NBA Player Props & Best Bets Today: Schedule, Picks for Sunday
Playoff hopefuls feature prominently in today’s eight-game slate. Our top NBA player props and best bets for Sunday are based on the best NBA odds.
Today’s schedule kicks off with an early matchup between the Dallas Mavericks and Charlotte Hornets and a mid-afternoon tilt between the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers. We’ll look at the second game for one of our best bets and finish strong with the main slate of six matchups this evening.
Can the Orlando Magic’s big man deliver a strong performance against the visiting Brooklyn Nets? Will the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets cover big spreads against the Portland Trail Blazers and Cleveland Cavaliers, respectively?
Here are our top NBA player props and best bets for Sunday (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook, and FanDuel Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Check out our NBA picks and our best NBA betting sites.
Sunday’s NBA schedule and odds
(odds via DraftKings)
- Dallas Mavericks (-10.5) vs. Charlotte Hornets
- Chicago Bulls (+3) vs. L.A. Lakers
- Houston Rockets (+14) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
- San Antonio Spurs (+16) vs. Boston Celtics
- Memphis Grizzlies (-2) vs. Atlanta Hawks
- Washington Wizards (+9) vs. Toronto Raptors
- Brooklyn Nets (+2) vs. Orlando Magic
- Oklahoma City Thunder (-9) vs. Portland Trail Blazers
- Minnesota Timberwolves (+6.5) vs. Golden State Warriors
Sunday’s NBA player prop picks
Double-Double: Wendell Carter Jr. vs. Nets (-110 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is a great bet for Sunday’s action, as Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. has been balling lately. In 12 games since the All-Star break, WCJ upped his scoring from 15.4 points to 16.1, and his rebounds from 8.5 to 10.1. He’s double-doubled in seven of those and provided double-digit rebounds in eight.
This season, he’s failed to reach double-digit points just five times in 51 appearances, so don’t be concerned about his scoring. Focus on the rebounds, but he’s in a favorable spot, as the Nets allow the fifth most boards to opponents at 53.4. Carter Jr.’s Pts+Reb prop sits at 26.5, and his Pts+Reb+Ast prop is up at 28.5. Rather than bet on him hitting those lofty totals, take the safer bet for the same odds. This is a no-brainer.
Check out our NBA Finals odds and NBA MVP odds.
NBA game picks
Total: Bulls-Lakers Under 223 (-110 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐
The Lakers are finally at .500. Despite key injuries to Anthony Davis earlier in the season and an ongoing absence from LeBron James, L.A. is back in the playoff picture as the No. 8 seed. The Lakers are 1.5 games out of the No. 5 seed and just one game out of the No. 11 seed, so this is a tenuous hold.
The Chicago Bulls roll into town, and there’s sure to be no love lost here, after point guard Patrick Beverley took a shot at his former teammates by implying they’re soft:
The Bulls clawed their way back into the East’s playoff picture as the No. 10 seed with wins and covers in four of the last five. L.A. won three in a row and is home for a fourth straight contest. Chicago will play its second straight on the road after blowing out a floundering Portland team.
Betting the spread is tough for two opponents who were so hot over the past week, and since the Lakers list point guard D’Angelo Russell as questionable, bet on the total instead. Over their last three games, Chicago (105.7 points allowed) and L.A. (109 allowed) are each among the NBA's six stingiest defenses.
This season, Chicago ranks seventh in points allowed, including seventh on the road with 113.1. The Lakers gave up just 113.8 at home, and each team hit the Under in four of its last six. Take the Under, even at a modest 223. Expect a defensive battle between two playoff hopefuls.
Spread: Thunder -9 vs. Trail Blazers (-110 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐
What a disappointing season it’s been for Portland. Point guard Damian Lillard came back, and played some of the best basketball of his career. Unfortunately, that’s where the pleasantries end. Shooting guard Anfernee Simons dealt with recurring injuries most of the season, center Jusuf Nurkic missed a good chunk of time, and the team never really gelled.
With less than 10 games to go, it looks like most of the starters are shut down. For today’s matchup with OKC, Lillard, Simons, Nurkic and small forward Jerami Grant are all out, which means Portland will trot out a skeleton crew against the full-strength Thunder.
Oklahoma City was only a road favorite five times this season, and the team is 1-4 ATS in those matchups. This one is different, however, as the Blazers are down four starters. In two games where the Thunder were favored by at least 9 points, they won by 30 both times. The Thunder are fighting for a playoff spot, and the team sits as the West's No. 10 seed, with a chance to move up the standings. We’re predicting a big win in this one.
Spread: Rockets +14.5 vs. Cavaliers (-108 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐
No one is picked the Rockets to win this matchup. Cleveland’s homecourt advantage is tremendous, as is the talent discrepancy between these two squads. Houston is heading for a top-5 pick in this summer’s draft, but the Rockets were much more competitive recently.
Over the last nine games, Houston won three and lost only one by 14 points or more. The Cavs are 5-1 straight up when favored by at least 10 points at home, but the team is just 3-3 ATS in those contests. The Rockets are at nearly full strength, and young players like power forward Jabari Smith, forward Tari Eason and shooting guard Jalen Green have showed up. Expect the Rockets to be competitive and to lose by 14 points or less.
NBA best bets made 3/26/2023 at 11:16 a.m. ET.
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