Don’t let the NFL Playoffs distract you from the NBA’s 7-game slate set to take place on Sunday.
The first game of the day is a 2:30 tip-off between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Dallas Mavericks. The final game of the day is a Western Conference matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers.
I have a few best bets for the NBA today, so let’s dive into them.
NBA best bets today
- Mavericks -1.5 vs. Clippers
- Knicks/Raptors OVER 221.5
- Draymond Green OVER 7.5 rebounds (-122)
Mavericks -1.5 vs. Clippers
No team in the NBA shoots the three ball more than the Dallas Mavericks. 49.3% of their shots come from beyond the arc, which is 0.7% more than the next closest team.
That should be an area that can dominate in this afternoon against the Los Angeles Clippers. Over their last three games, the Clippers’ perimeter defense has fallen apart, allowing teams to hit 51.7% of their three point shots.
The Mavs also do a great job not turning the ball over, ranking third in turnovers per possession (12.4%), compared to the Clippers who cough it up on 14.7% of their possessions, which ranks 22nd in the NBA.
I’ll back the Mavs as small favorites.
Knicks/Raptors OVER 221.5
The New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors both get off plenty of shots during the course of a game, ranking sixth and seventh in field goal attempts per game. A big reason why the Raptors get off so many shots, is they’re great on the fastbreak, scoring 17.8 fastbreak points a game.
Both teams also do a great job of not wasting possessions, ranking first in fourth in turnovers per possession.
Their shooting percentages may still be questionable at best, but at the very least we can count on these two teams attempting enough shots for the total in this game to go OVER, so that’s the bet I’m going to back.
Draymond Green OVER 7.5 rebounds (-122)
I have given you a spread bet and a total bet today, so how about a player prop?
I’ll take Draymond Green to go OVER his rebounding total of 7.5, due to how bad the Nets have been in the rebounding department since losing Kevin Durant.
Over their last three games, the Nets are grabbing only 44% of available rebounds. That has made their last-place rebounding rate drop even further.
Green has hit double-digit rebounds in three of his last five games, and he’s averaging 1.5 more rebounds at home this season than on the road.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.