The last week of the NBA season is here. Be cautious when analyzing games this week, as teams that have been eliminated from playoff contention have shut down key players for the remainder of the season. Tuesday presents an action-packed slate consisting of 12 games across the league. The Bucks and Bulls will battle in the national spotlight on ESPN tipping off at 8 p.m. ET. Let’s dive into the best NBA bets today, picks and NBA betting tips for Tuesday, April 5. Additional free bets and player updates can be found by following me on Twitter @SweatBets.
Best NBA Bets Today: Game Tips & Betting Predictions
Spurs vs. Nuggets Best Bet
The Spurs and Nuggets meet in Denver on Tuesday in one of the more meaningful games on tonight’s slate. San Antonio is clawing its way back, winning seven of their last 10 games in efforts to secure a Western Conference play-in spot. Denver is looking to finish the season strong and defend their home court in hopes to lock in the fifth seed. These two teams have faced off three times this season, with Denver winning 127-112 in their most recent outing behind a 35-point, 17-rebound performance by Nikola Jokic. Denver leads the season series 2-1.
San Antonio is coming off back-to-back home wins against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Spurs now lead the Los Angeles Lakers by two games for the 10th spot with four games to play and trail the New Orleans Pelicans by one game for the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference. The Spurs hold the tiebreaker over the Lakers (31-47) with a better conference record. Jakob Poeltl (back) is expected to return after being a last-minute scratch in Sunday’s game. Dejounte Murray (illness) has been ruled out and will miss his third straight game. Tre Jones is expected to get the start again in Murray’s absence on Tuesday. The Spurs are 3-8 on the season in games without Murray in the lineup. San Antonio is averaging 113.2 points on 46.7% shooting and allowing 113 points, and they are eighth in rebounding, grabbing 45.5 rebounds a night. They are first in the league in assists with 28 per game.
The Latest Sports Betting Content from Stokastic Odds
- BetMGM North Carolina Pre-Registration: $200 in Bonus Bets Awaiting You When Sports Betting Launches
- Bet365 North Carolina Pre-Registration: Get $100 in Bonus Bets Before March 11
- DraftKings North Carolina Pre-Registration: Up to $300 in Bonus Bets for NC Launch on March 11!
- FanDuel North Carolina Pre-Registration: Grab $300 in Bonus Bets Between Now and March 11!
- Bet365 Louisiana Bonus Code: Bet $1, Get $365 in Bonus Bets!
- Stokastic DFS on Youtube
The Nuggets will look to build momentum after winning four of their last five games. Denver is averaging 112.4 points on 48.3% shooting and allowing 109.9 points. Jokic is leading Denver in scoring, rebounding and assists with averages of 26.6 points, 13.6 rebounds and eight assists per game. Aaron Gordon has been an important piece to Denver’s success with 14.8 points per game, making him one of six players on the team averaging double figures in scoring. Jeff Green (personal) is listed as probable for tonight’s matchup, while Zeke Nnaji (knee) remains out indefinitely. Denver needs to be careful to not let this game slip by them thinking tonight will be an easy win with the Spurs missing their leading scorer in Murray.
Tonight’s total seems set a few buckets too high. The total has only exceeded 234 points once in the three matchups between these teams this season. The Spurs rotation is playing a bit slower without Murray leading the point and ranking 24th in pace over their last five games. Denver loves to run their offense through Jokic, so slowing the ball down favors the Nuggets’ style. The under is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings in Denver and 6-2 in the Spurs’ last eight. While Denver has been crushing the over as of late, do not expect the Spurs offense to hold their side of the bargain in tonight’s battle. The Spurs are averaging a game total of 229 points in 11 games without Murray this season. Eight of those 11 games finished with a total under 234 points. Back the under with confidence on Tuesday in Denver.
Best NBA Bet for Today’s Game: Total Under 234.5 Points
The best odds are available on Caesar Sportsbook found through OddsShopper. Find your best bet in 30 seconds or less.
Thanks for reading to the end of this article! If you appreciate this free content and want to see more of it every day, you can help us out by sharing this article on social media!
Check out Stokastic's Best Bets home page for more sports betting picks and predictions.