Top NBA Betting Picks of the Week – March 19th

Did you know that, in the NBA, four of the top five teams in the Western Conference have winning streaks of at least five games going — with Portland sporting a 13-game streak that has them all the way up to third in the conference? San Antonio has returned to the playoff conversation with a three-game winning streak of their own, but we’re seeing that the West is a tough postseason conference, with Denver at six games above .500 — and in ninth. In the East, the ninth-place team (Detroit) is nine games under .500, and only three teams in the top eight have won more than five of their last 10. Let’s take a look at your NBA betting picks for this week from the Association.

Top NBA Betting Picks of the Week – March 19th

After snapping the Raptors’ win streak, the Oklahoma City Thunder continue to climb up our rankings. pic.twitter.com/ABabv9HbNI

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 19, 2018

Tuesday, March 20

Oklahoma City at Boston (8:00pm ET, TNT)

The Oklahoma City Thunder have shown a feast-or-famine tendency in their play this year, either playing lights out or losing some head-scratchers. They’ve been on a hot streak lately, winning six in a row, including a 132-125 win in Toronto that ended the Raptors’ 11-game winning streak. Russell Westbrook posted his 102nd career triple-double (and his fifth in a row), putting up 37 points, 14 assists and 13 rebounds. Even more eye-popping were the 25 points from Steven Adams, who feasted inside against an iffy Toronto frontcourt. The Thunder’s winning streak also includes victories over the Spurs and the Clippers. They head to Boston to take on a Celtics team that has dropped three of four, including a two-point home loss to Indiana and a one-point home loss to Washington — and a 19-point shellacking at New Orleans. Boston is missing All-Star guard Kyrie Irving (knee) and Marcus Smart (thumb). Jayson Tatum led the way in the loss to New Orleans, scoring 23, and Marcus Morris added 17, but Boston only put up 13 points in the fourth quarter, going just 4 for 20 in the last frame. The Celtics don’t plan to rush Irving back, so I expect Oklahoma City to prevail on the road against a team that is struggling on both ends of the floor. NBA Betting Prediction: Oklahoma City 110, Boston 99

Wednesday, March 21

Toronto at Cleveland (7:00pm ET, ESPN)

The Raptors just saw their 11-game winning streak end at home, at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder, in a game that saw Toronto lose their collective composure. DeMar DeRozan, Serge Ibaka and coach Dwane Casey all got ejected in the game’s last minute for complaining to officials about some missed calls down the stretch, and Kyle Lowry fouled out in a physical game. The Raptors had shown dominant play on both ends of the floor through the streak, but on this night they saw Russell Westbrook put up a 10-0 run on them all by himself, turning a six-point deficit into a four-point lead. Things don’t get any easier as the Raptors visit their nemesis in the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, the Cavs are showing plenty of flaws of their own, as they have lost three of five, including losses in L.A. to the Clippers and Lakers (both by 14 points) and at Portland. Their last two wins have come over lowly Portland and Chicago. The Cavaliers are still looking for the right mix of personnel, as they signed power forward Okaro White to a ten-day contract, and they are also suffering from the health issues of head coach Tyronn Lue. If there is a time for Toronto to knock the monkey of the Cavaliers off their back, it is Wednesday. NBA Betting Prediction: Toronto 109, Cleveland 106

Thursday, March 22

Philadelphia at Orlando (7:00pm ET, NBA TV)

The 76ers head to Orlando with a modest two-game winning streak, having taken down the Knicks in Gotham and returned home to beat the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night. They play Charlotte this week before heading down to sunny Florida. In the win over Brooklyn, Joel Embiid put up 24 points and a career-best 19 boards, but it took a late three-ball from Robert Covington with 35.4 seconds left on the clock to secure the win. The 76ers are getting plenty of offense, but in their recent losses they’ve given up a lot of points, as in their 118-110 loss in Milwaukee. The Orlando Magic are floundering now, having lost five of seven, most recently falling to Boston at home by nine on Friday night. Their leading scorer, Shelvin Mack, had 16 points off the bench but got most of them in garbage time, with 13 coming in the fourth period. The Magic went 5 for 28 from three-point land. Jonathan Isaac had a pair of blocks in the game’s opening minute — but then didn’t get any more the rest of the game. I don’t see this Magic team having much luck against a Philadelphia team solidifying its playoff position. NBA Betting Prediction: Philadelphia 107, Orlando 99