothing going without KD on the floor, which was proven once again yesterday, as they took on this same Toronto team, and got beat by 36. They were without Kyrie in that one, and they’ll be without him again in this one, despite it being on the road, as Canada also has restrictions on the unvaccinated.
Toronto has been difficult to figure out all year long, as they started the year looking like one of the best teams in the league. They then went through some COVID and injury issues, which caused them to slip, but then picked it up once again when they got healthy. However, they were in the middle of a rough stretch until the huge win over Brooklyn in their last game, so the question now becomes whether they can take two straight over this Nets squad. I think the answer is yes, especially with this one taking place north of the border. Give me the Raptors in a close one.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Toronto Raptors (-370)
Los Angeles Clippers @ Houston Rockets – 8pm ET
This is the second game the Los Angeles Clippers and the Houston Rockets will be playing against each other, and this time the Rockets get the home court advantage. In the first game, it was the Clippers that got the narrowest of victories, beating the Rockets, 99-98. Can the Rockets get revenge and snap their nine game losing streak, or will the Clippers be victorious yet again?
Jeffery Thomas
While all the focus is on the Lakers and their downfall, the other team in Los Angeles is just quietly putting together some very solid performances. They squeaked out a 99-98 win over the Rockets in Houston on Sunday on the back of Reggie Jackson’s 26 points, including a jumper with 90 seconds left that ended up being the game-sealing shot. That was their fifth win in six games, and it pushed their record over the .500 mark. At 32-31 the Clippers are 8th in the Western Conference standings, one game behind the Timberwolves entering Monday’s action. After a failed revenge attempt (the Clippers beat Houston right before the All-Star break) on Sunday, this Tuesday matchup will now be a double-revenge spot for the Rockets.
I don’t think they will lack confidence in this spot after only losing by 1 and holding the Los Angeles Clippers to under 100 points. Houston will just need to produce better offensively, starting with their backcourt of Dennis Schroeder and Jalen Green who combined to shoot 8-33 (24%). One thing that hasn’t been profitable at all this season is backing the Houston Rockets. They are tied with the Magic for the lowest win total in the league heading into Monday’s games and it’s not due to any major injury issues or anything, they’re just an awful team. The Clippers are on a roll and have beaten this team twice in the last 10 days, and that won’t change on Tuesday. Give me the Clippers.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Los Angeles Clippers -6.5 (-110)
Michael Lantz
Even though he probably won’t win, the Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue should be up for Head Coach of the year this year. The Clippers have been completely without Kawhi Leonard; have seldom had Paul George; and just three games after trading for Norman Powell, the team lost him to an injury as well. Still, this squad has stayed resilient, due to the likes of Reggie Jackson, Marcus Morris, and numerous other players who have helped them to an eighth seed in the Western Conference. On Tuesday they’ll play their second straight game against the Houston Rockets, after they barely snuck by on Sunday, 99-98.
15 PTS off the bench for the rookie! 🚀@CreditKarma | #MoneyMoveoftheGame pic.twitter.com/gc1JZxfg5q
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) February 28, 2022
Despite the Rockets terrible record of 15-45, they have been somewhat fun to watch this year. They have a lot of future talent in the likes of Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr., and Jae’Sean Tate, as well as some more established names like Eric Gordon and Christian Wood. It feels like just a matter of time before they could be the next Cleveland Cavaliers, a team that was a high lottery pick one season, and then a playoff threat the next. They’ll look to emulate their play from Sunday night’s one-point loss, with this time the home-court being in their favor. I think the Clippers will grab another win, but as for the best bet, I’ll pick the Rockets to keep it close and cover.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Houston Rockets +6.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
This is a matchup between one of the bottom feeders of the NBA this year, the Houston Rockets, taking on a team that had high hopes before injuries derailed virtually any real shot they had at making a run, the Los Angeles Clippers. The Rockets just aren’t very good, as they’ve shown flashes of being a good team in the future, but right now the talent they have, including Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr., and Christian Wood, are just too young to make a real run at the postseason.
