The NBA continues tonight as 22 of the 30 teams in the league take the floor for an action packed 11 games this Wednesday night! As the trade deadline approaches, will any of tonight’s results impact how these rosters look next week?
All will be revealed tonight! Find our analysis and predictions for tonight’s games in our NBA picks below.
Detroit Pistons @ Indiana Pacers – 7PM ET
The first of Wednesday’s slate of NBA games will feature the 12-30, bottom of the Eastern Conference Detroit Pistons, who will be taking on the 19-23 Pacers in Indiana.
After taking down the in-form Heat in back to back games in Miami, Indiana were dealt a harsh reality check in their most recent outing against Milwaukee. Without Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks scored 83 points against the Pacers in the first half alone, before finishing with a scoreline of 140-113 in favor of Milwaukee.
almost that time 🕘@CarisLeVert | #AlwaysGame pic.twitter.com/RTPWftLrSM
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) March 23, 2021
Currently in the 10th seed in the East, Indiana would be taking on the 7th seeded Knicks in the play-in tournament, if the playoffs were to start today. If the Pacers are serious about climbing up the table in the East, they will need to defeat teams like Detroit on their home floor.
Currently 8-18 against Eastern Conference opponents, Detroit will enter Wednesday’s clash fresh off a 14 point loss to the Bulls on Sunday which saw the Piston’s score just 86 points as a team.
The Pistons average 42.9 rebounds per game and are 3-19 when opponents grab more rebounds. This bodes well for Detroit, as the Pistons currently bring in more rebounds per game than Indiana, who are the second worst rebounding team in the league.
However, having already defeated the Pistons by 16 points earlier this year, the Pacers should comfortably defend their home court in this encounter, especially with Caris LeVert starting to increase his minutes and help Malcolm Brogdon and Domantas Sabonis run the offense.
NBA Pick – Indiana Pacers (-240)
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Denver Nuggets @ Toronto Raptors– 7.30PM ET
On the second night of a back to back, the Denver Nuggets will be looking to bridge the gap between themselves and the No. 4 seeded Lakers, when coming up against the Toronto Raptors at ‘home’ … in Tampa Bay.
Denver recorded their 26th win of the season on Tuesday night, defeating the Orlando Magic, 110-99, in their first game of a back to back in Florida. Nikola Jokic did no harm to his MVP favoritism, posting a 28 point, 15 rebound, 10 assist triple-double against the Magic.
Jokic is now the +100 favorite to be named the regular season MVP, after Joel Embiid and LeBron James suffered long term injuries.
As for the Raptors, it is clear that they are yet to fully recover from their bout with COVID-19 that left several players and staff unavailable for two weeks. As was evident in their most recent game which saw Toronto lose to Houston, who at the time were on a 20 game losing streak.
As a result, Toronto now holds the longest active losing streak in the NBA with nine consecutive losses.
As we approach the trade deadline, Kyle Lowry’s future with the Raptors is still up in the air, which is an unfortunate distraction to have when facing your 10th straight loss against a team on the hunt for a top four seed in the Western Conference.
There isn’t much more that needs to be said about this matchup, as Denver are undeniably the better of the two teams. The Nuggets should have no trouble defeating the struggling Raptors, improving their record away from home to 15-8.
NBA Pick – Denver Nuggets (-115)
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Boston Celtics @ Milwaukee Bucks – 7.30PM ET
The 28-14 Milwaukee Bucks will look to keep their seven game winning streak alive when hosting the below .500 Boston Celtics at the Fiserv Forum in a nationally televised game.
With a 9-1 record in their past 10 games, Milwaukee have been one of the best teams in the NBA following the All-Star break, averaging 120.4 points (at 48.6% shooting), 49 rebounds, 25.7 assists, 6.9 steals and 4.8 blocks per game, while restricting their opponents to just 113.7 points per game on 45.3% shooting.
Contrastingly, the Celtics are 5-5 in their last 10 games, losing to the likes of Cleveland, Sacramento and Memphis in three of their past four encounters.
Jrue Holiday (5-6 3PT) is locked in 🔒 pic.twitter.com/Ect62GcTRy
— NBA TV (@NBATV) March 23, 2021
Both sides will likely be without their most important players on Wednesday, as Giannis Antetokounmpo is listed as day to day with a knee injury and Jayson Tatum is listed day to day with an illness.
Antetokounmpo is starting to enter the MVP conversation, averaging 29 points, 11.7 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. While Tatum has been the Celtics leading scorer this season with 24.9 points per game, 2.7 three pointers made per game and 6.8 rebounds per game.
Milwaukee showed in their most recent match that their other stars are somewhat capable of filling Antetokounmpo’s MVP caliber void. Jrue Holiday put up 28 points and 14 assists in the Bucks 27 point win over Indiana, while Khris Middleton added 25 points and eight rebounds.
