Paul George made a statement in his long-awaited return to the Clippers lineup on Monday by helping his team erase a 25-point deficit to defeat the Utah Jazz 121-115. The Clippers could be a sleeper out of the Western Conference if they can get Kawhi Leonard and Norman Powell back in the rotation alongside George. Meanwhile, the Lakers dropped another game in a blowout loss to the Mavericks slipping into a tie with the Spurs for the 10th spot in the West. Wednesday is another opportunity for movement in the conference standings with 11 NBA games on tap. Let’s dive into the best NBA bets today, picks and NBA betting tips for Wednesday, March 30.
Best NBA Bets Today: Game Tips & Betting Predictions
Nuggets vs. Pacers Best Bet
The Denver Nuggets travel to Indiana on Wednesday to take on an injury riddled Pacers squad. These two have already met once this season, with the Nuggets coming away with a three-point win at home back in November. Nikola Jokic did not play in the first matchup. Denver has won three of their last four games and 15 of their last 21 games. Indiana has lost four in a row and the struggles could easily continue as they chug to the finish line.
The Denver Nuggets enter Wednesday with a 45-31 record tied for fifth in the Western Conference. Jokic remains one of the most dangerous players in the league and that is not expected to change as the regular season comes to a close. He leads the team averaging 26.3 points, 13.6 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game. Aaron Gordon has become an important piece of the Nuggets’ rotation as they await the return of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr.. Gordon has posted three straight 20-point performances. Without much depth due to injuries, getting the most out of their shortened rotation is key to closing out games. The Nuggets are averaging 111.8 points on 47.9% shooting and allowing 109.4 points to opponents. Defensively, the Nuggets have struggled and will need to make adjustments if they plan to make a run in the playoffs. They rank 15th in defensive rating but struggle from an efficiency standpoint, ranking 23rd in opponent field goal percentage. Tonight should be an easier test with several key players sitting for the Pacers.
Indiana is officially eliminated from the playoffs with no real meaning to the six remaining games on their schedule. They have lost four straight and six of their last eight games. The Pacers continue to play with a depleted roster and this will be the case for the final two weeks of the season. Nine players were on the injury report for their last contest. Malcom Brogdon (rest) and Chris Duarte (toe) are listed as day-to-day and with only six games left it is unclear if they will return to the lineup this season. Myles Turner (foot) was shut down for the rest of the season to focus on getting healthy for the start of the 2022-23 season. The Pacers will rely heavily on Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield to pick up the missing offensive production in efforts to spoil the Nuggets’ trip to Indiana. Indiana is averaging 110.7 points on 46.2% shooting and allowing 113.9 points to opponents.
It has been a tale of two teams going in opposite directions and that should be evident in tonight’s meeting. The Pacers seem to have shut down several players for the remainder of the season and have lost their last four games by an average of 20 points, going 0-4 against the spread during this span. Expect Jokic to dominate down low as he looks to close out a historic season and take home back-to-back MVP trophies. The Nuggets’ depth is far more talented than what the Pacers have to work with. Indiana is 33-41-2 against the spread on the season and 17-20-1 at home. The Nuggets have had more success in covering games on the road this season, going 21-18 against the spread and 9-2 in their last 11 road games. Watch for Jokic and the Nuggets to take care of business in Indiana and win this game by double digits. Lay the points with the Nuggets on Wednesday.
Best NBA Bet for Today’s Game: Denver Nuggets -9.5
The best odds are available on BetMGM found through OddsShopper. Find your best bet in 30 seconds or less.
The Latest Sports Betting Content from Stokastic Odds
- BetMGM North Carolina Pre-Registration: $200 in Bonus Bets Awaiting You When Sports Betting Launches
- Bet365 North Carolina Pre-Registration: Get $100 in Bonus Bets Before March 11
- DraftKings North Carolina Pre-Registration: Up to $300 in Bonus Bets for NC Launch on March 11!
- FanDuel North Carolina Pre-Registration: Grab $300 in Bonus Bets Between Now and March 11!
- Bet365 Louisiana Bonus Code: Bet $1, Get $365 in Bonus Bets!
- Stokastic DFS on Youtube
Heat vs. Celtics Best Bet
The Miami Heat start a three-game road trip in Boston on Wednesday night. The Heat were able to stop the bleeding and get back in the win column on Monday with a 123-100 win over the Kings to end a four-game skid. The Celtics’ six-game winning streak was snapped by the Raptors in a 115-112 loss in overtime in their previous contest. These two teams have faced off twice this season, with the Celtics cruising to victory in both matchups. Tonight’s contest will be the most important of the bunch as these two teams are battling to finish in the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Miami Heat currently sit atop the Eastern Conference with a 48-28 record, one game ahead of both Milwaukee and Boston. After a 44-22 start to the season, Miami has cooled off, going 4-6 over their last 10 games. There seems to be issues going on behind the scenes that led to a midgame blow-up on the sidelines involving Erik Spoelstra and long-time Heat veteran Udonis Haslem getting in a heated argument with All-Star Jimmy Butler in one of their recent outings. While the Heat remain the top team in the East, they will have a tough test on the road against the Celtics in tonight’s matchup. With the absence of Celtic’s Robert Williams, Bam Adebayo will need to step up and take advantage of his matchup. Adebayo had a monster night on Monday, scoring 22 points with 15 rebounds against the Kings. Since returning from injury in mid-January, Adebayo is averaging 19.3 points and 10.2 rebounds on 57.3% shooting. The Heat are averaging 109.3 points on 46.3% shooting and allowing 105.2 points to opponents on the season.
The Celtics are one of the hottest teams in the league, winning 22 of their last 26 games. Boston is coming off a loss in Toronto where starters Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were rested. Both players are expected to be back in the lineup on Wednesday. Al Horford‘s status is questionable after missing Monday’s game due to personal reasons. The Celtics took a hit by losing Williams to a torn meniscus that will require surgery and sideling him for the next four to six weeks. This is a big hit to the team’s defense, as Williams ranks second in the league with 2.2 blocks per game along with 9.6 rebounds per game. If Horford is unable to suit up, the Celtics will be running thin in the frontcourt leaving a tough matchup down low for Daniel Theis and Grant Williams, who will be tasked to defend Adebayo. The Boston Celtics are averaging 110.8 points on 46.2% shooting and allowing 104 points to opponents.
The Celtics won the first two meetings with ease. The Heat failed to score more than 95 points in both outings. Miami has had a ton of success cashing the over this season, but tonight will be a different story facing off against the NBA’s No. 1 defense. Boston is suffocating opponents, allowing only 103.3 points per game at home. These two teams rank 24th and 28th in pace on the season, so do not expect a ton of shot attempts. Boston perimeter defense matches up well against a Miami offense that relies heavily on 3-pointers. The Celtics are holding opponents to the lowest 3-point shooting percentage on the season. A slow tempo mixed in with two top-five defenses is a great recipe for an under. Trust that the under is the right play in tonight’s matchup.
Best NBA Bet for Today’s Game: Total Under 213.5
The best odds are available on BetMGM found through OddsShopper. Find your best bet in 30 seconds or less.
Thanks for reading to the end of this article! If you appreciate this free content and want to see more of it every day, you can help us out by sharing this article on social media!
Check out Stokastic's Best Bets home page for more sports betting picks and predictions.
