NBA Picks For Celtics-Nets, More Wednesday Games

The bubble continues with six games today, headlined by two national TV games in Lakers vs. Thunder and Celtics vs. Nets.

Where's the value? Our staff is here to break down their favorite NBA bets for Wednesday's slate and has found angles in three games:

• 4 p.m. ET: Denver Nuggets vs. San Antonio Spurs
• 6:30 p.m. ET: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Los Angeles Lakers
• 9 p.m. ET: Boston Celtics vs. Brooklyn Nets

Wednesday NBA Betting Picks

Odds via DraftKings. Get up to a $1,000 sign-up bonus at DraftKings today or see more offers and reviews for the best online sportsbooks.

Reed Wallach: Nuggets vs. Spurs

I think it is time to sell the Spurs. Not only are they shooting an outrageous mark from 3, but they also don’t match up well with the Nuggets.

Before the season suspension, Denver ranked top-10 in defensive 3-point percentage. But in the bubble, its opponents are shooting 43% from beyond the arc. There may be a correction in order for both sides.

Denver trots out one of the biggest lineups in the league with Paul Millsap and Mason Plumlee flanking Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets’ strong frontcourt is an issue for a Spurs team with only one true big man in Jakob Poeltl.

The Nuggets may be hamstrung with injury troubles, but I think that the Spurs are due for a letdown, and Denver may find its groove after a big win over the Thunder.

I think Denver is in play here at -4.5 despite likely being shorthanded again. However, if Jamal Murray (questionable) can play even limited minutes, I think Denver is a play up to -6. If Murray sits out again, then I still see value in Denver as high as -5.

Pick: Denver -4.5 (play up to -5)

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Raheem Palmer: Thunder vs. Lakers

With the absence of Dennis Schroder, second-year PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has finally had the opportunity to play as the team’s primary PG when CP3 is on the bench.

Although Chris Paul will start at PG, Thunder coach Billy Donovan will stagger the minutes of Paul and SGA with no third point guard available. SGA played 13 minutes at PG and had a 25.1% usage rate in his game against the Nuggets, up from his average of 23.7%.

We should see an uptick in his minutes at PG against the Lakers if he can stay out of foul trouble. Given that the Thunder are shorthanded without Schroder, Mike Muscala and Terrance Ferguson, they will need his scoring.

SGA is averaging 19.4 points and 3.3 assists per game. With the Lakers’ struggles in defending guards (see Kyle Lowry’s performance), I think we see a dominant performance from SGA.

The PICK: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Points + Assists Over 24.5

[Bet now at FanDuel. NJ, PA, CO, IN and WV only.]

Brandon Anderson: Celtics vs. Nets

So … look.

The Nets beat the Bucks. We all saw it happen, and by "saw it happen" I mean didn’t watch at all because it was early afternoon and, seriously, who was watching that game?

All it took was a franchise record for 3s in the first half, Milwaukee sitting any player of relevance for the second half and Brooklyn having multiple late comebacks and big shots in the final minutes to eke out a win over a team that didn’t care one iota. Color me unimpressed.

Meanwhile, Boston choked against a Miami team missing Jimmy Butler and suddenly is barely hanging on to the 3-seed in the East. This is a freebie, and Coach Brad Stevens will have Boston’s attention after that letdown.

Don’t fall for the recency bias. Just accept the stupidly low line and enjoy your Boston money. No more analysis needed. The Celtics are way better and will get the job done.

The Pick: Celtics -8.5

[Bet $20+ on the Celtics at PointsBet and Win $125 if they make at least one 3-pointer]