The NBA enters the final stretch of its season and Saturday night boasts a loaded slate of games for us to watch and bet on.
I’ve zeroed in on three bets tonight, including a wager on a side, total, and player prop. Let’s dive into them.
Odds via BetMGM Sportsbook
The Sacramento Kings have the worst perimeter defense in the NBA. They rank dead last in opponent three-point field goal percentage, allowing teams to shoot 38.5% from beyond the arc. To try to take advantage of that, I’m going to back Paolo Banchero to record at least three three-pointers at +130 odds.
He has recorded at least three three-pointers in three of his last six games.
Pick: Paolo Banchero OVER 2.5 Three-Pointers Made (+130)
The Nets and Wizards have been two of the worst shooting teams in the NBA this season. They rank 27th and 28th in effective field goal percentage. The Nets have been even worse lately, sporting an eFG% of just 47.4% over their last three games. That’s the worst mark in the league in that stretch.
On top of the poor shooting, Brooklyn plays at the second slowest rate in the NBA, averaging just 100.1 possessions per game. Hopefully, that’ll lead to Washington also slowing down its pace.
I’ll take the UNDER tonight.
Pick: UNDER 219.5 (-115)
What’s going on in Memphis? In a shocking move on Friday, they fired their head coach, Taylor Jenkins, despite being in the thick of the playoff race and getting ready for a postseason run. Sure, they’ve gone 8-11 since the All-Star break, but something tells me there’s more going on in the locker room.
Will that be fixed now that Jenkins is gone? Maybe, but maybe not.
I struggle to justify laying 2.5 points on a team that has regressed over the past month and is fresh off firing their head coach, especially when they face a team like the Lakers that has been trending in the right direction of late.
We should also consider that the Lakers have started to lean on the three-ball more of late, with 44.4% of their shots coming from beyond the arc over their last three games. Luckily, the weakness of the Grizzlies’ defense is their perimeter defense.
I’ll back Los Angeles as an underdog in this intriguing spot tonight.
Pick: Lakers +2.5 (-110)
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You can check out all of Iain’s bets here!
