We struck out on our two NBA predictions on Wednesday, as the Bulls blew a late lead over the Pacers and the Hornets laid an egg against the struggling Suns.
No matter; we’re back to the drawing board on Wednesday ahead of an intriguing slate of games, headlined by a reunion of sorts in Philadelphia and a potential NBA Finals preview in Milwaukee.
Here are our favorite bets to make at BetMGM for Wednesday’s betting menu:
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NBA Wednesday odds, lines, picks (via BetMGM)
- 76ers -5.5 vs. Nets
- Nuggets +10.5 @ Bucks
- Thunder +1.5 vs. Hawks
76ers vs. Nets prediction and analysis (7:40 p.m. ET)
This line is defined by the health of each team’s key superstar: Kevin Durant (knee) is out for his seventh straight game, while Joel Embiid (foot) has a much rosier outlook after resting on Saturday.
That makes all the difference in this matchup. Since Durant went down on Jan. 8, Brooklyn is 2-4 outright / against the spread with the NBA’s ninth-worst net rating (-2.6). Conversely, since former Nets star James Harden returned from injury, the Sixers own the second-best record in the league (15-4) with a 12-7 ATS record and top-seven marks in offensive rating (118.3) and defensive rating ( 113.2).
Clearly, this is a mismatch on paper, and that’s exacerbated if Embiid does indeed suit up in his first-ever game against former teammate Ben Simmons. His absence would knock this line down a bit, so tread carefully, but Philly feels like the better bet however this one lands.
76ers vs. Nets pick
Bucks vs. Nuggets prediction and analysis (8:10 p.m. ET)
Something obviously doesn’t sit right with this spread, which is pricing these two teams as worlds apart despite the Nuggets boasting the No. 1 seed in the West and two-time reigning MVP winner Nikola Jokic, who is the runaway favorite to win his third straight.
He’s also been battling a nagging hamstring injury, which may be why this line is so out of whack. Still, it’s not like the Bucks are fully healthy, either: Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee) played just 26 minutes in Monday’s win over the Pistons, which ended a five-game absence for the two-time MVP that came after a curiously poor shooting spell. .
Milwaukee is also without key rotation big Bobby Portis (knee), who averaged 31.7 minutes in his previous five games before leaving early on Monday. If Jokic plays, this is absolute larceny on the underdog Nuggets; if he doesn’t, I’ll still take my chances at this price.
Bucks vs. Nuggets pick
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Thunder vs. Hawks prediction and analysis (8:10 p.m. ET)
When will the Thunder finally get the respect they deserve from the betting market? OKC was briefly dealing as a favorite on Tuesday night, but this group finds itself as an underdog for the 36th time in 48 games to this point.
The Thunder are a stellar 24-10-1 ATS (70.6%) in that spot – the second-best mark in the league – and have been on an absolute heater in January, winning eight of their last 11 games with a ridiculous 10- 1 ATS record in that stretch. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been at the forefront, averaging 30.2 points in that run after hitting the game-winner to down the Nuggets on Sunday.
He’s also the perfect defensive foil for diminutive Hawks star Trae Young, who has scored fewer than 30 points in each of his last seven games while shooting worse than 50% in six of them. His supporting cast is better than SGA’s, but I’d still expect the Thunder to stay hot in a winnable matchup on Wednesday.
Thunder vs. Hawks pick
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