Analysis

The Knicks picked up right where they left off last season, beating the Cavs 109-97 in Cleveland on Saturday. Since the beginning of last season, New York is 7-1 straight-up, 6-2 against the spread in this Eastern Conference matchup. The Knicks are on the second leg of a back-to-back. after beating the Bucks by 32 on Tuesday. After three-straight losses to open the season, New York has gone 6-1 straight-up, 4-3 against the spread over its last seven games. No one played more than 29 minutes in last night's win over Milwaukee, so fatigue shouldn't be too big of a concern. Josh Hart has missed the last few games, but he is expected to return shortly (possibly tonight). Cleveland didn't respond well to that home loss to the Knicks over the weekend as the Cavs lost as an 8.5-point road favorite at Charlotte on Monday. That was a disastrous result against a Hornets team that was missing several key players and had the worst offense in the NBA through the first three weeks. After posting one of the worst marks against the spread last year, Cleveland is 3-8 against the number so far in 2026. Are the Cavs capable of a bounce-back performance? Absolutely. They beat the Sixers by 24 last Friday. But have you seen anything from Cleveland in recent weeks to put your money behind that opinion? We certainly haven't.
Play New York Knicks

Boston looks for its fifth-straight win overall and fourth-straight during this current road trip as they head from Philadelphia to Toronto to take on the Raptors. It was a decisive 123-101 win for the Celtics at the 76ers last night in which Paul George put up 36 points on 14-of-22 shooting against his old squad with Jayson Tatum scoring 21 on 8-of-17 shooting. Toronto lost 118-102 at home to Memphis last time out on Monday in which they played without Immanuel Quickley, Scottie Barnes and Kawhi Leonard. Barnes and Leonard will miss tonight’s action with Quickley listed as questionable with a hamstring injury. Last season the Celtics went 4-0 against the Raptors straight up and 3-1 ATS. While the Celtics are 6-5 ATS on the season, they are 4-1 ATS as a road favorite. Toronto is 5-5 ATS on the season and 0-1 ATS as a home underdog as we’ll look for Boston to cover in this one. The Celtics had just five free throw attempts last night in their 22-point win and we expect that number to increase tonight with the Raptors allowing the third-most free throw attempts per game this season. Toronto has made its impact on offense in the paint this season, scoring the fourth-most paint points per game. But the Celtics have allowed the least amount of points in the paint per game with the Raptors shooting just 31.8-percent from three-point range which ranks bottom-5 among all NBA teams. We’re also going to look at the “under” in this one with Boston going 8-3 to the “under” this season and the Raptors going “under” in back-to-back games without Quickley, Barnes and Leonard. Both teams rank top-12 in defensive efficiency and the Celtics play at the slowest pace of any team in the NBA. Boston is allowing just 95 ppg during this current four-game winning streak.
Play Boston Celtics

Washington has won each of the last three meetings in this Eastern Conference matchup. Four of the last five meetings have stayed under the total. This is the fourth game of a Midwest road trip for the Wizards, which has gotten off to a disastrous start. Washington is 0-4 straight-up, 1-3 against the spread over its last four games with a 15-point loss to Atlanta, a 39-point loss to Oklahoma City and an 11-point loss to Detroit. Washington is on the front leg of a back-to-back and will travel home to host the Pistons once again on Thursday. Indiana also needs a couple breaks, but unlike the Wizards, the Pacers have largely been competitive this season. Indiana is just 3-8 straight up as the Pacers continue to play without Tyrese Haliburton, but a five-point loss to the Sixers, a four-point loss to the Hawks and a three-point loss to Dallas shows that Indiana is still playing competitive basketball. Monday's 125-122 result in Dallas broke a string of four-straight "under" results in Indiana's games.
Play Indiana Pacers

The Nets and Pelicans split their two meetings last year with each team protecting its home court. Both of last year's contests stayed under their respective totals. Brooklyn hasn't played since Sunday, so the Nets should be well-rested for this one. Brooklyn was on a four-game winning streak at the betting window until Sunday's 37-point loss in Dallas. The Nets were playing some quality basketball before that with a pair of outright upset wins over Charlotte and Indiana, plus a comfortable point spread cover against the Hawks. New Orleans returns home after a somewhat-unique two-game West Coast roadtrip. When the Pelicans head west, they usually do it for more than two games but they clearly weren't motivated to visit California. New Orleans suffered a 16-point loss to the Clippers followed by a 51-point loss at Golden State. Things got so bad in San Francisco that reserve forward Derik Queen started walking laps around the court in the fourth quarter. We imagine that New Orleans didn't have a fun practice on Tuesday. This is one of the somewhat-rare cases where the home team is actually at a pretty severe rest and travel disadvantage. The Pelicans just crossed two time zones with little rest, while Brooklyn has been comfortably hanging out in the area since Sunday.
Play Brooklyn Nets

