NUGGETS (+4.5) at SIXERS (231), 7 p.m.
Pick: Sixers -4.5
Now’s not a good time to buy stock in the Nuggets (37-17). Denver has been struggling to cover numbers on the road recently and now plays a Sixers team coming off an embarrassing loss against Toronto at home on Tuesday. The Sixers (34-20) are also expected to show off a couple of new trade deadline acquisitions on Friday. Philly has been dynamite at home and off a loss this season and while both of those situations applied to Tuesday’s loss against the Raptors, getting a struggling Denver team coming in against an improved Sixers team is enough for us to go back to the well with the Sixers.
BULLS (+8.5) at NETS (224.5), 7:30 p.m.
Pick: Under 224.5
The Bulls (12-42) just traded Jabari Parker and Bobby Portis and already weren’t a great offensive team as it was. Granted, they added Otto Porter, but the net result here is a Bulls team that is likely to score even less than it did prior to the trade deadline. The Nets (29-27) get Caris LeVert back, and playing the lowly Bulls should offer Kenny Atkinson a chance to ease the guard back into the swing of things. This has the makings of a get-in-and-get-out game for Brooklyn and we’re not expecting the same 122-117 barn burner these two teams played last week.
KNICKS (+8.5) at PISTONS (206), 7 p.m.
Pick: Over 206
The under has been cashing with regularity in Knicks games recently and given they’ve managed to get even worse with their recent trades, that probably makes sense. But sports gambling is all about knowing when to buy and when to sell and we think it’s too late to join the under party in Knicks games. New York (10-43) has been one of the league’s worst defensive teams so just the fact that they’ve held teams under 115 points in seven straight games is likely not sustainable. While Detroit (24-29) has been one of the league’s better defensive clubs, 206 is too low to feel comfortable going under. We think this is probably correlated to where if the over cashes, Detroit likely covers. But 8.5 points is still a little steep. The Knicks got to 92 points against the Pistons on Tuesday. A couple more field goals for New York in the Motor City should get this game over such a low total.