NBA Wednesday Betting Recap: Six for the Road
NBA Recap
Playing on the road was no problem for six teams on the nine-game NBA card on Wednesday.
Kicking off the action was the Orlando Magic scoring a 119-118 win over the Indiana Pacers as a +3½ underdog. It was Orlando’s second win this week, which is a rare achievement for the 12-win franchise. Franz Wagner came up clutch to hand the Pacers another disappointing loss.
The Philadelphia 76ers have been inconsistent at home and that was evident against the Washington Wizards. Betting online markets had the 76ers at -10, but they could manage to win, let alone cover the number. Kyle Kuzma had 24 points for the Wizards, who held a five-point halftime lead before gripping on late. The total of 210 missed by a point.
It was another close game between the Charlotte Hornets and Boston Celtics, with the latter scoring a 113-107 win. However, the Hornets covered the sportsbook spread by a half-point, which was heartbreaking for Boston backers. Lonzo Ball was huge with 38 points, which kept the Hornets in the hunt.
We were confident that the Memphis Grizzlies would handle the New York Knicks and they didn’t disappoint. Ja Morant and the Grizzlies held an early lead and it never looked like coming under pressure. They covered the spread by eight points and the over hit comfortably by 11 points.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been inconsistent over the last couple of weeks and it all came crashing down against the Houston Rockets. They were -5 favorites but could manage only 104 points in a 115-104 loss. It was a close-run thing for totals bettors, with the over hitting by 1½ points on a late bucket.
The Dallas Mavericks make life hard on themselves and losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder as a -12 favorite is disappointing. The Thunder are a team that can do damage in betting markets, so they could be one of our NBA best bets in the coming weeks. Luka Doncic was excellent with 40 points, but he needs his teammates to step up — and they’re not.
We’re not sure why, but the Denver Nuggets just can’t seem to beat the Utah Jazz. There was massive line movement with Nikola Jovic being ruled out, which saw the Jazz move from -1½ to -6½. The Nuggets covered the line for bettors that jumped on late, but late fouls and turnovers cost them the outright win.
The Sacramento Kings made short work of the +5 line against the Brooklyn Nets. They scored a 112-101 win to upset the Eastern Conference favorites, primarily due to a 29-15 final quarter. NBA odds didn’t pick the Kings winning, which handed the Nets their sixth straight loss.
“There’s no concern,” Nets guard James Harden told ESPN. “We don’t have our entire team and this is happening to us. We’re just trying to figure out what works best, what guys fit, what guys don’t. Hopefully after the break we can get our whole roster and start making strides in the right direction.”
The final game saw the Los Angeles Lakers cover the -4 spread by a point against the Portland Trail Blazers. They won 99-94 in a low-scoring contest, which resulted in the under hitting by 32 points. Anthony Davis has been good since returning and he paced for the Lakers with 30 points and 15 boards.
