Top NBA Picks and Predictions Today (Magic To Pull Off Another Upset)
The NBA has a great slate of games for us tonight, with 10 games to get us ready for the actual weekend.
BetSided has you covered with our favorite plays across the league. Today, we have our favorite underdog, favorite and total plays available.
Let’s get into the picks.
Lakers vs. 76ers Prediction and Pick
The only thing that will matter in this game is whether Anthony Davis and LeBron James will play. The two sat out on Wednesday and the Lakers fell to the Toronto Raptors. They are probable for tonight's matchup, which is the main thing I'll be monitoring. If Joel Embiid and James Harden are able to play against Thomas Bryant and Lonnie Walker, it will be an easy night for them.
Los Angeles was 8-2 when Davis was healthy and going berserk. Another elite performance would give the Lakers good value as an underdog. However, with the line now within four points, I’ll easily back the 76ers.
Philadelphia is 7-4-1 ATS as the home team this year. Meanwhile, the Lakers are 3-8 ATS as road underdogs. If James and Davis are available, I'll back the Lakers as road dogs. Otherwise, I'll take Philadelphia to end this losing streak. – Donnavan Smoot
Knicks vs. Hornets Prediction and Pick
Simply put, the Charlotte Hornets are not good. When Terry Rozier and Kelly Oubre Jr. are your two leading scorers, it means you have serious roster construction issues. LaMelo Ball has been out for most of the season and Gordon Hayward is gone for the “foreseeable future.” The NBA is the most talent rich it has ever been, even the bad teams have intriguing young players that could be future stars, but Charlotte is as desolate as it gets.
The Hornets have lost their last three. Meanwhile, the Knicks are putting together a little winning streak with Julius Randle playing much better than he did a year ago. Randle isn’t quite back to his All-NBA form from two seasons ago, but 21.6 points a game and 8.8 rebounds is impressive.
New York is 17th in points allowed per game, but the Knicks force their opponents to shoot the ball poorly. They’re holding their opponents to 44.9% from the field and 34.4% from three. They’ll make it tough for the Hornets to hit shots, and I can’t imagine the Knicks hitting 47% of their three-pointers like they did last game. I think there will be some shooting regression and the under is the best play. – Josh Yourish
Raptors vs. Magic Prediction and Pick
The Raptors are 3-9 on the road this season, which is a very real concern. They were supposed to take a step into true contention in the Eastern Conference, but Scottie Barnes is having a weaker sophomore season and Toronto has plateaued. Their last outing was a win over the Lakers up in Canada. Pascal Siakam had 25 as did Fred Van Vleet, and OG Anunoby had 23 points.
Paolo Banchero is so important to everything that the Magic do on offense because he is not just their leading scorer, he leads them in assists as well. They average fewer assists than any team in the NBA this year, 21.1. That’s largely why their offense struggled, but they match up well with Toronto. Both teams have a lot of tall, long, skilled forwards and I think Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Bol Bol will be able to match Siakam, Anunoby, and Barnes.
The Magic are a young team that plays much better at home, they have five of their six wins there, while the Raptors are 1-6 in their last seven games on the road, so I’ll call my shot for an upset. – Josh Yourish
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.