We officially have less than 10 games left in the regular season.
That’s a bit of a bummer for the fans, but it also means that the best part of the year is about to begin, as the playoffs are just around the corner.
That means that contending teams simply cannot afford to drop the ball at this point, while non-playoff teams won’t look to play spoiler, as they’re already planning ahead to the upcoming campaign. With that in mind, we’ll take a look at today’s slate of games and share our best picks for them.
Washington Wizards vs Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers keep winning, but their chances of improving their current position in the standings are quite slim. Even so, they need to win to have homecourt advantage in their first Play-in Tournament game.
The Washington Wizards have been one of the worst- if not the worst- teams in the league this season, and they might have some trouble against the Lakers‘ defense, which is why we like this game to go under the total.
Pick: Under 233.5
Boston Celtics vs Oklahoma City Thunder
The Boston Celtics have all but secured the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference and homecourt advantage throughout the course of the playoffs. Still, they don’t want to take their foot off the gas right now.
The Oklahoma City Thunder might be without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams again for this game, but they still made it a close one against the Philadelphia 76ers without them, and they still need to keep competing for playoff-seeding purposes.
Pick: Thunder +9
New Orleans Pelicans vs Orlando Magic
Both the New Orleans Pelicans and Orlando Magic are a lock to make the playoffs, but they must keep competing to make sure to have a favorable matchup – and homecourt advantage – in the first round.
That’s why they’ll approach this cross-conference contest as a postseason game, and we expect both teams to play hardnosed defense from start to finish.
Even so, the home side should take this win by a close margin.
Pick: Pelicans -3.5
Phoenix Suns vs Cleveland Cavaliers
The Phoenix Suns have been perhaps the most disappointing team in the league this season. Despite an obvious surplus of offensive talent, they’re currently No. 8 in the Western Conference, and they have the Lakers breathing on their necks.
That’s why they cannot afford to drop the ball against the 46-30 Cleveland Cavaliers.
Fortunately for them, the visitors won’t have Donovan Mitchell on the court, as he continues to deal with a knee injury.
Pick: Suns -5
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