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We went 2-0 on our NBA bets against the spread on Tuesday, fading the totally dysfunctional Nets and cashing on the red-hot Suns, who look like the best team in basketball a year after posting the best record in the league.
Neither of those two teams is in action on Wednesday. Still, there’s no shortage of value opportunities on the board, including a trio of home underdogs who aren’t getting enough respect from the betting market in winnable spots.
Here’s how we are NBA betting Wednesday’s action:
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NBA picks today (via BetMGM)
- Cavaliers +2.5 (-115) vs. Celtics
- Rockets +5.5 (-105) vs. Clippers
- Trail Blazers +4.5 (-110) vs. Grizzlies
Jayson Tatum Getty ImagesCavaliers vs. Celtics prediction and analysis
Are we sure the right team is favored here? Yes, the Celtics are coming off a trip to the Finals and entered this season as the title favorites, but the Cavaliers are the ones who have looked like the class of the East through the first two weeks of the season.
After dealing for star guard Donovan Mitchell this offseason, Cleveland has shocked the league with a 5-1 start to the season, posting the NBA’s second-best net rating (+11.6) after five straight blowout wins. In many ways, this team is built like Boston: both own among the league’s slowest paces of play, rank in the top four in made threes and 3-point percentage, and boast top-five marks in offensive rating,
The key difference? The Cavs rank third in defensive rating (105.3) behind the elite interior duo of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. In contrast, the Celtics rank 22nd (114.5) without defensive anchor Robert Williams (knee), whose absence has forced Boston to play small in the interim. That’s a tough strategy against this supersized Cleveland lineup, which could easily spring the outright win in this one.
Cavaliers vs. Celtics pick
Cavaliers +2.5 (BetMGM)
Donovan Mitchell NBAE via Getty ImagesRockets vs. Clippers prediction and analysis
Haven’t we already seen this exact scenario play out? It was just two days ago that the Clippers were dealing as sizable favorites over the Rockets despite being without Kawhi Leonard (knee) for the fourth straight game and the fifth time in seven contests. Unsurprisingly, Houston battled all game and led in the final minutes before Paul George won it with six seconds left.
Once again, oddsmakers are pricing Los Angeles as a gaudy favorite with Leonard still sidelined, which doesn’t make any sense given what we’ve seen to this point. Without their star forward, the Clippers have lost three of five games with a net rating of -8.0, which would rank second-worst behind only the Rockets (-9.1) across the full season.
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L.A. also has to contend with the absence of wing Robert Covington (illness), who missed that narrow win over Houston and the previous 21-point loss to the Pelicans. This team simply isn’t right as currently constructed, and it doesn’t deserve such respect in the betting market until that changes.
Rockets vs. Clippers pick
Rockets +5.5 (BetMGM)
Anfernee Simons NBAE via Getty ImagesTrail Blazers vs. Grizzlies prediction and analysis
It’s easy to write off the Blazers without All-NBA guard Damian Lillard (calf), but it’s hard to ignore just how well they’ve played en route to a 5-1 start to the season – even without their leading scorer.
Portland has posted the league’s sixth-best net rating (+4.6) and is one of three teams to rank in the top 10 in offensive rating (114.2) and defensive rating (109.6). That’s a testament to just how well the team’s young pieces have come together thus far: fifth-year guard Anfernee Simons (20.5 PPG) has taken the leap many expected in an elevated role, while rookie Shaedon Sharpe (9.3) has been a revelation in limited action coming off three straight double-digit scoring outputs.
Both players have a chance to show out on national TV against a Grizzlies defense that ranks dead last in efficiency (119.5), especially with defensive stalwarts Desmond Bane (ankle) and Steven Adams (jaw) potentially joining center Jaren Jackson Jr. (foot) on the bench. Ja Morant is still the best player on the court, but this surging Blazers squad is well worth the points and could threaten an outright upset at home.
Trail Blazers vs. Grizzlies pick
Trail Blazers +4.5 (BetMGM)






