Our free NBA picks are out for Wednesday, March 23rd, 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!
Utah Jazz @ Boston Celtics – 7.30pm ET
The road trip continues on for the Utah Jazz, who will travel to Boston on Wednesday for a game against the Celtics. The Jazz had their three game winning streak snapped last time out, thanks to the Nets, 106-114. The Celtics have continued their fantastic run of form, and are currently on a four game winning streak, with wins over the Warriors, Kings, Nuggets, and Thunder.
Jeffery Thomas
The Boston Celtics kept their winning ways going on Monday with a 132-123 win in Oklahoma City over the Thunder. Jayson Tatum poured in 36 points for his third consecutive game over 30, while Jaylen Brown added 25 and Grant Williams had 20. That game wrapped up their very successful four-game road trip that saw Boston go a perfect 4-0, with an average winning margin of 20 points. They’ll now return home on Wednesday to face a Utah Jazz team that was also in action on Monday, losing 106-114 to the Brooklyn Nets. Kevin Durant was just too much for them all night, going off for 37 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists.
Donovan Mitchell had a pretty inefficient 30 points, shooting 9-23 overall and missing 10 three-pointers. Both the Jazz and Celtics are holding down the 4 seed in their respective conferences with the season wrapping up, so it should be a very good battle of two teams with lofty expectations. It’s going to be the same story for predicting Celtics games until the system breaks. Boston has only lost 3 of their last 23 games and with the playoffs coming up there’s no sign of them slowing down. I definitely don’t think this Jazz team that is coming off a loss to the short handed Nets will be able to stop this train, so give me the Celtics to avenge their loss to Utah back on December 3rd.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Boston Celtics (-230)
Ocho, Rudy, and Spida dunk in this one ⏪#InstantRewind | @socios pic.twitter.com/22FUnZvZZ5
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 22, 2022
Michael Lantz
The Boston Celtics continue to be basketball’s hottest team, as they’ve gone 9-1 in their last ten games. They now sit only 2.5 games out of first place in the Eastern Conference. Jayson Tatum is playing his way into the MVP conversation as he’s scored 30+ points in eight of the last ten games. The Celtics will continue to ride his play, along with their gritty defense, as they play a Utah Jazz team that can be competitive on both sides of the ball.
That being said, the Jazz had a hard time exhibiting that on Monday as they were unable to contain Kevin Durant and a Nets team that was missing the likes of Kyrie Irving, Andre Drummond, and, for the most part, Seth Curry. They’ve shown that despite their talent, they still continue to struggle to step up and win big games. Well, this is a big game, as they face an on fire Celtics team in Boston. While Boston has shown they’re mortal (they recently lost at home to the Dallas Mavericks), I’m not convinced this Jazz team can step up right now against a squad that’s thriving on both sides of the ball.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Boston Celtics -5.5 (-108)
Golden State Warriors @ Miami Heat – 7.30pm ET
The road trip continues on for the Golden State Warriors who will play the Miami Heat on Wednesday. The Warriors are playing on back-to-back nights and last time out they lost to the Magic, 90-94. The Heat have split their last six games, and in their last game they were beaten by the 76ers, 106-113.
Jeffery Thomas
One of the most shocking results of the NBA slate on Monday night came from the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers game. Philly was without Joel Embiid and James Harden but still were able to protect home court and steal a 106-113 victory over the Miami Heat. The usually reliable bench duo of Max Strus and Tyler Herro combined to shoot 5-20 from the field and 0-8 from three which was a big reason for the loss. The top seed in the Eastern Conference will now try to bounce back against a Warriors team that is in a bad place right now. Steph Curry is still out injured and they haven’t won either of the two games since he went down.
The worst part is those games were against bad teams in the San Antonio Spurs and Orlando Magic. The Magic game was Tuesday night and was a 90-94 loss, despite 26 points from Jordan Poole. Golden State had an 8-point deficit at halftime but outscored the Magic by 17 in the third quarter to take a 9-point lead into the fourth quarter. From there the Magic outscored them by 13 in the final frame to steal the win and hand the Warriors their 25th loss on the season. The Warriors without Steph Curry have been hard to watch and even harder to back with confidence. This Miami team isn’t going to let another short handed team get the best of them so expect a locked in performance from the opening tip and a Heat beat down on Golden State.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Miami Heat -6 (-110)
#6MOTYLER pic.twitter.com/PUoQQHke43
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) March 22, 2022
Michael Lantz
This potential NBA Finals matchup will unfortunately be missing one key ingredient as Steph Curry will be out for the Warriors, continuing to nurse a foot injury. The Warriors have looked lost without him: even with Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Andrew Wiggins available, the team has dropped back-to-back games without Curry. They fell just short to the San Antonio Spurs over the weekend, and then lost to a poor Orlando Magic team last night. They’ll be looking to rebound 24 hours later, but it won’t be easy as they face the Eastern Conference one-seed Miami Heat.
