NBA Betting Parlay: Portland For The Win, Mar. 18

Not to be outshined by the NCAA March Madness currently happening, the NBA has a nice slate for Thursday night with six games. It’s not the best per betting standards, but there’s some value on the chalk here. Two of the favorites here are slam dunks. We’re banking on Portland to bring this one home.

Knicks Don’t Believe in Magic

And apparently the online sportsbooks don’t believe in the Knicks either. The spread is underestimating the Knicks who are 8-4 as a favorite this season and came within one possession of beating Brooklyn and Philadelphia.

Tom Thibodeau has the Knicks playing like it was the playoffs every game. They’re currently the sixth-best defense and allow the fourth-fewest points in the paint and the third-fewest second chance points. This matters with the Magic as big man Nikola Vucevic will be their only consistent source of offense.

Orlando will be missing almost everyone from their regular rotation. They’ve lost eight straight games and their -14.1 net rating is ahead of only the Rockets. Coach Steve Clifford is impervious to “tanking” and will keep Orlando playing hard, but they’re outgunned here.

Even if New York struggles to gain consistent offense themselves, they have most of their key players on hand. Julius Randle should be good to put up 20 and 10 while rookie sensation Immanuel Quickley can get hot and drop 20 himself.

The Knicks “got this” and should win this game even when it gets ugly.

Pick: New York Knicks to win and cover

Suns Wipe Out Wolves

Phoenix has been the best team in the league in covering the NBA lines. It has a 26-12 record against the spread and covered all three games in which it was favored by double digits including its last game against Minnesota.

The Suns aren’t just legitimate, they’ve been blessed with good health this season. Outside of F Cameron Johnson, Phoenix has its core players. They have a top-ten offense and defense and lead the league in assist ratio meaning they minimize opponents’ opportunities to hurt them.

Meanwhile, the Wolves continue another aimless season as the league’s worst team. Their blowout win over the Pelicans, who have been the NBA’s worst defensive team since February, is their only win since Valentine’s Day.

Karl-Anthony Towns overcame COVID but has not been the same player this season. All of his stats, save for his blocks, are down while playing the same amount of minutes. He’s also shooting under 50 percent for the first time in his career.

You have the NBA’s most efficient team in Phoenix taking on its most dysfunctional. This should be another blowout win for the Suns.

Pick: Phoenix Suns to win and cover

Blazers Run Through the Pelicans

It’s the sequel to Tuesday’s shootout. Portland and New Orleans do it again as two of the NBA’s best offenses (seventh and eight in rating, respectively) and two of the worst defenses (29th and 28th in rating, respectively) Bet on the over even if it is hefty as this game could also go into overtime.

Damian Lillard is averaging a career-best 30.5 points and hitting 4.4 three-pointers a game. He’s been sublime since returning from the All-Star break posting nearly 36 points on 50-40-90 shooting numbers punctuated by his 50-point explosion on Tuesday.

The Blazers’ swiss cheese defense couldn’t stop F Brandon Ingram or F Zion Williamson as they combined for 58 points. But Lillard’s herculean effort carried Portland to a comeback.

This time around, I favor Portland to shoot better throughout the game. The returning CJ McCollum should be better. It could be another close game and I’d put my money on the more experienced Blazers who also have one of the greatest clutch players in NBA history.