The NBA is down to its final couple of days. While half of the league will head to the playoffs, for the others this is the end of the road. There isn’t much motivation remaining for the teams headed to lottery land, and figuring out rotations and a sense or urgency seems like a big key when it comes to the remaining regular season wagers.
The opening lines for Tuesday’s games have not all been unveiled, but already the oddsmakers are confident in pegging several matchups. Check below for the first batch of opening lines for the night of action in NBA gambling.
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Odds Analysis
The Charlotte Hornets will be on the road to face off against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Charlotte still has its playoff hopes alive but likely needs to win out to have a shot at grabbing the No. 8 seed in the East. Even though the Hornets are away from home, they are the clear favorite in this game, as the oddsmakers realize they are the team with everything to play for while the Cavs are running out the string. Charlotte comes in as the 7.5-point favorite with the moneyline set at -300, while the Cavs are +245 underdogs. The scoring total is listed at 220.5 points. The Hornets should win this game but the spread has been placed too high as Cleveland should stick close.
Another game with an early opening line that has been unveiled is the matchup between the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks. Both teams are among the worst in the NBA this year and will be wrapping up poor seasons. Chicago is at home and has been listed as the 1.5-point favorite and at -120 on the moneyline. The scoring total has come in at 217 points. New York is really bad on the road and will lose yet another one here. The Bulls are the pick to cover.
The Minnesota Timberwolves will face off against the Toronto Raptors in a game that doesn’t matter much to either team. The T-Wolves won’t be making the postseason while Toronto is locked in to the No. 2 seed in the East. The Raptors could choose to rest some players, which would make it tough to cover as they are the 6.5-point road favorites. Minnesota is the +215 underdog on the moneyline and that looks like a sneaky good play considering the T-Wolves usually do a nice job at home.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The opening line which has the most intrigue among the early NBA odds is the matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers. The Lakers are a shell of their former selves as nearly every one of their top players, including LeBron James, are out for the rest of the season.
The Blazers are hoping to catch the Rockets for the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference so they still have something to play for. Portland is on the road and the oddsmakers know how much talent remains on the bench for Los Angeles, which is why the Blazers are nearly double-digit favorites. Portland is listed as 9.5-point favorites with the moneyline coming in at -470. The Lakers would pay out at +364 if they can manage to pull off the upset but that is not going to happen.
The Blazers should dominate from early on and cover the spread even though they will need to win by a wide margin to do so in NBA betting lines.
NBA ATS Pick: Portland Trail Blazers to cover as 9.5-point favorites against the Los Angeles Lakers
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