The Heat sit atop the Eastern Conference but they have some competitors breathing down their neck. There are currently three teams within 2.5 games of their number one seed. On Monday, a 106-113 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers didn’t help things, as they’re one of the teams right behind the Heat right now. Miami will try to refocus and establish a lead on Wednesday as they host a Golden State team without their all-NBA star. While it’s important to never count out a Warriors team with the aforementioned players, I think the Heat clamp down on this Curry-less Warriors team and their shooters come alive to grab a big home win on Wednesday night.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Miami Heat -6 (-110)
Brooklyn Nets @ Memphis Grizzlies – 7.30pm ET
The Brooklyn Nets kick off a short two game road trip on Wednesday night when they face off against the Memphis Grizzlies, who themselves kick off a four game homestand. The Nets have won six of their last seven games, with their only loss in this span coming against the Mavericks, 111-113. The Grizzlies have won five of their last six games, and this takes their overall season record to 49-23.
Jeffery Thomas
It’s all good vibes in Brooklyn right now because of the recent run of success of the Nets. It has been six wins in their last seven games for the Nets following a 114-106 home win over the Utah Jazz on Monday night. Kevin Durant had one of his vintage performances, going for 37 points and helped the Nets get to within three games of the 6 seed (Cavaliers) which would have them out of the play-in tournament. Now Brooklyn will head out on the road to Memphis and will be getting Kyrie back right when they need him against this tough opponent. It would be an even tougher opponent if the Grizzlies were at full strength but we got word on Tuesday that Ja Morant will be out for this contest.
It’s obviously a huge blow to Memphis and a real downer for us NBA fans looking forward to seeing this star-studded matchup. The Grizzlies have put together some solid performances without their star this season though, but this may be their tallest task yet. It was already going to be a toss-up game with Ja Morant active, so with him out of the picture, now it’s a great spot for the Nets. Kyrie Irving last played on March 15 and went off for 60 points against the Magic so he’ll be nice and fresh for an encore performance. Give me the surging Nets to keep the good times rolling.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Brooklyn Nets (-142)
good work day in the lab. pic.twitter.com/hvqAtgEz0B
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) March 22, 2022
Michael Lantz
The Brooklyn Nets are thrilled to be playing road games these days, because that means they can unleash Kyrie Irving upon their opponents. Still unable to play in New York due to vaccine restrictions, the star guard has been making up for it on the road, as he’s scored nearly 38 points per game over his last four. With addition to brilliance from Kevin Durant, this Nets team is showing they may be the most feared eight seed in NBA history. But they’d prefer to end higher than eighth; avoiding the play-in games would be great for this team that’s trying to stay healthy and make a title run.
They’ll get a little help on Wednesday as they face a Memphis Grizzlies team that’ll be without their star player Ja Morant. Morant will be sitting with a sore knee, but it’s important for the Nets to not overlook this Grizzlies squad. They still have plenty of high octane scorers including Desmond Bane, Dillon Brooks, and Jaren Jackson Jr. Without Morant this year the Grizzlies have stepped up in his absence, posting a 14-2 record in the 16 games he’s missed. The Nets are hungry to move higher than eight, and take advantage of the away games in which they have Irving. Still, the Grizzlies seem to play great team ball in Morant’s absence and they have a defensive machine in Jackson down low. With this one being in Memphis, I’ll pick the Grizzlies to pull off a bit of an upset.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Memphis Grizzlies (+120)
Phoenix Suns @ Minnesota Timberwolves – 8pm ET
The Phoenix Suns are on the road for this clash, when they head to Target Center in Minneapolis to face off against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Suns are building another nice winning streak for this season, in this current streak they have won five games, and it takes their record to 58-14. The Timberwolves had their four game winning streak snapped last time out, as they went down to the Mavericks, 108-110.
Jeffery Thomas
The Suns are rolling at the moment winners of five straight games. It’s been the offense that has propelled them on this run, scoring at least 127 points in each game. That offensive attack will need to be maintained in this Wednesday road matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves who lead the NBA in points per game. Minnesota had a four-game winning streak of their own going before losing 108-110 on the road in Dallas on Monday.