Los Angeles, on the other hand, had extremely high hopes for the season, as they had Paul George, and were expecting to get Kawhi Leonard back at some point, as he tries to return from a torn ACL. The problem is that Leonard hasn’t yet returned, and Paul George has missed virtually the entire year due to injury, as well. It’s amazing that this team is even hanging around playoff contention right now, and shows how good of a job Ty Lue has done. For this one, I’m going to take this Clippers team, as even with the injuries they’re dealing with, and being a shell of themselves, I still think they’re a better team, relying on guys like Luke Kennard and Reggie Jackson to lead the way. Give me the Clips to travel east to Houston and get the win.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Los Angeles Clippers -6.5 (-110)
Golden State Warriors @ Minnesota Timberwolves – 8pm ET
The Golden State Warriors kick off a four game road trip on Tuesday night, when they travel to Minnesota and take on the Timberwolves. The Warriors have lost five of their last seven games, and this takes their season record to 43-18. The Timberwolves are playing on back-to-back nights, and last time out they won, 127-122, against the Cavaliers.
Jeffery Thomas
The Golden State Warriors find themselves in a weird spot in their season. They are still awaiting the return of James Wiseman and Draymond Green from injury, and are still trying to work Klay Thompson back into a full workload after two years off. All these moving parts are impacting their results in the court, as they’ve lost five of their last seven games. The last game may have been the worst one, with them blowing a 3rd quarter 21-point lead against Dallas. It was their first home game since returning from the All-Star break, and they had no Klay Thompson, which proved to be a big absence, as they just couldn’t buy a bucket for large stretches in the second half. The Dubs will hope to get things back on track with a fresh slate in March, because the 1 seed in the West is very much up for grabs now with the Suns being without Chris Paul for the remainder of the regular season. Minnesota got a huge win over the East contending Cavaliers in Cleveland on Monday. It was a slow start for them falling down double digits early, but they chipped away slowly and eventually even got a double digit lead of their own.
Then the Cavs were able to storm back but the Wolves were able to string together enough quality possessions down the stretch to hold on. Their maturity in those clutch moments this season has been the main difference for Minnesota and why they are finally about to break their playoff drought. That was the Wolves fourth win in the last six games although this will be the stiffest test of them all, but one thing you can count on is that they’ll be up for the task. The Warriors got the win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 27 by the score of 124-115. Even though they won, they had no answer for Karl Anthony-Towns as he went off for 31 points and 12 rebounds. Without Draymond Green they don’t really have an answer for versatile big men like KAT, so expect another big game from him, especially after a relatively quiet game on Monday. Golden State will be more rested but after the collapse against Dallas, it’s clear they are broken until they can get all of their guys back, so I just can’t trust them to get the win against a dangerous and hungry Wolves squad.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Minnesota Timberwolves (-110)
Michael Lantz
In their three games after the All-Star break, the Minnesota Timberwolves have been a whirlwind of emotions. Last Thursday they pulled off an impressive win against a top Western Conference team in the Memphis Grizzlies. Unfortunately they had to follow that by taking on the Philadelphia 76ers 24 hours later—a game they lost 102-133. Last night they took on the Cleveland Cavaliers, who despite missing some key players at guard, put up a great fight at home. Luckily, the Timberwolves pulled away in the fourth, winning 127-122. Now they’ll play their second back to back in just a matter of days against one of the NBA’s best in the Golden State Warriors.
touched down & got to work @futurefitapp || Road Reps pic.twitter.com/8UInQ8C1Wb
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) March 1, 2022
Things are starting to get a little uneasy in the Bay Area, as the Golden State Warriors have gone 2-5 in their last seven. This included a 101-107 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday, in which the Dubs blew a 19-point lead in the fourth (they were outscored 13-33). Even though both Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were missing, that should be no excuse for a team that’s heralded as one of the best defensive teams in basketball. Things don’t get any easier for them as they take on a Minnesota Timberwolves team that’s on the rise and has plenty of All-Star worthy talent. It was also reported last night that the Warriors will be without Thompson again in this one, a game where they could really use his perimeter defense. Still, I’ll pick the Warriors to bounce back, as they face a Minnesota team that seems to get a little spent on the back end of a back-to-back, as they’re 3-7 with no rest this season.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors (-108)
Noah Dunlap
This is a game that can quietly go under the radar as a really good game that could potentially be a preview of a first round series in the Western Conference playoffs. The Golden State Warriors are one of the most talented teams in the NBA, and they’ve played like the second best team for most of the season. With Klay Thompson coming back, it was expected that they were going to get even better, but honestly that hasn’t been the case to this point, as they’ve struggled a bit more than expected, including blowing a double-digit lead to Dallas in their last game. Steph has continued to play great ball, for the most part, but the biggest issue for this Warriors team lately has been their defense, as they’ve struggled to play any kind of defense.
