Saturday's NBA slate features two home favorites ready to cover the spread and a road underdog who will try to play spoiler and end a monster winning streak. Check out our top NBA picks for Saturday based on the best NBA odds.
After a busy Friday, Saturday's NBA slate offers a modest six games. The Cleveland Cavaliers are monster home favorites against the depleted Detroit Pistons, but can the Cavs cover against their division foe?
Two of the worst teams in the NBA square off when the Houston Rockets visit the San Antonio Spurs in what should be a low-scoring matchup. Can the Sacramento Kings and Milwaukee Bucks extend their current win streaks when they face the Minnesota Timberwolves and Philadelphia 76ers, respectively?
Here are our NBA best bets for Saturday (odds via BetMGM, FanDuel Sportsbook, and PointsBet; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Check out our NBA picks and our best NBA betting sites.
Saturday's NBA schedule and odds
(odds via DraftKings)
- Toronto Raptors (-1) vs. Washington Wizards
- Detroit Pistons (+14.5) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
- Houston Rockets (-1.5) vs. San Antonio Spurs
- Atlanta Hawks (+1.5) vs. Miami Heat
- Philadelphia 76ers (+5.5) vs. Milwaukee Bucks
- Minnesota Timberwolves (+5.5) vs. Sacramento Kings
Saturday's NBA best bets
- Upset: 76ers ML vs. Bucks (+165 via PointsBet) ???
- Spread: Cavaliers -15.5 vs. Pistons (-110 via FanDuel) ???
- Spread: Kings -5.5 vs. Timberwolves (-105 via BetMGM) ???
- Total: Rockets-Spurs Under 233.5 (-110 via PointsBet) ????
Check out our NBA Finals odds and NBA MVP odds.
NBA top picks
Milwaukee is on a historic run, having won 16 straight contests, their longest win streak since they won 18 in a row in 2020. The Bucks are just four wins away from tying the all-time Bucks record of 20 straight set over 50 years ago in 1971 when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson were still on the squad.
The Bucks have covered in 11 of their 16 wins, and on the season, the team is 18-12 against the spread when favored by at least 5.5 points at home. Can the Sixers really halt Milwaukee's win streak after going 1-3 across their last four outings?
Over the last three seasons, the Bucks are 6-2 against the 76ers straight up, but that record is 2-3 in games in which Sixers star Joel Embiid played. Of those five contests, three were decided by a single possession, so this game is certainly winnable. Philly has won in both games in which they were at least five-point road dogs this season.
We could play it safe and take the -110 odds for the 76ers to cover, but this plus-money wager offers a ton of value, and that's where we're turning our attention.
This is a massive spread that keeps on growing. After opening at Cavaliers -13.5, the line has moved up another basket in favor of the home team. Detroit has covered in four of its last six games, but none of the teams they covered against had winning records. Detroit has failed to cover against .500 teams in 11 straight matchups.
Cleveland is 2-0-1 ATS vs. Detroit this season, winning two of those games by at least 24 points. The Pistons will be without top scorer Bojan Bogdanovic (21.6 PPG), key offensive contributor Alec Burks and the starting frontcourt of Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart. The Pistons were a poor team when heal thy, but with three more starters on the sidelines, this one could get ugly in a hurry. We'll take Cleveland and the points.
Just like the Bucks, the Kings will have a win streak on the line when the Timberwolves come to town. Sacramento has won five in a row and covered in four of those. Minnesota has won and covered in two straight on the road, but those wins are a bit hollow, as they came against the shorthanded L.A. Lakers and a Clippers team that hasn't played defense on anyone as of late.
The two teams are evenly matched ATS, as Sacramento is 6-5 when favored by at least six at home, and Minnesota is 5-5 as six-point or higher road dogs.
The season series between the Wolves and Kings is tied 1-1. Sacramento is the more talented team, and the Kings have played some excellent basketball thanks to improved play from De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis and solid outside shoot ing from the likes of Kevin Huerter and Malik Monk. We'll take the home team to light the beam and cover this spread.
All of our featured books offer this total between 229.5 and 228. PointsBet is the only book offering it at greater than 230, and the total is a ridiculous 233.5. We're taking full advantage of this mispriced line.
Since returning from the All-Star break, the Spurs have averaged 107.5 points per game, and the Rockets have averaged 106.5. Both teams rank in the bottom six in points scored on the season. The Spurs have hit the Under in three straight, and the Rockets have gone 2-4-1 across their last seven. Bettors tend to favor the Over, but these teams are dreadful on offense, and we can't count on either of them lighting up the scoreboard enough to eclipse 233.5 points. This is an easy Under.
NBA best bets made 3/4/2023 at 9:20 a.m. ET.
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