Every team in the NBA has now played at least 70 games, so the playoff picture is becoming a little more settled than it was at this time last week. The Portland Trail Blazers are now virtually out of contention after losing six straight games, making the postseason race in the Western Conference a little less crowded. However, just four games continue to separate the No. 4 seed Phoenix Suns from the 12th place New Orleans Pelicans.
Meanwhile, in the Eastern Conference, we can essentially be sure of seven playoff teams, so the question is which three teams will grab the final spots in the Play-In Tournament. Currently, Atlanta, Toronto, and Chicago are sitting in those positions, but the Bulls only recently played their way into that spot, and both Indiana and Washington are right behind them. That’s the overall state of the league heading into this week’s first NBA Parlay Picks column.
Additionally, I won my NBA Parlay Pick on Saturday, so I’m looking to keep the ball rolling on Wednesday night. I backed Toronto against Minnesota, and the Raptors beat the Timberwolves by 15 points. Also, I called for the Utah Jazz to upset the Boston Celtics, and the Jazz knocked off the Celtics to remain tied with Minnesota and the Los Angeles Lakers for the final playoff spot in the West.
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NBA Schedule for Wednesday, March 22
Denver Nuggets at Washington Wizards, 7 p.m. ET
New York Knicks at Miami Heat, 7:30 p.m. ET
Indiana Pacers at Toronto Raptors, 7:30 p.m. ET
Golden State Warriors at Dallas Mavericks, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Philadelphia 76ers at Chicago Bulls, 8 p.m. ET
Houston Rockets at Memphis Grizzlies, 8 p.m. ET
San Antonio Spurs at Milwaukee Bucks, 8 p.m. ET
Atlanta Hawks at Minnesota Timberwolves, 8 p.m. ET
Portland Trail Blazers at Utah Jazz, 9 p.m. ET
Phoenix Suns at Los Angeles Lakers, 10 p.m. ET (ESPN)
NBA Parlay Picks for Wednesday, March 22, 2023
Philadelphia 76ers
Memphis Grizzlies
Payout: $100 to win $264
The Philadelphia 76ers have won eight straight games and nine of their last ten to surpass the Boston Celtics for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. If the season ended today, the Sixers would likely have the more difficult first round opponent as Miami has yet to catch Brooklyn for the No. 6 seed, but the Sixers would have home court advantage over the Celtics in the conference semifinals.
Chicago has won four out of its last five games, but the Bulls have the misfortune of playing the Sixers in back-to-back games this week. These teams will meet in Philly on Monday night and then Chicago on Wednesday night, and that doesn’t bode well for the Bulls as Joel Embiid has been a monster this month. Embiid is averaging 36.1 PPG, 8.8 RPG, and 4.6 APG in March while hitting 62.7% of his field goals and 45.8% of his threes. Chicago doesn’t have another big that can guard him, so Philly should cruise to a cover.
After struggling for a while, the Memphis Grizzlies are hitting their stride once more. They are tied with the Sacramento Kings for the No. 2 seed in the West, and there is a good chance they welcome back their best player on Wednesday night. Ja Morant hasn’t played since March 3 for well-documented reasons, and a return on Wednesday makes a lot of sense. Memphis will be playing at home against the Western Conference’s worst team in the Houston Rockets.
The Rockets are just playing for ping pong balls at this point. They are 6-28 on the road, and they are trying to build a winner around Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr. They are hoping to land a top three pick, so they have no real incentive to spoil a Welcome Back party for Morant.
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