Free NBA Betting Picks - Today's Best Bets, Expert Predictions, Odds (3/21/23)

March 21, 2023

Thunder Dan's top NBA betting picks and best bets for today's NBA games on 3/21/23. His free picks against the spread, teasers, parlays, and NBA player props.

It's a fairly quiet Tuesday night in the NBA, but I couldn't resist the opportunity to pick some games today and see if I could continue the heater that I had going last week. Tomorrow and Friday are the big slates this week (10 games) so I'll be very interested in those nights for betting, but tonight I think I have a few spots that warrant consideration. I'm now up to 15 games over .500 and it took me the better part of the season to get there, but I stuck with my process and as my record indicates, avoiding game totals has been one way that I was able to right the ship during the year. And yes, I am addicted to teasers, but they've simply been my best bet this season so I'm going to keep building them, darn it!

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 Tuesday, March 21st.

Thunder Dan's NBA Best Bets

• 2022-2023 Overall Record: 142-127-2
• Against the Spread: 70-63-2
• Game/Team Totals: 16-27
• Moneyline Parlay: 19-25
• Teasers: 34-12

NBA Betting Picks: Against the Spread

Cleveland Cavaliers (-2.5) @ Brooklyn Nets (218 total)

I have no choice but to pick the Cavs, trust me, I don't want to do it - I don't want to risk the jinx at all. But this team could be getting Jarrett Allen back just in time for a "revenge game" against his old team and the Cavs, when completely healthy are a top-8 team in the NBA (see, now you know I am an unbiased fan because a true fanboy would have said like "top 5" or something).

Brooklyn owns the only win in this series, but that game took place back during their epic winning streak last fall when Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were on the team. This Brooklyn team is still scary, but they are a lot like the Cavs in that they have a blue-collar feel to them and they have to get contributions from multiple different players and not rely on superstars to have huge games. I'm a big fan of Spencer Dinwiddie, Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, and Nic Claxton and they've shown they can be greater than the sum of all their parts at times. However, they can also struggle to score on offense and should have a tough time matching up with Cleveland's size if the twin towers are back in the lineup together.

The Cavs have simply been the better over the last month and despite their underwhelming road record ATS (15-9-2), I still like them to cover here. I think this should be a 4-5 point spread and while I wish it were two points, I'm willing to eat that extra half-point and bank on Cleveland pulling away late or making their free throws down the stretch.

The Pick: Cavs -2.5 (-110)

Oklahoma City Thunder (+6.5) @ LA Clippers (235.5 total)

OKC finally burned me last week when they got wiped out by the Raptors, who happen to be playing much better basketball lately. But I am not afraid to get back on the Thunder here, not in the slightest!

SGA and company are already 2-0 against the Clippers and still own the best record in the NBA against the spread with a 61% cover rate. Worried about them being on the road? Don't be because they still cover 61% of the time as the road time. How about OKC as underdogs, Dan? They're even better with a 62% cover rate. Say it with me, friends - THIS TEAM IS GOOD.

The Clippers aren't anything special, even when Kawhi and PG13 are both on the floor. Westbrook doesn't add much value as whatever help he brings on offense is negated by his bad defense. They brought in Eric Gordon and Mason Plumlee for help off the bench (oh I'm terrified) and they are still badly missing Norman Powell who is their third-best two-way player after George and Leonard.

When SGA is in the lineup, this OKC team is formidable as Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams are the perfect sidekicks for his style of play. This team is emerging and is going to be a force to be reckoned with next year and beyond. I'm committed to betting on their trends and I have total faith in their ability to compete with anyone. They could easily win this game, let alone cover.

The Pick: Thunder +6.5 (-110)

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NBA Betting Picks: Parlays and Teasers

Money Line Parlay: NONE TONIGHT

MIXED TEASER (buying 10 points - Super Teaser on DraftKings)

OKC +16..5, SAC +14.5, NOP -1, ATL -2.5 = (-120 DK)

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