Phoenix won the first two meetings of the season and will be going for their first season sweep of the Wolves since 2010-11. This meeting will be the toughest for the Suns to get with Minnesota finding their groove but I still think this is a good spot for the Suns. They are the deeper and better defensive team and are well equipped to hang in a shootout if that’s what the game turns into. Give me the Suns to add to their league-best record.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Phoenix Suns (-120)
𝙋𝘼𝘾𝙄𝙁𝙄𝘾 𝘿𝙄𝙑𝙄𝙎𝙄𝙊𝙉 𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙈𝙋𝙎 pic.twitter.com/eUqpeQc1Cl
— y – Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 23, 2022
Michael Lantz
The NBA’s best team takes on arguably the hottest, as the Phoenix Suns head to Minneapolis to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Suns have continued to excel despite all-NBA guard Chris Paul sitting out with a hand injury. They’ve gone 8-2 in their last ten, including being in the midst of a five-game win streak. They’re continuing to show they’re the title favorites as Devin Booker and the extreme depth on the Suns’ roster have continued to come up big. But on Wednesday they’ll be tested, as a young Timberwolves team is looking to make a big statement.
The Timberwolves have gone 8-2 over their last ten, and were 9-1 before dropping a nail biter to the Dallas Mavericks on Monday 108-110. In two years, the Timberwolves have gone from one of the league’s worst teams to a seven seed in the Western Conference. They’re looking to offer teams a glimpse into the future of the NBA, with their dominant play and if they want to be considered one of the best, they’ll have to beat the best. The Suns haven’t been fazed by Paul’s absence, so they’ll come into this one fully ready to win. But I’ll take a Timberwolves team that’s playing at home and has shown they can hang with the league’s best on Wednesday. I think they pull out a close one — in a game that should be nationally televised, but sadly isn’t.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Minnesota Timberwolves (+102)
Philadelphia 76ers @ Los Angeles Lakers – 10pm ET
One of the final games on Wednesday night in the NBA will see the Philadelphia 76ers hit the road and face off against the Los Angeles Lakers. The 76ers have been a little inconsistent as of late, and they have won five of their last nine games, taking their overall record on the season to 44-27. The Lakers have lost four of their last six games, but they did get the win over the Cavaliers last time out, 131-120.
Jeffery Thomas
The Philadelphia 76ers got a big Eastern Conference win over the top-seeded Heat on Monday despite being without James Harden and Joel Embiid. They’ll be happy to get those two back in this clash with LeBron James and the Lakers in Los Angeles on Wednesday. The Lakers were in Cleveland on Monday for LeBron James’ homecoming and he did not disappoint. He had a 38-point triple double in a 131-120 win that is giving a little bit of hope to Lakers fans. Not only have the Lakers won two of three but Russell Westbrook is starting to look a little like his old self. In those three games he is averaging over 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 9.7 assists.
The Lakers are not going to go down lightly if LeBron and Russ have anything to say about it and I expect them to fight here in every game going forward ahead of the play-in tournament. There will be no answer for Joel Embiid down low but LeBron will try and keep up with everything he does as they are battling for the scoring title. Either way, I see this game coming down to the wire with a narrow victory for either side so give me the underdog Lakers and the spread here.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Los Angeles Lakers +7.5 (-110)
LeBron breaks down how he gets to his “parachute” shot 🪂 pic.twitter.com/d7N6NLqWSH
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 23, 2022
Michael Lantz
The Los Angeles Lakers are showing some late signs of life in what has been an otherwise disappointing season. With Anthony Davis missing a majority of the year, a lot of weight has been put on LeBron James. James has answered by leading the league in scoring, but being asked to do so much at age 37 and in year 19 has taken a toll on James in some games this year. With his supporting cast being inconsistent, the Lakers haven’t been able to live up to expectations. Still, they’ve won two of their last three, with both victories being against teams headed to the playoffs (Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors) they’ll look to go full steam ahead at home as they take on a very good Philadelphia 76ers squad.
Since James Harden’s arrival in Philadelphia, the team has had its ups and downs. They got off to a fast start, but then they were stifled by Harden’s old team the Brooklyn Nets about two weeks back. They followed that game by barely beating the lowly Orlando Magic and then falling to the Denver Nuggets, where they blew a double-digit lead. That Nuggets game seemed to serve as a slap in the face for the Sixers as they went on to beat two very good teams in the Cleveland Cavaliers and Dallas Mavericks. But they once again came up with a stinker on Sunday, falling flat to the Toronto Raptors and losing 88-93. Luckily the team once again answered, beating the Eastern Conference one-seed Miami Heat, 113-106. They’ll look to grab back-to-back games as they face a Lakers team that despite the star power, has a soft defense and are turnover prone. With Embiid’s ability to bully inside and beyond the three, Harden’s offensive expertise and Matisse Thybulle’s defense (which should be rough on Westbrook), I expect the Sixers to score a solid road win and overwhelm the Lakers.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Philadelphia 76ers -7.5 (-110)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