Jaylen Brown will undoubtedly carry the weight of the Celtics on his shoulders for Wednesday night’s game if Tatum is unavailable, as Brown is the only other Celtics averaging 20+ points per game (24.7).
Given that the Bucks have a deeper roster, a 17-7 record against Eastern Conference opponents and a 13-7 record against opponents above .500, Milwaukee will defeat the below .500 Celtics at home, keeping themselves amongst the top three teams in the Eastern Conference.
NBA Pick – Milwaukee Bucks (-165)
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Phoenix Suns @ Orlando Magic – 8PM ET
The second seed in the West will take on the second last seed in the East as the Phoenix Suns continue their east coast road trip in Orlando when they take on the Magic.
Wednesday’s clash will be both Phoenix and Orlando’s second night of a back to back, as the Suns defeated the Heat by 10 points on Tuesday, and the Magic lost to the Nuggets by 11 points in Orlando.
As they have done for much of the season, Phoenix had five players score 10+ points in their victory over Miami, led by a team high 23 points from Devin Booker and a 17 point, 16 rebound performance from De’Andre Ayton.
As for the Magic, their most recent game saw a rare box score that didn’t have Nikola Vucevic at the top of the team points column. Evan Fournier (31 points) and Aaron Gordon (13 points) both contributed in the loss, however as we approach the trade deadline, neither of the two players may be on the roster by the end of this week.
Tuesday’s loss to Denver was Orlando’s 11th loss in 12 games.
Given that the Magic have a 9-14 record at home and the Suns have a 14-5 record away, there is no reason to suggest that Orlando’s home court advantage will impact this encounter.
Quite simply, this is one of the best teams in the NBA coming up against one of the worst, and although the Magic got 31 points out of Evan Fournier on Tuesday, Orlando have relied solely on Nikola Vucevic this season.
Whereas the Suns have seven players on their roster averaging 10+ points this year, giving Phoenix multiple avenues to the basket.
Phoenix all the way in this one.
NBA Pick – Phoenix Suns (-330)
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Cleveland Cavaliers @ Chicago Bulls – 8PM ET
In a battle between Central Division rivals, the 19-23 Chicago Bulls will host the 16-27 Cleveland Cavaliers at the United Center on Wednesday night.
Currently 3-2 against divisional opponents, Chicago’s success this season has been heavily reliant on the offensive output of their debut All-Star, Zach LaVine. Lavine’s 28.2 points per game are the seventh most of any player in the league this year.
In their most recent game, Chicago suffered a 25 point loss to the Utah Jazz, going down 120-95 despite a 27 point, seven rebound night from LaVine.
ZACH LAVINE TAKING FLIGHT! pic.twitter.com/sP1d84lMzt
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) March 17, 2021
Like the Bulls, the Cavs have also won just four of their past 10 games, going down to the Kings by 14 points in their most recent matchup on Monday night.
Although five Cavaliers scored in double figures against Sacramento, no one could go further than 18 points, as Cleveland managed to score just 105 points as a team in their 119-105 loss.
Although Cleveland are nine games below .500, the Cavaliers are 12-12 against Eastern Conference opponents, despite averaging the fewest points per game of any team in the East, with just 104.1
Having played a better brand of basketball this season, we can’t go past the Bulls to win this one in Chicago, with Zach LaVine taking advantage of a weak Cavaliers defense and steering the Bulls to a victory.
NBA Pick – Chicago Bulls (-225)
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Charlotte Hornets @ Houston Rockets – 8PM ET
Having recently snapped their 20 game losing streak, the Houston Rockets will look to get another win on the board when they host the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday.
If this game were to have taken place a week ago, Charlotte would undoubtedly be the pick for this encounter, however a lot has happened in the last week of the NBA.
In their most recent game, Houston recorded their 12th win of the season after 20 consecutive losses, defeating the Raptors by 18 points. John Wall recorded the first triple double of his NBA career since 2016 with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
As for the Hornets, they recently lost their Rookie of the Year front running guard, LaMelo Ball, to an apparent season ending wrist / thumb fracture. Ball was the leading scorer in Charlotte’s last matchup against Houston, scoring 24 points in the 119-94 victory.
Although Charlotte are 6-4 in their last 10 games, they currently have a -1.9 average point differential during that stretch.
Unsurprisingly, Houston also have a negative average point differential during their last 10 games, with a -11.4 point differential to go with their 1-9 record.
With Christian Wood (who missed the bulk of the losing streak) back in the lineup, Houston are a much more challenging opponent, especially for Charlotte. Wood is averaging a team high 21.9 points and team high 9.8 rebounds per game this season and will benefit from Hornet’s big man Cody Zeller being ruled out with a shoulder injury.
However, the Rockets streak ending victory over Toronto is somewhat misleading, as the Raptors are still recovering from several players and staff being diagnosed with COVID-19.
