The National Basketball Association (NBA) has a total of four games on the schedule for Monday evening. The Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks tangle at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBA TV, and the L.A. Clippers and Golden State Warriors wrap up the evening slate with a battle on Peacock and NBCSN at 10 p.m. ET.
Let’s build our bankroll with our best NBA picks & predictions for Monday, March 2.
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Monday’s Best NBA Picks & Predictions
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All bets are for 1 unit
Houston Rockets (-1200) at Washington Wizards (+750) | O/U 223.5 (-110/-110)
The Rockets (37-22) and Wizards (16-43) meet at Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. at 7 p.m. ET, as Houston wraps up a three-game road trip.
Houston won 113-108 as a 2.5-point favorite in Orlando to open the trip Thursday before falling 115-105 on Saturday in Miami. That setback against the Heat as 2.5-point favorites halted a 4-0 against the spread (ATS) run, and the Under (226.5) against the Heat ended up snapping a three-game run to the Over.
The Rockets won the first meeting at Toyota Center in Houston back on Nov. 12, 135-112, as they covered as a 17-point favorite. The Rockets have won and covered six in a row in this series, including the past four games as a double-digit favorite. The Over is on a 4-1 run in the series, too.
Washington was on the short end of a 134-125 loss against Toronto on Saturday, but it did hold on to cash as a 13.5-point underdog to snap an 0-3 ATS slide. The Over (228.5) cashed, and it has a slight 3-2 edge in the past five games. The Over is also 9-4 in the past 13 games dating back to Jan. 30. The Wizards are also 4-2 ATS in the past six games against Western Conference opponents.
The Wizards rank 29th in the NBA with 123.0 points per game (PPG) allowed, while chekcing in 23rd in defensive field-goal percentage (47.7%) and 24th in defensive 3-pointer percentage (36.6%).
Let’s take the Rockets to get the job done, and we’ll go high on the total, as even Houston’s sometimes stagnant offense should be able to run wild in D.C.
Picks: Rockets -15.5 (-110) & Over 223.5 Points (-110)
Boston Celtics (-270) at Milwaukee Bucks (+220) | O/U 215.5 (-112/-108)
The Celtics (40-20) face the Bucks (26-33) at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee at 7:30 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed or streamed on NBA TV.
Boston routed Milwaukee 107-79 as a 13.5-point favorite at TD Garden on Feb. 1 in the most recent meeting as the Under (217.5) cashed. The Bucks shot just 35% (29-of-82) from the field, as G Ryan Rollins did his best, scoring 25 points on 10-of-16 from the field, while adding seven assists and six rebounds with a steal, but it wasn’t nearly enough. He and F Kyle Kuzma (16 points) were the only players to reach double-digits in points.
For Boston, F Jaylen Brown racked up 30 points with 13 rebounds and four 3-pointers in the rout of the Bucks, while G Anfernee Simons were good for 27 points, including six triples.
The Celtics have won six of the past seven games, and 11 of the past 13 outings, while going 6-1 ATS in the span and posting a strong 10-3 ATS mark in that 13-game span. The Under has hit in four of the past five outings, and 13-3 in the past 16 games since Jan. 24, and that includes the Feb. 1 rout of Milwaukee.
Milwaukee was spanked 120-97 by the Chicago Bulls at United Center on Sunday, failing as a 2.5-point favorite as the Under (231.5) cashed. Despite the non-cover, Milwaukee is still a respectable 5-3 ATS in the past eight games, while the Over is 3-1 in the past four outings.
With no rest, Milwaukee has actually won four in a row outright, while covering each of the past five playing the second end of a back-to-back. Milwaukee is 6-3 SU/ATS in nine games this season with no rest, and the Under has a slight 5-4 edge in the span.
For Boston, it was crushed last time it played on no rest, as it wrapped up a four-game road trip in Denver on Feb. 25. It was pounded 103-84 as a 3.5-point underdog while the Under (228.5) cashed. In the second end of a back-to-back, the Celtics are 1-3 SU/ATS in the past four games, while the Under has cashed in each of the outings. Boston is 6-4 SU/ATS in 10 games with no rest this season, and the Under is 8-2 in those outings.
The Bucks have scored 98 or fewer points in three of the past five games, but they’ve also allowed at least 116 points in six consecutive outings. Based on Milwaukee’s good work against the number on no rest, let’s take the Bucks and the points, while going low on the total.
Picks: Bucks +7 (-110) & Under 215.5 Points (-108)
Joe Williams is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Joe, check out his archive and follow him @winwithjoe.