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Free NBA Picks Today for Wednesday, February 17th, 2021

Our free NBA picks have had to adapt after a 12 game night has become 10. Three games were postponed and the league rescheduled the Bulls and the Pistons to play each other on short notice!

Free NBA Picks Today for Wednesday, February 17th, 2021
Picks & Predictions
Wed 17th February 2021

Our NBA picks are on a roll but have been tested after the league has made some last minute adjustments to the schedule! In what is the new normal with the current times, a 12 game night is now just 10.

Two games have been postponed due to COVID-19 while the whacky weather in Dallas has caused the Mavs matchup with the Pistons to be postponed. But the league doesn’t want teams to sit idle and has rescheduled Detroit to travel to Chicago and play tonight!

The league is always changing but one thing that is constant is that our free NBA picks continue to produce the goods and find winners for our followers. See who we have for tonight’s 10 games below!

Chicago Bulls @ Charlotte Hornets – 7PM ET

*This game has been postponed due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols, a new date has not been confirmed at this time*

New York Knicks @ Orlando Magic – 7PM ET

Two teams trending in opposite directions as the New York Knicks, who have won three straight games, get on the road to take on the bruised and battered Orlando Magic. Returning from a four game road trip, the Magic have dropped four of their last five and are still missing a bunch of their regular rotation players. 

Orlando’s starting five in Sunday’s 90-109 loss to Phoenix only had two members from their opening night starting five, with the other three suffering serious injuries throughout the season. Terrance Ross was the Magic’s best player with 23 points, six rebounds and five assists while Nikola Vucevic had just 14 points along with 10 rebounds and two steals. 

On the other hand, New York’s three game winning streak has seen them win all three by 11+ points and is keeping opponents to an average of 100.67 points per game. Monday’s 123-112 win over Atlanta was driven by a season best performance by Julius Randle, as the All Star hopeful put up 44 points on 63.6% shooting from the field and 7/13 shooting from deep. 

These two sides have met one already, in New York, and the Knicks came out on top by seven points despite a big double double from Vucevic and a triple double from Aaron Gordon, who is one of the Magic’s injured players. We like Vucevic to have a massive game in this one but New York are playing better basketball and should be winning this.

NBA Pick – New York Knicks (-165)
NBA Spread – New York Knicks -4 (-110)
Total Points Pick – Under 212.5 (-110)

Atlanta Hawks @ Boston Celtics – 7:30PM ET

The Boston Celtics bounced back in a big way last night, defeating the Nuggets 112-99, and have a perfect opportunity to make it two wins in two nights here. The Atlanta Hawks have lost four straight games and seven of their last eight, dropping all the way to 11th in the East. 

Monday night saw Trae Young drop 23 points and eight assists while Clint Capela had a big game inside with 15 points, 18 rebounds and two blocks, but it wasn’t enough as Atlanta fell 112-123 in New York. 

Atlanta allowed the Knicks to shoot over 50% from the field and 50% from deep and will need a much better performance against Boston tonight. The story will be whether Kemba Walker, who had 17 points and four assists last night, plays on the second night of a back to back, something he hasn’t done all season.

Jaylen Brown led the way for Boston with 27 points, five rebounds and five assists while Jayson Tatum played the primary facilitator role, finishing with 21 points, six rebounds and a team high eight assists. 

Boston is an impressive 3-2 on the second night of back to backs this season and with the Hawks on a four game losing streak and on the road, where they are just 5-7 this season, the Celtics should be able to notch up another win. They are 7-4 at home, have one of the best duos in the league and will just score too much for Atlanta to keep up. 

NBA Pick – Boston Celtics (-165)
NBA Spread – Boston Celtics -3 (-110)
Total Points Pick – Under 224.5 (-110)

Houston Rockets @ Philadelphia 76ers – 7:30PM ET

The Philadelphia 76ers couldn’t be happier to get back home after a four game road trip ended with three straight losses. Not only do they get to return to Wells Fargo Center, where they are 11-2 this season, but they are hosting an injured Houston Rockets side that has lost six straight games and will likely be without Victor Oladipo and Eric Grdon, both of whom are doubtful for tonight’s clash. 

John Wall starred for Houston in his first game back in Washington, finishing with 29 points and 11 assists, but it wasn’t enough to get his new team over the line as they fell 119-131. David Nwaba put in a career best performance with 19 points, 11 rebounds and two assists, starting and playing more minutes given Houston’s injury troubles. 

Philly ended their road trip with a third straight loss but were without Joel Embiid against the league leading Utah Jazz and couldn’t keep up, losing 123-134. Ben Simmons had his best game to date with a career high 42 points along with 12 assists and nine rebounds. Tobias Harris also enjoyed more opportunities on offense, finishing with a very efficient 36 points, 10 rebounds and two steals. 

While people may be worried about the Sixers losing three straight games, they now return home and play a struggling Houston side and it is the perfect opportunity to get back on track in a big way. 

