While the basketball world is still glued to March Madness, the NBA continues to rumble toward the postseason.
Saturday’s slate is a light one with just four games, but that doesn’t mean there’s not value. Our analysts have recommendations for two games, including a total in Bucks-Timberwolves and a player prop in Pistons-Cavaliers.
Here are our two best bets from Saturday’s NBA slate.
NBA Odds & Picks
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| Milwaukee Bucks vs. Minnesota Timberwolves | 5 p.m. ET |
| Detroit Pistons vs. Cleveland Cavaliers | 8 p.m. ET |
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
| Pick | Over 243.5 |
| Book | PointsBet |
| Tipoff | 5 p.m. ET |
| TV | League Pass |
Raheem Palmer: The Milwaukee Bucks are in championship form right now, winning eight out of their last nine games with Giannis Antetokounmpo looking like the MVP candidate he is.
They’ll take on a Minnesota Timberwolves team that is 10-2 since the All-Star break with a league-leading 12.5 Net Rating during that span.
Both of these teams are lighting up the scoreboard and they happen to rank first and second in Offensive Rating since the break, with the Bucks scoring 122 points per 100 possessions and the Wolves scoring 121.
Nonetheless, oddsmakers have opened this total at 243 for a reason as we can expect a shootout between two teams that also rank in the top three in pace since the break.
My numbers put this game at 250, so I’ll play the over in this spot as we can expect these two teams to have high offensive outputs in a week where defenses across the league are struggling to stop opposing offenses.
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Detroit Pistons vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
| Pick | Cade Cunningham Over 31.5 PRA |
| Book | DraftKings |
| Tipoff | 8 p.m. ET |
| TV | League Pass |
Joe Dellera: Cade Cunningham is expected to return tonight after missing the last few games with a non-COVID illness. Prior to those misses, he had been on an absolute tear with averages of 22.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 10 assists.
He faces a Cavaliers team that has been excellent defensively but is without Jarrett Allen to help defend the interior. It’s not necessarily a direct result, but the Cavaliers’ defense has fallen from fifth best in the league on the season to just 12th over the last two weeks, per Cleaning the Glass.
Cunningham is rising and although he likely will not win Rookie of the Year, he certainly can cash a prop for us tonight. His Points Rebounds and Assists line is set at 31.5 today, and he’s cleared this in in eight of his last 10 games with a floor of 29 over this time span. He’s been incredibly efficient he has averaged 35.8 PRA over this stretch.
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