Kyrie Irving put on a show in Orlando on Tuesday, scoring a career-best 60 points en route to a 150-108 Brooklyn victory. Irving made it two nights in a row with a 60-point performance in the NBA after Karl-Anthony Towns posted the same point total on Monday. Wednesday will be an action-packed night with 12 NBA games set to take place across the league. Keep focus on teams playing for playoff positioning versus others that are out of contention. Motive plays a big role for some of these stars, and the more knowledge you have the sharper your picks will be. Let’s dive into the best NBA bets today, picks and NBA betting tips for Wednesday, March 16.
Best NBA Bets Today: Game Tips & Betting Predictions
Nuggets vs. Wizards Best Bet
The Denver Nuggets travel down from Philadelphia to take on the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night. Denver has been playing some of their best basketball over the last month, winning 13 of their last 17 games. The Wizards are going in the opposite direction, looking to put an end to their four-game losing streak. These teams met once on Dec. 13 with the Nuggets winning 113-107. Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 28 points and 19 rebounds. Davis Bertans led the Wizards with 21 points.
Denver enters Wednesday second in the Northwest Division at 41-28 and 1 1/2 games behind the Utah Jazz. The Nuggets are coming off a solid win on the road in the much-anticipated matchup between Jokic and Joel Embiid. The 76ers came out the gates strong with a 15-point lead after the first quarter, but Denver was able to battle back and beat the 76ers in a 114-110 victory. Bones Hyland sank four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to gain the lead, and the Nuggets held on for the victory over Philadelphia. Tonight Jokic should feast in the paint going up against Kristaps Porzingis. The Nuggets are averaging 111.1 points on 47.6% shooting and allowing 107.6 points to opponents. Jamal Murray was reported to be practicing with the Nuggets G League affiliate, which is some exciting news for a Denver squad that is fighting for playoff positioning. Aaron Gordon (illness) and Zeke Nnaji (knee) are questionable for Wednesday’s matchup, and JaMychal Green (wrist) is probable.
The Wizards have lost four straight and seven of their last nine, dropping the team to 11th in the Eastern Conference. They are now four games behind the 10th-place Charlotte Hornets for the play-in game with only 15 games left on their schedule. Bradley Beal remains out for the season with a wrist injury. The Wizards defense has been awful this year, ranking 24th in defensive rating on the season. The Wizards are averaging 108.3 points and allowing 111.4 points to opponents. There is very little motive for this team to compete at a top level knowing it will take a miracle to get into the playoff picture.
The Nuggets managed to cover the spread in the first matchup, and that was with Beal in the lineup for the Wizards. Denver is 19-17 against the spread on the road this season and 7-1 against the spread in their last eight road games. Washington has the worst record against the spread in the league (26-39-2). The Wizards have been unsuccessful in covering the spread all season, and as of last they are 1-6 in their last seven games. Washington will have no answer for Jokic, especially on the boards. Porzingis only plays around 25 minutes per game after coming off a knee injury. He cannot physically handle the 284-pound Jokic in the paint. The Wizards’ playoff hopes have faded, and with their current personnel it will be hard to make up four games and to move up to a play-in spot without Beal. Lay the points with the Nuggets on the road and watch for another MVP performance out of Jokic in tonight’s matchup.
Best Bet for Today’s Game: Denver Nuggets -6
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Celtics vs. Warriors Best Bet
Wednesday night will be a battle of the top two defensives in the league as the Celtics travel to San Francisco to take on the Warriors. Boston had a five-game winning streak snapped on Sunday when they lost to Dallas 95-92 at home. The Celtics will start a four game West Coast road trip during one of the most important stretches of their season. Boston is 41-28 on the year, 4 1/2 games back from the top spot in the East. Golden State is 47-22 on the season and currently riding a four-game winning streak. The teams have met once this season, with the Warriors winning at home in a 111-107 battle back in December.
The Boston Celtics continue to roll going 7-3 in their last 10 games. They currently hold the fifth seed in the East, but the battle between the first and fifth seed is a tight race with only 4 1/2 games separating these five teams. With only 13 games left on the schedule for Boston, they will need to buckle down and finish out strong to try and gain home-court advantage throughout the road to the Finals. Boston’s defense has been nothing short of spectacular this season. They own the top spot in defensive rating and are holding opponents to 103.9 points per game — third fewest in the league. The Celtics defense ranks first in opposing field goal percentage (43.2%) and third in opposing 3-point shooting percentage (33.8%). Their perimeter defense will play a huge factor in tonight’s matchup, as Boston goes up against a Warriors squad that ranks third in 3-pointers made per game and sixth in 3-point percentage on the year. Jayson Tatum will look to continue his offensive explosiveness for Boston. Tatum is averaging 33.3 points per game in the nine games since the All-Star break.
The Warriors enter Wednesday third in the Western Conference, just a half game back from Memphis for the second spot. After a short cold spurt, the Warriors have managed to rattle off four straight wins. Golden State was happy to get Draymond Green back in the lineup on Monday. Green returned to action off the bench after a 31-game absence and was able to produce 6 points, seven rebound and six assists in 20 minutes of play. He will remain on a minutes restriction as they ease him back into the starting lineup. Stephen Curry is coming off a 47-point birthday performance in their win over the Wizards in their previous game. Curry has been shooting the 3 ball better in the month of March, averaging 42.4% in seven games, up 4.3 percentage points from his season average. The Warriors have the 10th-ranked offense in the NBA, scoring 111.6 points per game, while their defense ranks second in points per game allowed with 105.
Neither team is known for their pace of play. Given these two teams are the top defenses in terms of holding opponents to the lowest field goal percentages in the league, do not expect a ton of wide-open shots for either team. Good defense always leads to fewer points, and that shows with both teams going under in more than half of their games this season. The Celtics have 31-37-1 over/under record, and the Warriors are 30-37-2 on the season. With Green back in the lineup for the Warriors, their defense is immediately elevated. These teams faced off in December with healthy rosters on both sides, and the total ended at 218. The under is 10-2 in last 12 meetings. Expect a playoff-type atmosphere and a similar outcome to their previous meeting. Look for the defenses to shine for both squads and take the under with confidence on Wednesday.
Best Bet for Today’s Game: Total Under 220 Points
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