Top NBA Betting Picks of the Week – February 5th

We’re almost two-thirds of the way through the 2017-18 regular season in the National Basketball Association, and we’ve seen some surprising moments in the last week. The L.A. Clippers traded one of their cornerstones, Blake Griffin, to Detroit in what looks like the second step in a long rebuilding process (expect Lou Williams and DeAndre Jordan to go shortly). We saw Cleveland lose at home to Houston by 32 points — and we saw LeBron get on television and say that the Cavaliers don’t need to be on any more national broadcasts. In the West, Utah is the hottest team right now, winners of five in a row and scooting up within 3 ½ games of the last postseason slot. In the East, conference-leading Boston and Washington, in fourth place, both have four-game winning streaks going. Check out our NBA betting suggestions for this week’s action on the court.

Top NBA Betting Picks of the Week – February 5th

#NBA statistical power rankings after the 15th week of games: pic.twitter.com/IqQUNYOGR5

— Jacob Goldstein (@JacobEGoldstein) February 5, 2018

Tuesday, February 6

Washington at Philadelphia (8:00pm ET, TNT)

The Washington Wizards have picked up some impressive wins in the last week, taking down both Oklahoma City and Toronto at home. They have also won the games they should, beating Atlanta by 25 on the road and, most recently, at Orlando by 27 on Saturday night, behind 20 points from Otto Porter and a career best 19 from Tomas Satoransky. They do face the Pacers on the road on Monday night before heading to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers on the second night of a back-to-back. The Sixers have dropped four of five, including a 100-92 loss in Indianapolis on Saturday night. The encouraging point from that loss was that Joel Embiid played in his first back-to-back since returning from extended injuries. He had 24 points and 10 boards in that loss and, most importantly, felt no discomfort as a result of the extended exposure. However, the defensive lapses by Philadelphia have made them susceptible to runs from teams that shouldn’t be beating them at this point. NBA Betting Prediction: Washington 104, Philadelphia 101

Wednesday, February 7

Houston at Miami (7:30pm ET, SUN)

The Houston Rockets have won four in a row, including a 120-88 thrashing of Cleveland up at the Q on Saturday night. That followed a 102-91 win in San Antonio and wins over the Suns and the Magic. The only time they have lost in their last nine outings was in a 115-113 thriller in New Orleans that saw DeMarcus Cousins’ season end with a ruptured Achilles tendon. Chris Paul has rejuvenated his career at the point, and James Harden is hitting new offensive heights. The Rockets head to Miami on Wednesday to take on a Heat team that has dropped three in a row and five of seven, including losses in Cleveland, Philadelphia and Detroit. The team is getting solid defense out of Goran Dragic, but the loss of Hassan Whiteside to illness has hurt the team inside, as Kelly Olynyk has not been able to fill his shoes. Whiteside should be back for this game, but check updates on his status before you lock in your wager. NBA Betting Prediction: Houston 109, Miami 99

Friday, February 9

L.A. Clippers at Detroit (7:00pm ET, ESPN)

We’ll see the Clippers and Pistons face off for the first time since the blockbuster trade that sent Blake Griffin to Motor City in return for a number of names. The Clippers have won three of four, losing at home to Portland but beating Memphis and New Orleans on the road and then knocking off Chicago at home on Saturday, behind 24 points from new Clipper Tobias Harris. The Clippers visit a Detroit team that has won three straight and currently sits in ninth in the Eastern Conference standings. Those wins have come over Cleveland, Memphis and Miami (all at home), but the addition of Griffin inside makes the Pistons a tougher team. Can they recover for the loss of Harris on the perimeter, though? NBA Betting Prediction: Detroit 105, L.A. Clippers 101