Top NBA Picks and Predictions for March 29 (Trust Bucks, Clippers and Mavericks on Tuesday)
There are five games in the NBA on Tuesday, March 29, and the BetSided team has you covered with several picks and predictions for tonight's action.
Here are three of our favorite picks, with all odds via WynnBET.
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Philadelphia 76ers Prediction and Pick
There is plenty of star power in this game between Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden and Joel Embiid, but which side should we target when betting?
I’m going to lean with Milwaukee for a couple of reasons, with the first being the team’s offense over the last few games. Milwaukee is sixth in the NBA in offensive rating over its last 10 contests, while the Sixers come in at 17th.
On the flip side, the Sixers have posted the No. 9 defensive rating to Milwaukee’s No. 20, but the Bucks have a net rating (plus or minus points per 100 possessions) over their last 10 games of 4.8 compared to the Sixers at 0.3.
As much as the James Harden trade helped Philly’s ceiling, the Sixers are just 6-5 against teams in the top eight in each conference since the move.
I think Milwaukee is live to pull off the upset as a road underdog.
Lean: Bucks Moneyline (+100) -- Peter Dewey
Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record in the NBA this season here.
Utah Jazz vs. Los Angeles Clippers Prediction and Pick
If the Clippers get Paul George back tonight, I'll side with them. I've been on record saying the Clippers are the most dangerous team in the Western Conference play-in tournament. They play hard, have a good defense and had George's return in their hand like pocket aces. Tonight, could be the first showing since Christmas of a Clippers team with a star and the Jazz should be worried.
The Jazz have lost four straight games and are 4-6 in their last 10. During their four-game losing streak, the Jazz have the second-worst defensive rating in the league (125.7). Even if Paul George doesn't play, this scares me when it comes to picking Utah tonight. The Clippers aren't the best offensive team in the league, but Utah's recent performance might make them look like juggernauts.
The Clippers are essentially locked into the No. 8 seed, but they still have a lot to play for. The playoffs are coming up and they need to be functioning at full strength when their stars come back.
If George doesn't play, I'll reluctantly take the Jazz because of the star power. Otherwise, Los Angeles is the play to make.
Lean: Clippers +1 if Paul George Plays; Utah -1 if Paul George Sits -- Donnavan Smoot
You can find Donnavan Smoot’s full betting record here.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks Prediction and Pick
The Lakers’ injury luck this season has been straight out of a horror movie, and there’s just no way you can trust them to win this game without James or Davis in the lineup.
That being said, I think it gives us some betting value on two fronts in this matchup.
First, I like Dallas as a 12-point favorite in this game, as the Mavericks are one of the better teams in the NBA as a home favorite (15-11-1 against the spread), and they are 5-2 ATS when favored by double-digits this season.
Los Angeles has been a bottom-10 team in both offensive and defensive rating this season and that’s with James putting up MVP-caliber numbers on a nightly basis. With no LeBron, you have to fade the Lakers.
There is also value on the total in this game, as the Lakers will be down their two best offensive players against a team that ranks seventh in defensive rating and dead last in pace this season.
Los Angeles is going to need to find offense from unlikely sources, but I think the Mavs make this a bit more of a grind-it-out game for L.A. and slowly try to force it into submission.
Lean: Mavericks -12 (-110) | UNDER 218.5 (-110) -- Peter Dewey