NBA Pick – Philadelphia 76ers (-600)
NBA Spread – Philadelphia 76ers -10.5 (-110)
Total Points Pick – Over 225.5 (-110)

Detroit Pistons @ Chicago Bulls – 8PM ET

The NBA has been mixing things in light of some recent game postponements due to COVID-19 and it has resulted in the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls facing off in the Windy City. 

Detroit were originally supposed to be playing in Dallas but will now put their two game winning streak on the line against Chicago. The Pistons beat Boston on Friday before most recently beating New Orleans by 11 points on Sunday. They used a full team performance led by Josh Jackson’s 21 points off the bench and Mason Plumlee’s first career triple double. 

Things will be tougher on the road against Chicago, who were originally supposed to be playing in Charlotte, as they come in on the back of an impressive overtime win in Indiana on Monday night. Zach LaVine led seven Bulls players in double figures with 30 points and nine rebounds while Coby White continued to impress with 19 points, seven rebounds and a team high eight assists. 

While Detroit comes in off back to back wins, the first time they have done that all season, they have just a 2-11 record on the road this season and we don’t think they will be able to overcome their travelling woes in Chicago. 

NBA Pick – Chicago Bulls (-145)
NBA Spread – Chicago Bulls -3 (-105)
Total Points Pick – Over 219 (-110)

San Antonio Spurs @ Cleveland Cavaliers – 8PM ET

*This game has been postponed due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols, a new date has not been confirmed at this time*

Denver Nuggets @ Washington Wizards – 8PM ET

The Washington Wizards have won two straight games and will look to add a third straight when they host the Denver Nuggets tonight. Washington will be looking to take advantage of Denver who had a 99-112 loss last night and is missing some key rotation players and are in the midst of an East Coast road trip. 

The Nuggets fell to Boston last night despite a massive game from Nikola Jokic, who finished with 43 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals. Jamal Murray even chipped in with 25 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals but Denver couldn’t manage to win a single quarter in their loss. 

Monday night saw Washington put in one of their best full team performances with seven different players scoring in double figures. Bradley Beal led the way once again with 37 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals while Russell Westbrook had a 16 point, 13 rebound, 15 assist double double in a 131-119 win against his former side, Houston.

Denver is definitely the better team but they are missing a handful of key players still and need some more support for both Jokic and Murray. This is Washington’s last home game for a week and a half and will look to come out strong, but even with a diminished supporting cast, Jokic should be able to will Denver over the line. 

NBA Pick – Denver Nuggets (-150)
NBA Spread – Denver Nuggets -3.5 (-110)
Total Points Pick – Over 231.5 (-110)

Indiana Pacers @ Minnesota Timberwolves – 8PM ET

Two sides coming off disappointing home losses last time out are looking to turn things around tonight as the Indiana Pacers and Minnesota Timberwolves go head to head tonight. Monday night saw Indiana fall to the Bulls 112-120 in overtime while the Timberwolves had a tough fought battle with the Lakers last night, eventually losing 104-112. 

Anthony Edwards had the best game of his young career with 28 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two blocks as five other Timberwolves scored in double figures, but the Timberwolves weren’t able to score enough to keep up with the Lakers. The Timberwolves had less turnovers while shooting a blistering 47.1% from three but could manage just 20 fourth quarter points and it wasn’t enough with the game on the line.

Unlike Minnesota, who seemingly played better than their opponent, the Pacers underperformed on Monday, committing more turnovers and shooting just 9/33 from behind the arc. Domantas Sabonis had 25 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and four blocks while Malcolm Brogdon had 23 points, 15 rebounds and five assists himself, but the Pacers allowed Chicago to put up 15 points in the overtime period and they just couldn’t keep up. 

The Timberwolves still have the worst record in the league, are just 2-3 on the second night of back to backs and are missing D’Angelo Russell for a length period of time. Things are tough for them at the moment and Indiana should be looking to take advantage of that. They are 7-5 on the road, 7-6 after a loss and we like them to get the job done here. 

NBA Pick – Indiana Pacers (-250)
NBA Spread – Minnesota Timberwolves +6.5 (-110)
Total Points Pick – Under 229.5 (-110)

Portland Trail Blazers @ New Orleans Pelicans – 9PM ET

We have a Western Conference showdown between two teams with impressive wins last night. The New Orleans Pelicans snapped a three game losing streak with a massive 144-113 win in Memphis last night while the Portland Trail Blazers picked up their fifth straight victory with a 115-104 win in Oklahoma City.

Damian Lillard had another great game with 31 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds while Enes Kanter had a massive 21 rebounds and Gary Trent Jr. continued to impress with his increased opportunity, finishing with an efficient 19 points, four assists and two steals. Portland won the first quarter 34-21 and were able to hold onto their lead by shooting an impressive 20/47 from deep, winning the battle of the boards and committing less turnovers. 

Zion Williamson won the game ball, leading both teams in scoring with 31 points, adding seven rebounds, six assists and two steals while Josh Hart had a great game off the bench with 27 points and a team high nine rebounds off the bench. New Orleans actually lost the first quarter but used a 81-55 second half to blow Memphis out of the water. 

