Top NBA Betting Picks of the Week – March 5th

The Toronto Raptors continue to run away with the Eastern Conference in the NBA, winners of four in a row and nine of their last ten. That means they’ve picked up four games on Boston in their last ten, and the new-look Cleveland Cavaliers have dropped two in a row and are just ½ game ahead of Indiana in third place in the East. The second-hottest team in the East right now is Philadelphia, winners of seven of ten and sitting currently in sixth place in the conference. In the Western Conference, the Houston Rockets continue their winning streak, which now stands at 15 in a row — but right behind them, the Warriors have won five in a row. The third-place Portland Trail Blazers and the fourth-place New Orleans Pelicans have streaks of six and eight wins, respectively — but they’re still 12 ½ and 13 games behind Houston. Check out our NBA betting picks for this week’s play on the hardwood.

Top NBA Betting Picks of the Week – March 5th

The Portland Trail Blazers have climbed into the top-5 in our latest NBA Power Rankings (by @minutemandan) https://t.co/nyinjkFrbz pic.twitter.com/KskjvYCgXO

— FanSided (@FanSided) March 5, 2018

Tuesday, March 6

Philadelphia at Charlotte (7:00pm ET, CSN)

The Philadelphia 76ers picked up an impressive 108-97 win in Cleveland last week, and they followed that up with an 11-point home win over Charlotte — and an eight-point loss in Milwaukee on Sunday. The Sixers scored 43 points in the first quarter of the loss to Milwaukee but went ice cold in the second half, scoring just 14 points in the third quarter and 38 points total for the half. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 14 points all on his own in the third, tying the whole team. The problem for Philadelphia was ball security, as they turned the ball over 26 times, a season worst. That allowed Milwaukee to come back from two different 15-point deficits in the game, the first time that had happened in three seasons. The Charlotte Hornets had won five in a row — including a 17-point shellacking of the Wizards up in D.C. — but now they have lost three in a row, taking a 28-point rout at Boston, losing in Philadelphia by 11, and then falling in Toronto by five. In the loss to the Raptors, Kemba Walker had 27 points, and Dwight Howard put up 10 points and 10 boards. Can the Hornets keep up with a Philadelphia team that will likely want some redemption for that ugly loss in Milwaukee? NBA Betting Prediction: Philadelphia 108, Charlotte 102

Wednesday, March 7

Houston at Milwaukee (8:00pm ET, FSWI)

At some point, the Houston Rockets’ winning streak will come to an end. However, their record in clutch time is one of the most impressive metrics they’ve posted so far this season. “Clutch time” is defined as the last five minutes of the game, with the score within five points. They have played 31 minutes of “clutch time” this season and have outscored the opposition 108-71, including 15-12 against Boston on Saturday. James Harden had 26 points and 10 assists, and Eric Gordon came off the bench to score 29 points. They visit a Bucks team that just picked up an impressive win over the Sixers. Giannis Antetokounmpo is making a major push for MVP, and the Bucks are riding him to another postseason spot. It’s hard to see how the Bucks are going to shut down the prolific Houston offense, which continues to click with both Chris Paul and James Harden on the floor together. However, every team goes cold on occasion, and the Bucks have shown that they will not quit. NBA Betting Prediction: Milwaukee 111, Houston 108

Thursday, March 8

San Antonio at Golden State (10:30pm ET, TNT)

The Spurs have slid to sixth in the Western Conference, winners of just two in their last ten. Kawhi Leonard (injury management) and LaMarcus Aldridge (ankle) are both likely to be on the shelf against Memphis on Monday, so you’d want to pay close attention to that injury report before locking in your wager on this one. The Spurs have lost games to such unlikely foes as Denver (twice) the Pelicans and the Lakers during their recent drought, and they have dropped four straight games at home, the first time that’s happened in 16 years. This might be the absolute wrong time for Pop to take his team to Golden State, winners of five in a row since a six-point loss at Portland. Since then, they have beaten the Clippers, the Thunder (by 32), the Knicks, the Wizards and the Hawks. Stephen Curry is listed as day-to-day, so you’ll want to check his injury status before betting on this game as well, but as things stand now, I see the Warriors taking advantage of the disharmony in San Antonio. NBA Betting Prediction: Golden State 122, San Antonio 108