Jusuf Nurkic’s horrifying injury overshadowed a night of solid basketball. Nurkic suffered a compound fracture in his leg when going up for a rebound against Brooklyn on Monday night, and it’s unlikely we see him until 2020. The injury reminded many fans of what happened to Paul George five years ago, and you just hope that Nurkic can follow in George’s footsteps to return to the court quickly.
NBA Opening Lines at BookMaker.eu
San Antonio Spurs at Charlotte Hornets (SAS -3, O/U 220)
The Spurs have been one of the hottest teams in the league with wins in eight of their last ten, but San Antonio hasn’t been great on the road. The Spurs are 14-23 away from home this season, and Charlotte has gotten some big wins to keep their faint postseason hopes alive. Charlotte beat Boston at home on Saturday and upset Toronto on the road two nights ago.
Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers (BOS -6.5, O/U 216.5)
Few teams have been as underwhelming as Boston this season. The Celtics were the favorites to win the Eastern Conference with a healthy Gordon Hayward, but instead it looks like they will end up as the No. 5 seed. There is locker room dissension once again with Kyrie Irving making subtle jabs at Brad Stevens, and that has kept this line subdued even though Cleveland has packed it in.
Orlando Magic at Miami Heat (MIA -5.5, O/U 205)
This is the most important game of the day in terms of playoff implications. One of these two teams is very likely to earn the last playoff spot in the East and win the Southeast Division title. Currently, Miami is a half-game up on Orlando, but the Magic would hold the tiebreaker if they won this game as it would move them to 3-1 against the Heat this season. Miami is just 17-20 at home, while Orlando has won five straight, but the Magic did play against Philadelphia last night.
Chicago Bulls at Toronto Raptors (TOR -13.5, O/U 221)
I’m surprised this line is so big given that Toronto really doesn’t have anything to play for. The Raptors are essentially locked into the No. 2 seed as they are four games back of Milwaukee and four games up on Philadelphia. The total has gone up by a half-point since the line opened.
Los Angeles Clippers at Minnesota Timberwolves (LAC -2.5, O/U 230.5)
We’ve already seen some movement here. The Clippers opened as two-point favorites with a total of 231.5, and we’ve had a half-point move on the spread and a full-point move on the total. The Clippers are scorching hot with wins in nine of their last ten games.
Atlanta Hawks at New Orleans Pelicans (NO -1.5, O/U 240)
There are no real stakes here, but this could be one of the more entertaining games of the day. Neither team is particularly defensive-minded at the moment, and we could see an offensive explosion. This line has moved in favor of New Orleans by a half-point since it opened.
Houston Rockets at Milwaukee Bucks (MIL -3.5, O/U 226.5)
If Golden State slips up in the Western Conference, this could be an NBA Finals Preview. James Harden and Giannis Antetokuonmpo are the two favorites to win the MVP award, and both players know an incredible performance by one or the other could tip the scales in their balance. Milwaukee beat the Rockets in Houston earlier this year in a game where Antetokuonmpo had 27 points and 21 rebounds, and Harden had 42 points.
Sacramento Kings at Dallas Mavericks (SAC -1, O/U 226.5)
There are precious few opportunities to bet on the Mavericks at home left this season. This could present a great opportunity if you keep a close eye on Twitter throughout the day as Luka Doncic is considered a game time decision. If Doncic plays, Dallas will be favored.
Detroit Pistons at Denver Nuggets (DEN -7, O/U 211.5)
The Nuggets are behind Golden State in their race for the top spot in the West, and they need a win over Detroit to draw level with the Warriors once more. Detroit is 12-14 against Eastern Conference opponents this season.
Washington Wizards at Los Angeles Lakers (LAL -2, O/U 232.5)
Washington’s abysmal road record coupled with the fact that the Wizards’ playoff chances are slim and none have sharps ready to back a Lakers’ team that might not have LeBron James tonight. James is considered questionable, and a definitive status will influence the line one way or the other.
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