The Minnesota Timberwolves come in as a team that, when healthy, are a team that could arguably be considered one of the most balanced in the league, as they have guys like D’Angelo Russell, Anthony Edwards, and Karl-Anthony Towns leading the way. This trio is one of the best, if not the best trio in the league, and this is the kind of game that I think they can easily get motivated for. The only question is whether or not they can manage to play enough defense to get the win, and I think the answer is going to be no. With the collapse from Golden State a few nights ago, I think they come out frustrated and looking to make a point, so even with this one being in Minnesota, give me the Warriors in a close one.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors (-108)
Dallas Mavericks @ Los Angeles Lakers – 10pm ET
The final game on Tuesday night’s slate will see the Dallas Mavericks take on the Los Angeles Lakers. The Mavericks got an impressive comeback win over the Warriors last time out, they were down over 20 points, but still managed to get the win, 107-101. The Lakers have lost five of their last six games, and this takes their season record to 27-33.
Jeffery Thomas
The Dallas Mavericks are one of the hottest teams in the NBA, winning seven of their last nine games and will hope to keep the winning ways going against a struggling Lakers team. It appeared Dallas was going to lose their last game to Golden State in blowout fashion when they were down 21 in the third quarter, but a huge extended run got them back in the game and eventually the lead for good with 3:21 left in the game. Luka had another amazing performance leading the Mavs with 34 points and 11 rebounds. The Lakers are in a complete free fall at the moment after another bad loss on Sunday night, this time to the Pelicans 95-123 at home.
The loss of Anthony Davis is the last thing they need right now, as they are 9th in the West and just fighting to stay in the play-in tournament race. LeBron had 32 but it wasn’t nearly enough and we can expect to see him continue to put up big numbers, even if they don’t translate to wins. Even with LeBron James still playing at a very high level, it’s not enough to overcome this bad Lakers roster. Russell Westbrook is a shell of himself and there’s just so many below average guys that they are relying on to contribute and they’re just not getting the job done. In what is a premier matchup for Luka, I expect him to have a huge game (I’m calling a triple-double) and it will carry Dallas to a comfortable win over this reeling Los Angeles team.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Dallas Mavericks -4.5 (-110)
Michael Lantz
These two teams seem to be on the opposite end of the spectrum right now. On Sunday, the Dallas Mavericks outscored the Golden State Warriors 33-13 in the fourth, capping off a massive comeback, to end up winning 107-101. Under new head coach Jason Kidd, the Mavs have put an emphasis on defense, evolving into one of the league’s best on that side of the ball. They currently sit at fifth in the Western Conference, but can feel a Denver Nuggets team that’s getting healthier breathing down their neck.
Final pic.twitter.com/LZhxYDd0Cl
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 28, 2022
Meanwhile, things just continue to grow more frustrating for the Los Angeles Lakers. Anthony Davis is once again injured and the team has dropped their last two coming out of the All-Star break, including a 95-123 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday. LeBron James continues to put up impressive stats, but at 37-years-old it’s getting harder for him to do it all every night. With Russell Westbrook not being the same player he used to be, and other players like Malik Monk and Talen Horton Tucker not yet able to be second options, things have been a mess lately for the Lakers. Things won’t get easier for them at home on Tuesday as they face a top defense and one of the league’s most exhilarating players in Luka Doncic. While the Lakers are always capable of pulling off a big win, I just don’t have confidence in them right now, especially against this Dallas team that seems to be turning over a new leaf in the Luka Doncic era.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Dallas Mavericks -4.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
Dallas. All day long.
The Los Angeles Lakers are just downright awful at this point. There was real hope that they were going to be able to contend for a title, especially with a few of the offseason additions they made, but instead they’ve simply gotten worse. LeBron is still carrying the team, as virtually a one-man show, but there’s only so much he can do, which was shown in their last game, as they got dropped by nearly 30 by the New Orleans Pelicans. That doesn’t bode well as we enter the stretch run of the year, as they’re fighting for a playoff spot. If they can’t get motivated enough to not get blown out by the Pelicans this late in the year, why do I think they can get a win over Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks?
The Mavs come into this one having just picked up a huge win over Golden State in their last outing, as they had to come from behind by double-digits to get the win. Luka has still been playing out of his mind as of late, and I don’t think Los Angeles has anyone that can stop him, or even really slow him down. This is a game that I could see getting out of hand, as I think Dallas rides the momentum from the win over Steph and the Warriors, and uses that to take care of business, with ease, over the Lakers in Los Angeles.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Dallas Mavericks -4.5 (-110)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
