Top NBA Picks and Predictions for March 30 (Suns, Hawks, Pelicans Among Favorites to Back)

There is plenty of action going on in the NBA on Wednesday, but how should you bet it?

BetSided's Peter Dewey, Donnavan Smoot and Joe Summers have three favorites that they are eyeing, with all odds via WynnBET:

Phoenix Suns vs. Golden State Warriors Prediction and Pick

I know that Klay Thompson and Draymond Green still make Golden State a dangerous team, but there’s no way I’m backing the Warriors against the Suns considering that they have covered just once in their last seven games. 

Phoenix is No. 1 in offensive rating and No. 4 in defensive rating over its last 10 games, and Devin Booker is looking like a legitimate candidate to make the All-NBA First Team this season. 

The Warriors’ offense has fallen off without Curry, as they are 27th in offense and 21st in defense without him these past six games. 

I won’t fade the Suns until they give me a reason to, and the Warriors simply aren’t the same team without Steph. 

Lean: Suns -4.5 (-110) -- Peter Dewey

Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record in the NBA this season here.

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Portland Trail Blazers Prediction and Pick

Portland has failed to cover the spread in four straight by an average of just under 15 points per game. The Blazers' league-worst net rating in March (minus-19.0) is nearly 10 points worse than the second-to-last Oklahoma City Thunder's (minus-9.3) -- representing roughly the same gap between the Thunder and the No. 16 Atlanta Hawks. That's terrible.

The Pelicans, on the other hand, have a top-10 offense and defense in March. They've been incredible on the road, going 11-2 against the spread (ATS) over their last 13. Portland is 3-10 ATS in its last 13 at home and has disadvantages in every area of the court.

I'm reminded of the K.I.S.S. model they taught us in school. Keep It Simple, Stupid. One team is surging and playing like one of the better teams in the league. One team looks like it belongs in the NIT, not the NBA.

Let's keep it simple here. The Pelicans are going to overwhelm an actively-tanking Portland squad and build off the momentum of their thrilling comeback against the Lakers.

Pick: Pelicans -13.5 (-110) -- Joe Summers

Follow all of Joe Summers' betting picks here.

Atlanta Hawks vs. Oklahoma Thunder Prediction and Pick

While I'm not overly confident in the Hawks to dominate the Thunder, there is no way I can back Oklahoma City with the amount of players it has out. The Thunder are sitting Josh Giddey for the rest of the season and will be without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. On top of those two being out, Darius Bazely, Lu Dort, Ty Jerome and Derrick Favors will be out.

This was the starting lineup against the Portland Trail Blazers in the Thunder's last game.

Come on now. I can't trust this G-league lineup.

Atlanta has some injury issues itself, but Trae Young, Kevin Huerter and Clint Capela should be enough. The Hawks' net rating is 8.5 points better than the Thunder's in the last 10 games. I'll back Atlanta to win on the road with nearly nobody available for OKC.

Lean: Hawks -12.5 (-110) -- Donnavan Smoot

You can find Donnavan Smoot’s full betting record here.