A fresh week of NBA betting action is upon us. Let’s find three NBA favorites to bet on Monday night.
Golden State Warriors vs. Philadelphia 76ers Preview
Best Bet: 76ers -9
With the way Steph Curry has been playing, this game should be a treat. For bettors, there’s clear value in betting on Philadelphia to cover this spread against Golden State.
The 39-17 76ers are one of the NBA’s best teams thanks to offensive and defensive balance. The Sixers offense comes in ranked 13th, and their defense ranked inside the top-five. They’re playing as good as anyone, winners of four straight and 7-3 in their last ten.
It’s the way they match up against the Warriors that puts this pick over the edge.
As you can guess, Golden State prefers to shoot the three. In fact, they rank inside the top ten of threes made per game. Unfortunately, Philadelphia is one of the best teams at guarding the perimeter.
Ben Simmons and Danny Green can switch off checking Curry behind the arc. Without too many threes, this offense will falter.
Philadelphia is one of the best teams against the spread this season, covering 56% of the time. Golden State is just 27-30 against the spread.
Chicago Bulls vs. Boston Celtics Preview
Best Bet: Celtics -6.5
Boston is trending up at the right time, winners of six straight games. 8-2 in their last ten, the Celtics have taken down numerous strong teams in the West.
Now they get Chicago, at home, to continue the streak.
Boston is just the better team. On paper, the offense is just outside the top ten, and their defense is one of the NBA’s best.
Jayson Tatum is fresh off a 44-point outing and seems well-positioned to keep the momentum rolling. This Bulls defense is not strong – a bottom ten unit.
In particular, their interior defense struggles – fifth weakest in the league. Tatum and Jaylen Brown both sport the slashing chops to get to the rack and score at will.
Chicago’s one offensive strength is scoring in close, but it aligns with the Celtics defensive strength. Boston is the sixth-strongest team inside and should be able to slow Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic.
Boston is 28-28-1 against the spread, and Chicago is 30-26.
Houston Rockets vs. Miami Heat Preview
Best Bet: Heat -9.5
Our final favorite of the night remains in the East – this time Miami going up against Houston.
The Rockets are the NBA’s worst team at 14-42. They’ve lost ten of their last eleven games and lack the scoring juice to keep up.
Miami makes their money on the defensive end, the sixth strongest defense in the league. Houston’s bottom-five offense doesn’t have much of a chance.
Consider targeting the Rockets team total under thanks to the disparity between the two units.
The Heat and Rockets played back in February. Miami had multiple absences from the lineup and still won by seven.
At full strength, this shouldn’t be much of a contest. Houston is the league’s worst team against the spread, covering just 32% of games played. Miami is 27-30 ATS
