The NBA season rolls on Wednesday, and our "Buckets" crew came prepared.
Jay Money, Albert Nguyen and Sean Little came through with four best bets for Wednesday's games in the Association on the most recent episode of the podcast.
Check out the full episode below, and read on for all four of their picks.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7 p.m. | Lakers -12.5 |
  | 7:30 p.m. | Celtics -8.5 |
  | 8 p.m. | Pelicans 1H -2 + Game -3.5 |
  | 10 p.m. | 1H Under 116 |
Lakers -12.5 at Wizards
7 p.m. ET ⋅ NBA League Pass
By Jay Money
There's a caveat for this one, and that's that we need Anthony Davis to go tonight.
The Wizards don't have anybody down low to stop AD. Rui Hachimura has been going crazy of late, and hopefully he will have some extra motivation against his former team.
All the Lakers have to do is feed the post. They're rolling right now, as they've won seven of their last eight and have covered six of those last eight as well.
They're playing themselves out of the 9-10 Play-In matchup and can get into that 8-seed where they only have to play one game to get into the playoffs.
To reiterate, this is one we have to wait for the official injury report prior to the game. I would like for LeBron to be listed as good-to-go, but we at least need AD here.
|  |  |  |
Celtics -8.5 vs. Thunder
7:30 p.m. ET ⋅ ESPN
The Thunder face the Celtics on the second night of a back-to-back.
Oklahoma City has been phenomenal at covering spreads this season, and it now faces a Celtics team that has been struggling a bit of late by their standards.
The caveat for me here is you may want to wait to get Boston at a better number.
Both Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams sat out last night and have yet to be confirmed in tonight. So when they are, that line should move a couple of points toward OKC.
I think this line will only get better for Celtics bettors, so just wait and see for that injury report.
| | | |
Pelicans 1H -2 + Game -4 vs. Magic
8 p.m. ET ⋅ NBA League Pass
By Sean Little
The Magic have played eight straight games in Orlando and 10 of their last 11 at home.
This will be their first road game in almost two weeks and only one game outside of Orlando since March 9. If we look back last week, I took the Pelicans against the Magic in Orlando, and they got busted. The Magic then lost three in a row after that cap and looked shaky the other night against Portland.
The Pelicans have lost two in a row at home to both Boston and Phoenix. Both teams are on equal rest, and they get the Magic at home here.
I think this is a good bounce-back spot and revenge spot, granted the Pelicans have been tough to cap of late. I think these guys will want to get right after that loss a couple of weeks ago.
| | | |
1H Under 116
10 p.m. ET ⋅ ESPN
This, to me, is a simple read.
The Cavs will be on the second night of a back-to-back, and their defense has struggled since the All-Star Break. They may be without Donovan Mitchell, which will require them to play slow against the firepower of the Suns. They can't keep up with them offensively, so they will have to slow the pace down.
The Suns are returning home after a road trip, and I expect them to come out a tad sleepy in the first half. I like the first half as opposed to the full game.
