A massive 10-game slate in the NBA on Saturday, and as the regular season rounds the final bend, these games start to take on more importance. We are just over a month away from the NBA playoffs, and we have started to see several teams begin tanking, whilst others are making their final push for a higher playoff seeding.
As always, the team at Before You Bet have you covered, with previews and best bets from 3 of the biggest games in today’s NBA slate.
And if you're looking to join a sportsbook that offers a huge range of markets and competitive odds, join Bet365 – the world’s favourite online sports betting company.
2022-23 NBA Betting Tips: Saturday, March 4th 2023
Brooklyn Nets at Boston Celtics
TD Garden, 11:30am AEDT
The Celtics have been in the midst of a difficult part of their schedule of late, taking on the Knicks, Cavs, and 76ers over their past 3 games. They managed two wins from those three games, however in doing so they have given up the number 1 seed in the east to the surging Bucks. With 19 games remaining this season, the Celtics can’t afford to drop too many more games.
Today, they get the Brooklyn Nets, who have been in a death spiral since the trades of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. The Nets have gone 2-8 since Irving was shipped off to the Mavericks, with 3 of their past 4 losses being by 14 points or more.
This is a big number, but I’m confident the Celtics will cruise to an easy victory here. These teams have met 3 times already this year, with the Celtics winning all 3, with margins of victory being 11, 11, and 43. I believe the Celtics will want to continue this dominance over the Nets, and should blow them out with ease.
Boston Celtics (-11.5)
$1.96 (2 Units)
New York Knicks at Miami Heat
FTX Arena, 12:00pm AEDT
It seems like we’ve been singing the praises of the Knicks every Saturday for months here at Before You Bet, and I don’t see any reason to change it now. Since the turn of the new year, the Knicks hold a record of 18-9, the 5th best record in the NBA in that time span. They’re currently on a 7-game winning streak, with massive double-digit victories in 5 of those games.
The Heat, by contrast, have been stumbling towards the finish line this season. Their ageing roster is struggling to see out the long regular season, with their record since the calendar turned to January just 14-12, with their offense the lowest scoring in that time frame. Now admittedly, their defence has been elite this season, ranking 4th in defensive efficiency and 1st since the new year in points allowed per game. But with Kyle Lowry, Nikola Jovic, and potentially Jimmy Butler out for this game, the Heat are going to struggle against the juggernaut that is the New York Knicks.
These teams have met once this season, exactly one month ago, with the Knicks getting the job done 106-104 at home. They did this without Jalen Brunson, so I trust them to get it done again today on the road. I also don’t mind the under here.
New York Knicks (-2.5)
$1.90 (2 Units)
Phoenix Suns at Chicago Bulls
United Center, 12:00pm AEDT
The Suns began their new era on Tuesday, with Kevin Durant starting his first game for the Suns against the Charlotte Hornets. Whilst the Suns looked a little clunky on offense, they showed their potential, in an easy 105-91 victory in Charlotte. What impressed most was the Suns’ ability on defence.
Today they take on the Chicago Bulls, who are making their final push for the play-in tournament. They’ve won 3 of 4, after snapping a 6-game losing streak a week ago against the Nets. Those wins have got the Bulls sitting in 11th in the east, just 1.5-games behind the 10th placed Wizards. Whilst this isn’t a must-win against the Suns, they need as many wins as possible to have a chance at the playoffs.
In terms of this match up, I do like the Suns to win and cover, but there just wasn’t quite enough there for me to trust them to win on the road by two scores. I did, however, see enough from them defensively, to lean into an under in this matchup. Both teams are top 10 in defensive efficiency, whilst also ranking inside the top 4 in terms of points conceded over the past two months. Despite there being a massive 245 points scored in the only previous meeting between these teams, I like the under here, with my fair 216.5.
Under 222.5 Points
$1.92 (2 Units)
