Three of four wagers were successful yesterday, and NBA predictions earned +2.83 units. The spread ladder on the Toronto Raptors -3.5 and -9.5 did most of the heavy lifting, as the -9.5 was at +185. It could have been teased more, and Fantasy Alarm will continue to use the Philadelphia 76ers as a betting punching bag.

 

 

 

The Los Angeles Clippers lost against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but it was not by more than 7.5 points. They lost by five and covered their spread which was at almost even odds. The Milwaukee Bucks scored 124 points against the Atlanta Hawks, but Giannis Antetokounmpo fell one field goal short of his point line.

The bet required over 32.5 points, and he earned 31. Overall, yesterday’s NBA best bets were great, and we look to keep it rolling today.

NBA Picks, Predictions & Best Bets Today, 3/31

The first of our NBA best bets today comes from an intraconference match, at a city located on the mighty Mississippi River.

 

 

 

Celtics vs. Grizzlies Prediction: (Spread Ladder) Boston -4.5 (-110 on Bet365), Boston -9.0 (+160 on Bet365) *BET OF THE NIGHT 

The sportsbooks have had a nasty habit of looking at averages and not calculating how the brutal March schedule has broken some franchises. One of those franchises is the Memphis Grizzlies who recently fired their Head Coach, Taylor Jenkins. 

The Grizzlies were/are fifth in the Western Conference, but an NBA head coach position is one of the, if not the, least secured positions in professional sports. For some reason he was let go just weeks before the playoffs begin.

With Jenkins gone the Grizzlies are still losing, and that is the expectation heading into tonight’s match against the Boston Celtics. The reigning champions are -4.5 favorites at FedExForum, and that is the first step of their ladder. Jaylen Brown is the only player listed as questionable for the Celtics, and they have played several games without him… which makes a -4.5 spread a bit puzzling.

The Celtics have won eight matches in a row, nine of their last ten, and are playing like the best team in the Association. Champions tend to do that, especially when there are less than ten games remaining in the schedule. Memphis does average more points per game, but Boston has a much better defense, almost ten points per game better. The Celtics only allow 107.8 points, while the Grizzlies allow 117.1 points per game.

The Celtics are completely safe at second place in the Eastern Conference. They have eight games remaining on their schedule and are 4.5 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers and 8.0 games ahead of the New York Knicks. However, they are a championship team and have a great leader in Jayson Tatum. 

Tatum had a nasty ankle sprain that would keep most players out for a longer period of time, but he came back after a one game absence. He may not be a talker, or be popular with NBA fans, but he is everything the Celtics have built around. 

Tatum, like Nikola Jokic, is not flashy, is not outspoken, is a family man often with his children pre- and post-game, and not ‘cool’ in the way other NBA superstars have been. Do not let that distract from the fact that he is, without question, the best American born player under 30 years old. 

His season per game averages are: 36.4 minutes, 27.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.1 steals. He does all of that on a roster with talent around him and is not greedy with the ball.

Memphis does not have anyone that can stop him, nor Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis, and Payton Pritchard if they get on a hot scoring streak. Boston’s ruthless ravaging of the Western Conference has been blowout victories. Their five most recent wins have been by margins of; 10, 30, 18, 13, and 22. 

Boston should win today’s match by ten or more points, but for a tease -9.0 at +160 is suggested. It is double the amount of the original spread and allows for a push should the Celtics win by just 9 points. One unit on each spread is recommended and remember to check out the promotional offer for Bet365 at the end of this article.

 

 

 

Clippers vs. Magic Prediction: Los Angeles -3.0 (-110 FanDuel Sportsbook)

As the expression goes, ‘If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it’, and that is the logic with the second of our NBA best bets today. This will be the fifth bet on the Los Angeles Clippers in as many games. The previous four have been successful, and the expectation is they will cover the spread on the road.

The Clippers travel to Florida after playing in Ohio yesterday and are playing in the second of back-to-back matches. The Orlando Magic host the Clippers at the Kia Center, and it is a projected close match. The Clippers come in as slight favorites with a -3.0 spread and a unit is suggested for the road team.

It is true that they are playing in back-to-back games, but their game yesterday was earlier in the afternoon. That may not seem like a big deal but adding a few hours for resting/recovering can be greatly beneficial. Kawhi Leonard rested in yesterday’s match, and the expectation is he will be ready to play against Orlando. That will help too, as Leonard is in peak form.

The Magic have a similarly constructed team, but the Clippers have the advantage at center with Ivica Zubac and James Harden at point guard. The Clippers average over seven points more per game than the Magic, 112.4 to 105.1. Los Angeles has a +3.7-point differential while Orlando has a -0.7. Orlando has young talent and a promising coach; the Clippers have a championship coach paired with season and finals MVPs.

The Clippers covered the spread yesterday, and the expectation is for them to do it again today. Put a unit on the -3.0 spread, and for those that do not have FanDuel Sportsbooks downloaded, make sure to take advantage of Fantasy Alarm’s promotional offer.

 

 

 

Best NBA Prop Bets & Other Picks Today, 3/31

The last of our NBA best bets today is a Same Game Parlay (SGP) in a bottom of the barrel battle for worst in the Association. 

 

 

 

Jazz vs. Hornets Prediction: Mark Williams O10.5 Rebounds & Charlotte U119.5 Points (+116 SGP on DraftKings)

There are going to be lousy matches at the end of every NBA season, but today’s game of the Utah Jazz versus the Charlotte Hornets is an all-time terrible game. The Jazz are the worst team in the Association with a 16-59 record and have won just seven of thirty-six road matches. The Hornets with their best, ‘hold my beer’ take, have just 18 wins this season, and actually have one more loss on the road than the Jazz.

Luckily for them this game is at home, but they played at Spectrum Center yesterday and lost. In fact, they couldn’t even score 100 points against the New Orleans Pelicans who have a mighty 21 wins on the season. The Hornets are awful in every sense of the word, and their stars have been declared out for the season. April plans are on the horizon for most, and who knows what this offseason holds for Mark Williams, starting center of the Hornets.

Williams has been one of the most mentioned players since the All-Star break and we most recently profited from teasing up his rebounding line. Today, the best bet is on his set rebounding line of over 10.5. Williams was rested yesterday in anticipation for today’s game, and he will be depended on with fresh legs. The Jazz have been the third worst rebounding team lately. In their last three games they have allowed an average of 58.0 rebounds per game. 

Williams is averaging 10.1 rebounds per game this season but has 12 or more rebounds in three of his last four matches. He has also recorded 12 or more rebounds in five of his last eight matches, and 10 or more in six of his last eight games. Williams has played over his average minutes in four consecutive matches, and should he play over 26.1 minutes again, he should earn the 11 rebounds required for this bet.

Adding a teased-up team total for the Hornets takes this bet from -115 to +116. The Hornets average 105.5 points per game, and that is when they had LaMelo Ball. Their last eight games they have scored 115 points or fewer. The Jazz are terrible, but so are the Hornets, and there are not many scenarios in which Charlotte scores over 119.5 points.

Put a unit on the Same Game Parlay and if you are not a customer with DraftKings, make sure to take advantage of the promotional offer. 

 

 

 

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Bet Smart, Be Lucky - Iggy

*All NBA odds accurate at time of writing and NBA best bets today to be placed at 1 unit unless specified otherwise