While New Orleans had the performance of the night last night, they are 1-2 on the second night of back to backs, are 5-6 after a win and are facing a Portland side with the third longest active winning streak in the league. While both sides could easily rest players after tough battles last night, we like Portland to keep their winning streak going.

NBA Pick – Portland Trail Blazers (+125)
NBA Spread – Portland Trail Blazers +3 (-110)
Total Points Pick – Over 231.5 (-110)

Detroit Pistons @ Dallas Mavericks – 9PM ET

*This game has been postponed due to severe weather conditions in Dallas, a new date has not been confirmed at this time*

Oklahoma City Thunder @ Memphis Grizzlies – 9PM ET

The two teams on the other side of Portland and New Orleans’ big wins will look to turn things around when the Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies face off tonight. The Thunder followed up a win over Milwaukee with their disappointing showing against the Blazers, but have actually lost four of their last five and are still without their best player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. 

Luguentz Dort led the Thunder with 23 points and six rebounds while Hamidou Diallo had an impressive 17 points off the bench but OKC gave up a 13 point head start to the Blazers after one quarter and couldn’t make up the ground they had lost. 

The Thunder played bad last night but the Grizzlies played even worse. Ja Morant had a massive 28 points, eight assists and seven rebounds and Kyle Anderson had a handy 19 points and six rebounds but Memphis gave up an 81 point second half and couldn’t keep up. 

When looking at the second night of back to backs, Memphis is 2-1 while Oklahoma City is 2-2 and both are one game below 0.500 when coming off a loss. The interesting one here is that Memphis is just 4-8 at home this season while OKC is 7-7 on the road however we like the Grizzlies to bounce back better tonight, especially with them being closer to full strength. 

NBA Pick – Memphis Grizzlies (TBA)
NBA Spread – Oklahoma City Thunder +7.5 (-110)
Total Points Pick – Under 221.5 (-110)

Miami Heat @ Golden State Warriors – 10PM ET

The Miami Heat have really struggled on their Western Conference road trip and things don’t look like getting better tonight against the Golden State Warriors. After beating the Rockets, the Heat have fallen to Utah by 18 and then the severely shorthanded Clippers by seven on Monday night. 

LA were missing Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Patrick Beverley and Nicolas Batum but the Heat gave up 125 points and weren’t able to keep up. Jimmy Butler had a 30 point triple double, Bam Adebayo had 27 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists and Tyler Herro had 27 points off the bench but Miami lost the last quarter 27-33 and threw the game away. 

Miami shot just 8/36 from deep and now faces a Golden State team that had a 17/37 night from behind the arc in a 129-98 win over Cleveland on Monday. Steph Curry finished with 36 points on 68.4% shooting and 7/11 from deep while Draymond Green continued to dominate as the primary facilitator, ending up with 16 assists along with six points, eight rebounds, two steals and two blocks. 

The Heat are just 4-9 on the road this season while the Warriors are an impressive 10-6 at home and we like this to be a big Golden State win. 

NBA Pick – Golden State Warriors (TBA)
NBA Spread – Golden State Warriors +1 (-110)
Total Points Pick – Under 224.5 (-110)

Utah Jazz @ Los Angeles Clippers – 10PM ET

Two of the West’s best face off as the Utah Jazz travel to take on the Los Angeles Clippers. Paul George and Nicolas Batum have already been ruled out for LA while Kawhi Leonard has been upgraded to questionable and Pat Beverley has been cleared to go. With George and Batum missing, things may be tough against the hottest team in the NBA, who have won eight straight games and 19 of their last 20. 

Monday night saw Utah outduel the East-leading 76ers, winning 134-123. Jordan Clarkson got the game ball with 40 points on 8/13 from deep off the bench. Donovan Mitchell had 24 and five assists while Joe Ingles had 20 points and five assists as well. The Jazz shot an incredible 18/45 from downtown and continue to lead the league in that category. 

The Clippers have been nothing short of surprising over their last two games, beating the Cavaliers and Heat with their two All Stars, Leonard and George, missing. Lou Williams has taken the bulk of the responsibility, averaging 24 and 10 assists over those two games while Marcus Morris was nothing short of impressive on Monday with 32 points on 11/15 shooting from the field and 6/8 from deep. 

With the Clippers being short handed, the red hot Jazz will be too much in this one. Even if Leonard returns, the combination of Royce O’Neale and Joe Ingles have been locking down on the wings, helping Utah to the second best defense in the league. 

NBA Pick – Utah Jazz (TBA)
NBA Spread – Utah Jazz -2.5 (-110)
Total Points Pick – Over 228.5 (-110)

If you need more news, information and predictions, head over to our NBA hub page for all your basketball needs.

*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of Bet365. 

Tim is a keen follower of all American sports, in particular the NBA and NFL. He has followed both sports for over a decade and would happily sit down and watch every game, regardless of who is playing! No matter the sport, whether it be NFL and NBA or even MLB, NHL, UFC and all sports, Tim covers it from every angle, staying in the loop to bring you the most up-to-date information and the best picks and predictions on the market.

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