All Star is creeping up but there is still plenty of NBA action to take in before the festivities begin.
Let’s have a look at some of the best tips and value from Wednesday’s NBA slate.
memphis @ washington
march 3rd 11:00am
The Memphis Grizzlies make the trip to Capital One Arena when they prepare to lock horns with the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.
Bradley Beal continues to dominate the scoring chart of the NBA after notching up 46 points in a stinging 111-110 loss against the Boston Celtics.
Despite the loss, the Wizards have shown much better form of late by winning seven of its last ten games to take its overall season record to 13-19.
It’s a far cry from the 6-16 record they had early this year and now get the opportunity to move closer towards a positive ledger but it will be no sweatless venture against the Grizzlies.
Taylor Jenkins’ men were a class above the hapless Houston Rockets on Monday afternoon.
The Grizzlies would go on to pummel the Rockets with a 133-84 victory as Jenkins utilized his bench to great effect and in doing so inflicted the Rockets eleventh straight loss.
With an impressive 8-5 record on the road, the Grizzlies come into this match as marginal favourites and will look to score cheap points on the turnover as it has done all season.
Averaging 9.9 steals per game, the Grizzlies rank number one in the NBA and it is an area the Wizards will need to pay particular attention to.
Russell Westbrook will need to use all his passing skills, which have seen him average 9.6 assists per game, in order to break down a plucky Grizzlies defence.
The Wizards do fare the better team in offence scoring just over three points per game more than the Grizzlies but conceded nearly nine points more.
Given this is the first game between the two sides, it’s tough to really split them but we will side with the home team who are the outsiders.
The Wizards at least had a gut buster against the Celtics to be battle-hardened for what will likely be a close game.
Suggested Bet: Washington Wizards head to head at $1.95
Suggested Same Game Multi:
Leg 1: Washington Wizards head to head
Leg 2: Bradley Beal under 32.5 points
Leg 3: Russell Westbrook over 7.5 assists
Combined odds = $5
LA CLIPPERS @ BOSTON
MARCH 3RD 11:30AM
The Boston Celtics meet the Los Angeles Clippers at TD Garden on Wednesday in what is arguably the match of the day.
Jayson Tatum will go face to face with Kawhi Leonard for the first time since the Celtics 119-115 triumph earlier this season on February 6.
The pair went tit for tat but it was Tatum who passed with flying colours scoring 34 points, hauling 7 rebounds and would ultimately prove a vital cog in the four-point victory.
Paul George was a notable absentee on that occasion for the Clippers but will line up this time around.
George has partnered up well with Leonard in all bar one game since returning from injury.
He averages 20.2 points per game in his seven games back and has managed precisely six rebounds per game in that time period.
However, much to the chagrin of the Celtics, the Clippers have lost four of their last seven matches with the most recent being a 105-100 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Clippers have an incredible 68% strike rate in its last 66 games at the spread when they are market favourites on the road.
We will go with the Clippers to again cover the spread which looks great value.
Suggested Bet: Los Angeles Clippers to cover the -4.5 point spread at $1.96
Suggested Same Game Multi:
Leg 1: Clippers Win
Leg 2: J. Tatum 35+ Points & Rebounds Combined
Leg 3: K. Leonard 1+ Steal
Leg 4: P. George 2+ Three Pointers
Combined Odds: $4.75
denver @ milwaukee
MARCH 3RD 1:00pM
Having dispatched the Boston Celtics on Monday night to make it fives consecutive wins, the Milwaukee Bucks attempt to keep their winning form intact when it faces the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday.
Giannis Antetokounmpo otherwise known as ‘The Greek Freak’ has certainly lived up to the MVP hype surrounding him yet again.
Antetokounmpo has been in arguably career best form.
His last five games have yielded 35.6 points per game, 13.8 rebounds per game and 5.9 assists per game to lead the Bucks in every single one of those fields.
He does, however, face his sternest test in the last handful of games when comes up against gun Nuggets centre Nikola Jokic who, like The Greek Freak, leads his team per game for points scored, rebounds and assists.
Jokic is going for 27.1 points per game, exactly 11 rebounds per game and 8.5 assists per game.
The battle between these two could ultimately determine who wins this match however that did not turn out to be the case when the sides met on February 9.
Jokic actually outperformed his Bucks counterpart with 35 points, 12 rebounds and six assists while Giannis managed 30 points, nine rebounds and failed to dish up a dime.
The game was played on Nuggets home turf at the Ball Arena and the Bucks did start slight favourites in that one.
JaMychal Green (shoulder), Gary Harris (thigh), and Paul Millsap (knee) have all been ruled with injury, making this clash against the Bucks even harder. To make matters worse, the Nuggets will be light on with rotations as Facundo Campazzo, R.J. Hampton, and Markus Howard are also out due to health and safety protocols.
With a Bucks defence designed to stop points close to the bucket from being scored, the opportunity may lie in the hands of shooters Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr.
If the pair can be accurate from long range, it might be the tactic Michael Malone deploys in order to combat a Bucks team on the charge.
Considering the Bucks momentum and the Nuggets current lack of depth we are going to side with the Bucks to make it six in a row.
Suggested Bet: Milwaukee Bucks to cover the -7.5 point spread
