RADIO
It's the last big slate before the All-Star break with ten games on the docket. We are coming off a pretty solid 3-1 day on Monday with my only miss being a big miss on the Charlotte-Atlanta under and that might be the nail in the coffin of my game total picks as I have been bleeding money on totals this season. At 12-27, game totals have totally tanked my overall record and I might be done with them going forward. At some point, you have to bet your strengths, and betting these game totals ain't it right now.
I'm only picking sides and totals in this article three days a week, so consider subscribing to my sports betting substack here as I put out some DFS stuff and props on most evenings from Monday through Friday, too.
In this article, I'll be providing my favorite picks against the spread, game totals, parlays, and teasers for NBA games that tip-off at 7:00 PM EST on Wednesday, February 15th.
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Thunder Dan's NBA Best Bets
- 2022-2023 Overall Record: 109-114-1
- Against the Spread: 52-56-1
- Game/Team Totals: 12-27
- Moneyline Parlay: 15-22
- Teasers: 27-10
NBA Betting Picks: Against the Spread
Cleveland Cavaliers (+2) @ Philadelphia 76ers (216.5 total)
I promise this is not a homer pick! It's actually been a while since I have recommended the Cavs in this article as you probably know - I'm not superstitious but I am a bit "stitious" (to quote Michael Scott) and I never want to jinx my squad, especially in a huge game for them against another Eastern conference contender.
But how can we not like Cleveland here? Their 12.3 net rating over their last ten games is the best in the NBA and they've reeled off seven straight wins. They have their core guys all healthy and seem to be firing on all cylinders right now. Philly is always a tough out, but the Cavs handled them earlier in the season and actually match up better with them than most teams in that they have the size with Mobley and Allen to combat Embiid in the paint and some elite defenders in LeVert and Okoro that they can put on James Harden.
Being underdogs here just feels a bit disrespectful to a Cavs team that has frankly played better and looked better than the Sixers for most of the season. I'm on their money line at plus odds, let's bring it home tonight, Cleveland.
The Pick: Cavs ML (+110)
Utah Jazz (+8.5) @ Memphis Grizzlies (240 total)
The Jazz are sizable dogs here on the road, and I get it. I mean Memphis is a legit contender in the West and has far more depth as well as the best player on the court tonight in Ja Morant. But the Jazz, even after trading away Mike Conley, continue to be pesky and either win games they shouldn't or hang with good teams.
Utah actually leads the season series here 2-1 and even in their one loss to Memphis, they only lost by five points. I understand that Memphis is the home team here and that they should clearly be the favorite. But this spread feels far too big and Utah just happens to be 13-7 ATS when they are road underdogs this season. I'm backing the Jazz to cover and keep this one close.
The Pick: Jazz +8.5 (-110)
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New Orleans Pelicans (+3.5) @ LA Lakers (234.5 total)
Another road dog that interests me here is the Pelicans. This game is a bit harder to predict as CJ McCollum missed Monday night's game and is questionable for this one while LeBron James has now missed two straight for the Lakers and carries a Q-tag, too.
But the Pelicans just beat this Lakers team a week ago even with LeBron healthy and have some other quality wins this month against OKC, Sacto, and Atlanta. Their only losses were to a surging Cavs team and a Mavs team that is incredibly tough at home.
Brandon Ingram is playing extremely well right now and if McCollum can return tonight, the two of them pack a pretty potent 1-2 punch of offense, while the newly acquired Josh Richardson has added some nice depth behind them off the bench. I may even slap some money down on the Pelicans to win outright, especially if we get a positive update on McCollum's status later in the day.
The Pick: Pelicans +3.5 (-110)
Underdog TEASER (buying 5 points)
NOP +8.5, DAL +10.5, UTA +13.5, NYK +8, CLE +7 = (+350 DK)
We are going a bit riskier with five teams here, feel free to leave a team out if you're not all that confident in them.
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