The NBA has a slate of 10 games on Tuesday, April 8, starting at 7:00 p.m. ET and ending at 10:30 p.m. ET. We’re less than a week away from the end of the NBA regular season before the Play-In games begin a week from today, Tuesday, April 15.
Below, you’ll find my NBA best bets tonight, including the Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors, and the Washington Wizards.
NBA Best Bets Today:
- Clippers -12.5 (-112) at FanDuel Sportsbook
- Warriors -8.5 (-108) at DraftKings Sportsbook
- Wizards +18.5 (-112) at DraftKings Sportsbook
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Clippers -12.5
Leading off my best bets for the NBA tonight, I’m taking the Clippers in the last game of the slate at -12.5 over the San Antonio Spurs.
The Clippers are without Amir Coffey (knee injury), and Kawhi Leonard is considered questionable against his old team for rest.
As for the Spurs, Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox are both out for the season. Now, Jeremy Sochan is out with a back injury.
Over their last 10 games, the Spurs are 3-7 while the Clippers are 8-2. The Spurs are the No. 13 seed, and the Clippers are at No. 5 and are looking to surge even further.
Also, the Clippers are 19-7 against the spread when favored at home.
Over their last three games, the Clippers have been played extremely well.
They’re averaging 121.0 points (7th) per game, shooting 52.9% from the floor (2nd) and shooting 42.2% from 3-point range (3rd).
As for their opponents, the Clippers are holding them to 97.7 points (3rd) per game, and they’re shooting just 46.7% from the floor (13th) and 21.7% from 3-point range (first).
The Spurs offense has been decimated by injury, and it’s shown up on the court.
Over their last three games, they’re averaging 111.7 points (19th) per game, shooting 43.7% from the floor (29th) and 34.4% (18th) from 3-point range (19th).
Their defense has been OK, holding teams to 113.3 points (14th) per game. They also have a 44.5% shooting percentage (4th best) and are shooting just 36.8% (18th) from 3-point range.
When it’s all said and done, I just don’t think the Spurs will be able to keep up. They’re averaging 42.7 3-point shots per game over their last three outings, and the Clippers have been locking that shot down.
Even if Leonard is out for rest, the Spurs simply don’t have enough firepower to beat the most dominant home favorite in the NBA.
Warriors -8.5
After exploring the slate more, the next team on my list of NBA best bets has to be the Golden State Warriors.
They’ve somewhat slowed down on shooting lately, but I expect that to change in this game.
This season, the Warriors are 11-10-2 against the spread as a road favorite.
They’re 7-3 in their last 10 games and are the 6th seed.
As for Phoenix, they’re 5-7 as a home underdog, 23-15 at home, 4-6 in their last 10, and are fighting to stay in a Play-In slot as the incumbent No. 11 seed.
This comes down to two things for me: The Suns defense has been bad lately, and they’re without Kevin Durant.
Yes, Durant is ruled out for this game with an ankle injury, and Nick Richards is probable with an elbow issue. Golden State's injury report is clean.
Over the last three games, Phoenix’s defense has allowed teams to average 122.7 points per game (27th), shoot 57.9% from the floor (30th), and shoot 44.8% from 3-point range (30th).
Yeah, those numbers don’t bode well against a team that has Steph Curry, the best 3-point shooter ever, and Jimmy Butler.
Not only that, but the Suns offense is averaging just 108.0 points per game (24th), shooting 44.8% from the floor (23rd) and 29.3% from 3-point range (29th) over their last three games.
To make matters worse, they’re still chucking up nearly 39 3-point attempts per game—they’re just not falling whatsoever.
At -8.5, given the Suns defense and Durant’s absence, I’m smashing the Warriors here.
Wizards +18.5 (-112)
Gosh, this is a gaudy spread, with the Pacers favored by 18.5 over the Washington Wizards. That said, on Sunday, the Wizards lost to the Boston Celtics by 34 in their last game.
The Wizards are littered with injuries, including Khris Middleton, Malcolm Brogdon, Saddiq Bey, and Tristan Vukcevic. All of them are ruled out except for Vukcevic, who is questionable. Also, Richaun Holmes is considered day-to-day with a shoulder injury.
Indiana's Ben Sheppard and Pascal Siakam are questionable.
Siakam is averaging 17.5 points per game, which leads the Pacers.
I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm holding my nose and taking the Wizards if Siakam is ruled out.
The Wizards are holding opponents to a 2-point shooting percentage of 52.6% (9th best), 45.8% from the floor (9th best), and 114.7 points per game (12th) over their last three games.
Their defense is typically bad, but it hasn't been brutal recently. The Pacers could be without their best scorer.
Also, let's not forget that the Pacers aren't exactly the best covering team. As a home favorite, they're 13-13-2 against the spread.
I know the Pacers beat them on March 27, 162-109. I still think they win easily here, but without Siakam, it'll be by about 15 or so.
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