With this in mind, the Hornets, led by Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward, should be able to fill the void left by LaMelo Ball and secure their 22nd win of the season in Houston, leaving them one game above .500.
NBA Pick – Charlotte Hornets (-160)
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Dallas Mavericks @ Minnesota Timberwolves – 8PM ET
The Dallas Mavericks will look to continue their rise up the Western Conference standings when they take on the bottom of the conference Timberwolves in Minnesota on Wednesday night.
Having won 16 of their past 20 games, Dallas have seen valued contributions from Jalen Brunson, Kristaps Porzingis and most recently Tim Hardaway Jr in recent weeks, now positioning the Mavericks in the eighth seed in the Western Conference.
However, Dallas’s good form has been driven by one man, the 22 year old Slovenian sensation, Luka Doncic. Doncic has continued his post All-Star break dominance, averaging 35.5 points on 50% three point shooting to go along with 9.5 assists and 8.0 rebounds per game last week, as both his team and his MVP stocks are on the rise.
Luka Doncic got off to a slow start this season.
December:
23.8 PPG
45.2 eFG%
.250 W%January:
28.3 PPG
53.4 eFG%
.467 W%February:
30.3 PPG
56.7 eFG%
.667 W%March:
31.1 PPG
62.6 eFG%
.714 W%He’s balling now. pic.twitter.com/4ey5g9ws7Z
— StatMuse (@statmuse) March 22, 2021
Although they sit comfortably at the bottom of the Western Conference with a 10-33 record, Minnesota have shown recently that they are capable of playing some solid basketball.
Despite losing the two games that followed, the Timberwolves recorded their best win of the season last week, defeating the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, with a 123-119 win over the Suns in Phoenix.
Anthony Edwards scored a career and game high 42 points against Phoenix, taking his average points per game in the month of March up to 26.1.
However, Minnesota’s defense has been their downfall recently, allowing their opponents to score an average of 120.4 points per game at 48.9% shooting from the field in their last 10 matchups.
Contrastingly, Dallas’ improved defense has been the reason behind their recent stretch of wins, limiting their opponents to 103.8 points at 43.3% shooting from the field in their last 10 games, giving them an average point differential of +14.2 in that time.
Although the Timberwolves are at home, their record in Minnesota is currently just 5-15, and will likely be 5-16 after hosting the surging Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.
With more Mavericks starting to contribute offensively, Doncic playing at an MVP level and the whole team buying in defensively, Dallas will continue their winning ways against Minnesota.
NBA Pick – Dallas Mavericks (-360)
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Memphis Grizzlies @ Oklahoma City Thunder – 8PM ET
The final spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament is on the line on Wednesday night, as the 11th seeded Oklahoma City Thunder look to turn their 2.5 game deficit into 1.5 games, when they host the 10th seeded Memphis Grizzlies.
OKC will enter Wednesday’s clash on a two game winning streak, having defeated the Rockets without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Sunday and the Timberwolves in their most recent game on Monday.
As has been the case all season for the Thunder, SGA was instrumental in Monday’s victory, scoring a team high 31 points, which included four made three pointers from his six attempts.
When the Grizzlies and Thunder faced off earlier this month, Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game high 30 points, as OKC were victorious, 128-122.
Both Memphis and Oklahoma City are 5-5 in their last 10 games, and both franchises are also giving up 111.8 opposition points in that time.
However, Memphis are scoring an average of almost eight more points per game than the Thunder in their last 10, largely thanks to Ja Morant, who is averaging 21.4 points per game during that stretch. Jonas Valanciunas has also been important for the Grizzlies, having averaged 15.9 points and a team high 12.3 rebounds per game throughout the season.
Given that both sides have recently been allowing their opponents to score points at the same rate, we like the Grizzlies to extend the gap between the 10th and 11th seed in the West, as their superior offensive production should see them win this one away from home.
NBA Pick – Memphis Grizzlies (-230)
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Los Angeles Clippers @ San Antonio Spurs – 8.30PM ET
Kawhi Leonard returns to San Antonio as the No. 4 seed Los Angeles Clippers face off against the No. 7 seed San Antonio Spurs.
Although Los Angeles have been just a .500 team in their past 10 games, the Clippers are starting to gain momentum. Having won their last two games against the Hornets and most recently the Hawks, the Clippers are about to embark on nine consecutive games at the Staple Centre following their two games against the Spurs in San Antonio.
The Spurs on the other hand, went down to Charlotte, 100-97, in their most recent game on Monday. The clash against the Hornets was San Antonio’s first of nine consecutive games at home, with Wednesday’s and Thursday’s back to backs against the Clippers their second and third consecutive games at the AT&T Center.