The Grizzlies have been one of the biggest surprises in the NBA so far this season going 7-3 straight-up and ATS as they host the Nuggets tonight. What’s strange about Memphis is that all three of those losses have come at home as they come off a 118-102 road win at Toronto. Denver lost 110-100 at Houston last time out in which Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic made up 63 of the team’s 100 points. They’ll need offensive production out of someone other than those two if they hope to get past the stingy Grizzlies defense that ranks ninth in defensive efficiency this season. Denver ranks 22nd in defensive efficiency with the two teams tied for eighth in offensive efficiency this season as well. As far as injuries the biggest one in this game is Isaiah Stewart who has been an X-Factor for Memphis when healthy during his first season with the team. He’s missed the last two games and is questionable for tonight with a knee injury so, with that we’ll side with Denver as road favorites. They’re 2-0 ATS this season when listed as a road favorite and 2-1 ATS when coming off a loss. The Nuggets have to feel some sense of urgency to start picking up consistent wins to compete within the division as both Minnesota and Oklahoma City are sitting at 8-3. Sure, we expect Ty Jerome to continue his breakout campaign but the Nuggets are the more experienced team heading into this one allowing the least amount of free throw attempts per game although Memphis leads the NBA in free throw percentage.
Play Denver Nuggets

San Antonio won both meetings last season, but the Bulls covered the spread as a 'dog in both contests. In fact, Chicago is 7-1 against the spread over the last eight meetings with two outright upset victories. This is the fourth game of a road trip for the Spurs, who have won nine-straight games. Each of the first three games on this roadtrip have seen the Spurs earn a double-digit win. San Antonio produced a 122-96 win in Phoenix on Monday. Four of the Spurs' last five games have stayed under the total. Chicago has lost seven-straight games, but the Bulls were competitive in a six-point home loss to Philadelphia on Sunday. Chicago's first three home games this season have seen an average of 250.7 points per game, and that includes a game against the Knicks who play at one of the slowest tempos in the league. Last year's meetings saw 243 and 238 points. The Spurs and Bulls can do enough to get over this lofty total.
Play the Over

Milwaukee has won-and-covered three of the last four meetings in this cross-conference matchup. Each of the last three meetings have stayed under the total. Milwaukee is on the second leg of a back-to-back after getting crushed by the Knicks on Tuesday. The Bucks are looking to snap a seven-game losing streak (1-6 ATS), with those seven losses coming by an average of 20.3 points per game. Seven of the Bucks' last eight losses have come by double digits. Milwaukee's last five games have all stayed under the total as the Bucks have scored an average of 98.2 points per game in those contests. This is the third game of a Midwest road trip for the Lakers, who have won-and-covered each of their last six games. Los Angeles earned a ten-point road win in Atlanta on Monday. Five of the Lakers' last six games have gone over the total. LA doesn't play again until Sunday, so there's no real need to watch minutes or limit workload in this one. The Lakers should be able to get whatever they want against one of the worst teams in the league.
Play LA Lakers

Orlando won both meetings last year by a total of four points, including a one-point road win in overtime. The Jazz have covered the spread in each of the last four meetings. Both teams are on the second leg of a back-to-back. Orlando got past Sacramento on Tuesday while the Jazz lost their ninth-straight game. Orlando's 107-100 win broke a four-game losing skid for the Magic. This is the fourth game of a West Coast trek for Orlando, which started with a pair of losses against Phoenix and Golden State. Four of Orlando's last five games have stayed under the total. Utah's cover as an 8.5-point home 'dog against Miami broke a five-game losing streak at the betting window. Utah is 2-9 against the spread this season with four double-digit losses in the last six games. The under is 7-1 in Utah's last eight games. With both teams on the second leg of a back-to-back, it's hard not to look for another under. Orlando enters Wednesday No. 25 in pace this season after sitting in the top half of the league in tempo last year. Utah is 29th in offensive rating, 27th in true shooting percentage and 28th in effective field goal shooting.
Play the Under

Golden State looks to make it nine-straight wins tonight as they head out for the start of a five-game road trip starting in Houston tonight. This will be their first road game since Oct. 28 as the Warriors come off a 138-87 blowout of the Pelicans on Monday. No Warriors starter played more than 27 minutes with Steph Curry and Draymond Green playing just 21 minutes a piece so the team overall should be well rested for this one. Houston was able to snap back-to-back losses their last time out with a 110-100 win at home over Denver, holding the Nuggets to just 28-percent shooting from the three-point line. None of the three head-to-head matchups last season finished with a margin higher than four points and we sense some of the same here tonight as we’ll gladly take the 6-7 points with Golden State going 8-3 ATS on the season and 3-1 ATS as a road underdog so far. Sure, Houston is 5-1 ATS as a home favorite but the only other time they covered a spread this large at home was their opening night 128-110 win over Dallas in which they were a 9.5-point favorite. There aren’t any glaring injuries to report as Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg continues to make his claim for Rookie of the Year. A look toward the under may also be in play with both teams ranking top-11 in fewest free throws allowed per game and both teams ranking bottom-10 in pace so far this season. Houston has gone to the “under” in four of their last five games and Golden State to the “under” in two of their last three, while allowing just 104.3 ppg across their last six.
Play Golden State

These teams just met on Tuesday in Portland with the Blazers earning a 123-103 home win. Damian Lillard turned back the clock with 25 points, including a handful of three-point attempts that would make Steph Curry blush. Portland finished with 19 made three-pointers compared to just eight by the Thunder. The Blazers played up to their ceiling on Tuesday with only eight turnovers against one of the league's best defenses and only two missed free throws on 26 attempts. Now the hard part: Can they do it again? Jared McCain was the only member of the Thunder to play more than 30 minutes last night, while Deni Avdija, Sidy Cissoko and Toumain Camara all saw a significant workload for Portland. Banking on another 19-8 advantage at the three-point line is going to be tough. Prior to last night's loss, Oklahoma City had won the previous three meetings by an average of 21.3 points per game.
Play Oklahoma City Thunder