NBA Odds, Picks & Predictions: Monday (3/16)
The National Basketball Association (NBA) has a total of eight games on the slate for Monday night. That includes a doubleheader on Peacock and NBCSN, as well as a game on Peacock and NBCSN Extra, as pro ball takes center stage before ceding attention to the NCAA Tournament later this week. The Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks meet at 7:00 p.m. ET in the first of the doubleheader, while the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets tip off at 9:30 p.m. ET. The extra game features the San Antonio Spurs and L.A. Clippers at 10 p.m. ET. Let’s build our bankroll with our best NBA picks & predictions for Monday, March 16th.
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Monday’s Best NBA Picks & Predictions
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All bets are for 1 unit
Golden State Warriors (-295) at Washington Wizards (+240) | O/U 232.5 (-110/-110)
The Warriors (32-35) meet the Wizards (16-50) at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Golden State is coming in with no rest after playing on Sunday against the New York Knicks. The Warriors put up a tremendous fight, falling just 110-107 as 14.5-point underdogs while the Under (218.5) hung on. That’s the good news. The bad news is that Golden State is awfully banged up.
Golden State used its 11th different lineup in the past 11 games, and the 34th different lineup this season. The Warriors were missing Seth Curry (adductor) and Stephen Curry (knee), and the latter has missed the past 17 games due to right patellofemoral pain syndrome. Veteran Draymond Green was sidelined by a lower back injury, while Al Horford is nursing a strained right soleus, which is essentially a calf injury. F De’Anthony Melton is nursing a left knee injury, and he is sidelined, too, while Moses Moody (wrist) is out with a sprained right wrist. Add in the fact Kristaps Porzingis (illness) is under the weather, and this Warriors team is very, very shorthanded.
The good news is that Quinten Post (ankle) carried a questionable tag into Sunday’s game due to a sprained ankle. He toughed it out, drew the start, and he scored 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting, with 4-of-10 from behind the 3-point line. Brandin Podziemski added 25 points with six assists, five rebounds, and two steals. Veteran journeyman Gary Payton II came off the bench for 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting.
Still, the Warriors have dropped five in a row, and they’re just 1-3 against the spread (ATS) in the past four games, while the Over is 3-1 in the past four outings.
For Washington, it put up a good fight in Boston on Saturday, falling 111-100 as a 20.5-point underdog while the Under (233.5) cashed. The Wizards have dropped 11 straight games, although they’ve covered the past two games, while the Over is 3-1 in the past four games, and 6-2 in the past eight outings.
We’ll take Washington catching four buckets at home, as Golden State is just too banged up. We’ll also go low on the total, as the Warriors will have trouble scoring with a patchwork lineup, and the Wizards cashed Under last time out, as well as in their most recent home game March 5 against Utah.
Picks: Wizards +8 (-110) & Under 232.5 Points (-110)
San Antonio Spurs (-405) at Los Angeles Clippers (+320) | O/U 227.5 (-110/-110)
The Spurs (49-19) and Clippers (34-33) meet at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California at 10:00 p.m. ET in the ‘extra’ game on Peacock and NBCSN Extra.
The biggest news in this game is that Kawhi Leonard is nursing a sprained left ankle, and he is listed as doubtful to play. That’s certainly bad news for L.A., who needs all hands on deck against the high-flying Spurs.
San Antonio passed a big test against the Charlotte Hornets, picking up a 115-102 win as a 6.5-point favorite while the Under (232.5) cashed. Victor Wembanyama put the team on his back with 32 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists with five 3-pointers and four blocks, while Stephon Castle contributed 15 points with 10 rebounds for the double-double.
The Spurs have won six of the past seven games, and 17 of the previous 19 outings, while going 3-1 ATS in the past four games, and a respectable 13-5-1 ATS in that 19-game span. The Over has cashed in four of the past five games, too.
For the Clippers, they put up a good fight against the Spurs at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio in the most recent meeting on March 6, falling 116-112 as a 7-point underdog, but that was also with Kawhi dropping 30 points with nine rebounds. With no Leonard, it’s a completely different story.
Let’s back the Spurs laying the big points on the road, as long as the spread stays in the single digits. Also, we’ll go Under on the total, as the Clippers will have trouble without their leading scorer.
Picks: Spurs -9.5 (-110) & Under 227.5 Points (-110)
Joe Williams is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Joe, check out his archive and follow him @winwithjoe.