Betseeker’s expert tipsters have you covered for the best NBA tips and predictions for every game of the NBA season.
There are of cases to be made both for and against the NBA play-in tournament but from a punting perspective, more basketball is never a bad thing.
Best Bet
Clippers @ Timberwolves (11:30am)
Clippers +3.5 ($1.87)
Minnesota have been a pleasant surprise this season. After going 23-49 in 2020-21, they’ve managed to double their number of wins to 46 and finished 7th in the west.
The consistent play from their talented trio and improved depth has turned them into one of the more watchable teams in the league and you throw in the coaching of Chris Finch and we’re not exactly talking about an attractive play-in tournament opponent.
Enter the Los Angeles Clippers.
Ty Lue has steered the ship magnificently this season without a single minute of Kawhi Leonard and with just 31 games featuring Paul George.
Thankfully for them, PG is now back and he’s looked strong since returning. As has Norman Powell, who is shooting 70 per cent from deep since his injury layoff came to an end.
The Clippers are coming into Wednesday on the back of five-straight wins and they will fancy their chances against a Timberwolves team that they’ve gone 3-1 against this season.
There’s been signs that the wheels might be about to fall off the Minnesota bandwagon lately too. They’ve gone 4-6 in their last 10 and are just 2-8 ATS in those games. Defensively they are also struggling mightily – they rank 27th in defensive efficiency over the same span.
We pointed to the depth of the Wolves earlier to be a reason for their success this season and Patrick Beverley has certainly been part of that. The defensive identity of this team runs through him and he’ll have to be a factor if they are to advance on Wednesday.
Seeing him get tossed in what was a meaningless regular season game on Monday just doesn’t inspire confidence though.
Take the points and consider a sprinkling on the Clippers to win too.
Same Game Multi
Anthony Edwards Over 22.5 Points
Paul George 6+ Assists
Karl Anthony Edwards 10+ Rebounds
$4.33
Next Best
Cavaliers @ Nets (9:00am)
Wire To Wire – Any Other Result ($1.91)
Brooklyn are currently on the third line of betting to be crowned NBA Champions but they’ll first have to navigate the play-in tournament before they can get to the real stuff.
A series with the NBA’s best defensive team in the Boston Celtics awaits the winner of this one it would take a soul braver than mine to bet against Kevin Durant here.
Hence why we’re not going to.
Despite their well-publicised defensive struggles, the Nets have actually strung together a couple of strong weeks. League-wide they rank 11th in net rating and 8th in defensive rating over their last 10 games.
It’s actually their offence that has held them back lately and their opponents, while not necessarily scoring big, have often been able to remain within striking distance.
Brooklyn is 3-7 ATS in their last 10 but the inconsistency of Cleveland, who are also 3-7 ATS, makes it difficult to make them a bet with the points.
Prior to the All-Star break, the Cavaliers were one of the bigger surprises of the season. They ranked 7th in net rating and looked to be in with a shot at a top-4 seed in the eastern conference playoffs.
Since then they’ve gone 9-15 and have ranked in the bottom 10 of the league both offensively and defensively.
Injuries to key pieces in Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley have hurt Cleveland’s postseason push but the recent return of the rookie of the year favourite will give the team confidence ahead of Wednesday.
The Cavaliers remain a relatively deep squad and the All-Star play of Darius Garland and support from names like LeVert, Okoro, Markkanen, Osman and Love has given them a fighting chance at a postseason birth.
Cleveland will likely be outclassed here but there is no value in either the line or total points markets and that’s why I’m looking elsewhere.
In the last 10 games for both the Nets and Cavaliers, including the recent game between these two squads last week, just three times has one team led wire-to-wire.
Brooklyn will more than likely pull away late but we see no reason why they won’t give their opponents a sniff on Wednesday.
Same Game Multi
Brooklyn H2H
Darius Garland Over 8.5 Assists
Kevin Durant Over 32.5 Points
$4.00
