The NBA has just five games happening today, Thursday, April 10, as the regular season winds down. The first games tip off at 7:00 p.m. ET with the New York Knicks vs Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers vs Indiana Pacers. The slate closes out with the Minnesota Timberwolves vs Memphis Grizzlies.
This comes as Play-In games begin on Tuesday, April 15.
Below, I’ll cover four of the five games on today’s slate for my NBA best bets today.
(Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)
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Best NBA Bets Tonight
- Pistons ML (-162) at DraftKings Sportsbook
- Pacers -9 (-110) at DraftKings Sportsbook
- Nets +13 (-108) at DraftKings Sportsbook
- Bucks -15.5 (-112) at DraftKings Sportsbook
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Pistons ML
The Knicks are without three key players: OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, and Mitchell Robinson, heading into this matchup with the Pistons.
The good news is they have three games left this season and are holding onto the No. 3 seed by two games. There’s no chance they can catch the Boston Celtics.
So, overall, I’d say the Knicks are safe at the No. 3 seed.
This game could matter for the Pistons. They’re two games behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the No. 5 seed, and after this matchup with the Knicks, they play the Bucks twice.
Anunoby and Hart have been in many of the Knicks starting lineups.
Anunoby averages 18.0 points per game, while Hart is at 13.7.
Robinson is more of a bench player but still hauls in 5.9 rebounds per game.
All that being said, the Knicks have been playing a lot better than the Pistons recently, averaging 116.7 points per game over their last three.
In that same span, they’re shooting 51.4% from the floor and 40.0% from 3-point range.
For context, the Pistons are averaging 112.3 points per game, shooting 43.8% from the floor and just 31.3% from 3-point range.
The Pistons are favored, but I’ll take their moneyline here. This is the best of my NBA moneyline bets today.
Pacers -9
Looking over the final three games of the NBA season, the Pacers could catch the Knicks, as mentioned above. They play the Cavaliers twice, including tonight, and have one game against the Orlando Magic.
The Cavaliers are locked into the No. 1 seed, ahead of the Celtics by 4.5 games.
So, the Cavaliers have nothing to play for in this, and their projected starting lineup shows that.
They’re sitting Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Max Strus.
There’s speculation that Jarrett Allen also may not play the whole game.
The Pacers defense has turned it on recently.
Over their last three games, they’re holding opponents to 110.0 points per game (22nd), 44.1% shooting from the floor (26th), and 28.7% from 3-point range (30th).
With how well their defense has been playing recently, the Cavaliers sitting most of their starters, and the Pacers trying to catch the Knicks, I expect them to push the envelope, get the win, and cover this number.
The Cavaliers are 4-1 as road underdogs against the spread, but this situation is different.
Pacers -9 is the play.
Nets +13
Heading into this one, the Hawks are locked into a Play-In spot, while the Nets are 26-53 and have nothing to play for.
That said, the Hawks will be without Kobe Bufkin, Clint Capela, Jalen Johnson, and Larry Nance Jr. Additionally, Jacob Toppin is day-to-day, and Trae Young is probable.
I see no reason for the Hawks to play either player.
The Nets are also without players like Day'Ron Sharpe, D'Angelo Russell, and Cameron Johnson.
However, the Hawks defense has been questionable recently.
Over their last three games, the Hawks are allowing 124.7 points per game (third), a shooting percentage of 51.8% from the floor (second), and 44.5% from 3-point range (second).
Meanwhile, the Nets are allowing 113.0 points per game (18th), 49.2% shooting percentage from the floor (8th), and 33.3% from 3-point range (22nd).
Despite how bad the Nets offense is, I think they'll do enough against a limited Hawks roster to lose but cover this number.
As for NBA point spread bets, this is one of my favorites.
Bucks -15.5
Yes, this number is tough to swallow, but the Pelicans have a roster decimated by injuries.
Here are all of the players on the injury report: Herbert Jones (out for the season), Dejounte Murray (out for the season), Jose Alvarado (questionable), Brandon Boston Jr. (out), Kelly Olynyk (questionable), Yves Missi (questionable), Jordan Hawkins (out), Bruce Brown (questionable), Trey Murphy III (out for the season), CJ McCollum (out for the season), Zion Williamson (out for the season).
Should Alvarado, Brown, and Missi sit, I'm not even sure there's a point in showing up tonight.
The projected starting lineup features those players, and only one player, Alvarado, averages double-digit points.
The Bucks have a real chance to overtake the No. 4 seed from the Pacers, who play the Cavaliers twice to close out the season.
I'm not sure where the Pelicans offense will come from. They're 21-58. From here, it's best to just lose out and hope to draw the lottery ball to draft Cooper Flagg.
The Pelicans are toast.
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