📊 25 PTS / 7 REB / 5 AST / 2 BLK@kawhileonard came up clutch to convert the comeback. pic.twitter.com/W7VnCpH16r
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) March 23, 2021
Los Angeles’ two All-Star wings, Paul George (22.5 points per game) and Kawhi Leonard (21.2 points per game) have combined for 38.5% of the Clippers points in their last 10 games, with Leonard shooting more than four points below his season average during this stretch.
As you would expect from a team led by Gregg Popovich, the Spurs are an evenly distributed well oiled machine. DeMar DeRozan leads San Antonio in scoring with 20.6 points per game, to go along with 4.5 rebounds and a career high 7.4 assists. However, DeRozan is just one of seven active Spurs averaging 10+ points per game.
Just last week, Keldon Johnson put up 23 points and a career high 21 rebounds (11 offensive) in Friday’s win in Cleveland, and Lonnie Walker IV put up a career high 31 points in Saturday’s loss to the Bucks in Milwaukee.
The class of Paul Geogre and Kawhi Leonard on both offense and defense will make this game tough for the Spurs to win, especially with the Clippers bringing in the ninth most offensive rebounds in the league, which gives them more opportunities to score.
Although the Spurs may be playing a better team brand of basketball, Los Angeles’ two All-Stars will do enough to see them defeat the Spurs in San Antonio on Wednesday .
NBA Pick – Los Angeles Clippers (-240)
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Brooklyn Nets @ Utah Jazz – 10PM ET
The No. 1 and the No. 3 teams on the Week 14 SportsTips NBA Power Rankings will face off when the Brooklyn Nets head into Utah to face the Jazz in a mouthwatering national TV matchup.
After a shock upset loss against the Magic last Friday, the Nets have won their past two games including a four point victory over the Trail Blazers in Portland on Tuesday night in what was the first game of their west coast back to back.
Without both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, James Harden continued his MVP caliber form with a 25 point, 17 assist performance against the Blazers. Jeff Green also contributed 20 points of his own.
As for the Jazz, they defeated the Bulls in Chicago by 25 points thanks to a monstrous 21 point, 10 rebound nine block performance from Rudy Gobert, as well as 30 points from Donovan Mitchell.
Brooklyn will once again be without both Durant and Irving on Wednesday night, which will obviously benefit Utah.
The Jazz are looking to keep their 16 game home winning streak alive, which looks much more doable when not coming up against Kyrie Irving. Irving scored a team high 29 points when the Nets last played and defeated the Jazz earlier this year.
Brooklyn won the encounter by 34 points.
Although they haven’t been at full strength in some time, the Nets are still the No. 1 team on the SportsTips NBA Power Rankings.
However, when coming up against the league leading Jazz, with a 16 game winning streak in Utah behind them and without both Durant and Irving, we can’t go past the Jazz to win this one at home… barring an outstanding individual performance from James Harden.
NBA Pick – Utah Jazz (-280)
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Atlanta Hawks @ Sacramento Kings – 10PM ET
After having their eight game winning streak snapped in their most recent outing, the 22-21 Atlanta Hawks will look to get back on the winner list in game three of their eight game west coast road trip against the Kings in Sacramento.
The Hawks suffered their first loss under Nate McMillan against the Clippers on Monday, going down 119-110. Prior to the loss, Atlanta had won their last eight games and propelled themselves into the No. 4 seed in the East. Now the No. 5 seed, the Hawks will need to continue to win games in order to remain in the top six seeds and earn automatic entry to the playoffs.
The biggest change that the Hawks have made under Nate McMillan has been their team defense, restricting their opponents to just 102.2 points per game on 42.7% shooting in their 10 most recent games, giving them an 8-2 record. Atlanta has also boasted the second best defensive rating in the NBA since McMillan took over as head coach, 105.2.
Trae Young off-the-backboard to John Collins 👀 pic.twitter.com/PxxI5djN2g
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 19, 2021
As for Sacramento, they are 5-5 in their past 10 games and 9-12 at home this season. The Kings recently wrapped up their six game east coast road trip (which began with a 15 point loss to the Hawks) with a 14 point win over the Cavaliers in Cleveland.
While Atlanta has recently found themselves a defensive identity, the Kings have begun to find an offensive identity of their own, averaging 116.7 points and 27 assists per game on 50.1% shooting from the field in their past 10 games.
During that stretch, De’Aaron Fox has put up 23.8 points per game on 47% shooting from the field, while Buddy Hield has nailed 5.3 three pointers per game, giving him an average of 21.5 points over the Kings last 10 games.
However, as good as Fox and Hield have been, the Kings offense is still streaky, and when coming up against an in-form Hawks defense with the likes of John Collins, Clint Capella and De’Andre Hunter, it is going to be tough for Sacramento to gain offensive momentum. Atlanta will get back on the winners list with a big team win away from home.
NBA Pick – Atlanta Hawks (-150)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of Bet365.
