The National Basketball Association (NBA) has just five total games on Monday night, as all basketball eyes are on Indianapolis and the NCAA Tournament National Championship Game. Still, the New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks battle at 7:00 p.m. ET on Peacock and NBCSN in a nationally-televised undercard game. Let’s build our bankroll with our best NBA picks & predictions for Monday, April 6th.
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Monday’s Best NBA Picks & Predictions
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All bets are for 1 unit
New York Knicks (+108) at Atlanta Hawks (-126) | O/U 229.5 (-110/-110)
The Knicks (51-28) battle the Hawks (45-33) at State Farm Arena in Atlanta at 7:00 p.m. ET in the only nationally-televised game of the evening.
New York won 128-125 in Atlanta back on Dec. 27, although the Hawks covered as 5.5-point underdogs while the Over (244.5) cashed. On Jan. 2, the Hawks won 111-99 as 4.5-point underdogs at Madison Square Garden, giving the road team three straight outright wins in the series. The road team is also 3-1 against the spread (ATS) in the previous four installments, while the Under has a 4-2 edge in the past six encounters.
New York has rediscovered its offense in the past two games in victories at Memphis and home to Chicago, averaging 133.0 points per game (PPG). It routed the Bulls 136-96 at MSG on Friday as a 14-point favorite to halt an 0-5 ATS slide. The Under is still 4-1 in the past five games, however, with the Knicks going 0-3 SU/ATS in the past three tries against teams actually in the playoff hunt. The Under is 10-2 in New York’s past 12 games against opponents in playoff and/or play-in game positioning.
Atlanta pulls up with four straight wins, and victories in seven of the past eight outings, with only a 109-102 loss at Boston on March 27 as the lone setback in that eight-game span. It is also 6-2 ATS in the past eight games, and 16-4 ATS in the past 20 games since Feb. 22. The Under has a slight 3-2 edge in the past five outings.
The Knicks are currently in the third spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs, a game clear of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Hawks occupy the fifth spot, so this could potentially be a first-round playoff preview. Atlanta is two games clear of the Philadelphia 76ers for that fifth seed in the East.
Let’s roll with the Hawks to get the job done, as they’ve been red-hot against the number, and we’ll go low on the total based on New York’s trends against playoff-bound teams.
Picks: Hawks -1.5 (-112) & Under 229.5 Points (-110)
Portland Trail Blazers (+290) at Denver Nuggets (-360) | O/U 240.5 (-110/-110)
The Trail Blazers (40-38) pull into Denver to meet the Nuggets (50-28) at Ball Arena at 9 p.m. ET. Denver leads the season series 2-1, including a 128-112 win on March 22 in the most recent meeting in the Mile High City as 8-point favorites while the Over (237.5) cashed.
Denver has a slight 4-3 edge straight up in the past seven meetings since Dec. 19, 2024, with both teams 5-5 ATS in the past 10 in the series since Feb. 4, 2024. The Over has dominated with an 8-1 mark in the past nine installments.
Portland has secured a Play-In spot, and it is tied with the L.A. Clippers at 40-38 with four games remaining. The finish will determine which teams hosts in one of the Play-In games, as the seeding from seven through 10 appears unlikely to change.
The Blazers have won and covered three in a row, but that’s against the Clippers and two non-playoff teams. In fact, Portland is 5-1 SU/ATS in the past six games, but four of those wins and covers are against teams who will be on the couch watching the postseason. It’s impressive nonetheless, but it was dusted by 16 points at Denver on March 22 prior to the 5-1 SU/ATS run. The Under has cashed in the past four games, allowing 106 or fewer points, but again, non-playoff teams and/or one win over the Clips. It allowed 128 to Denver on March 22.
The Nuggets are fighting the Los Angeles Lakers for the three seed in the West. Both teams are tied 50-28 with four games left to go in the regular season. Denver has won eight in a row, and it has a 4.8 point differential on the season, while going 9-1 SU in the past 10 outings. It is also a healthy 25-13 at home this season.
Denver is coming off a 136-134 OT win over the San Antonio Spurs, and it has won eight in a row at home, including wins over playoff-bound teams like the Blazers, Raptors, Rockets, Spurs, etc.
We’ll back the Nuggets to grab the cover, and we’ll go high on the total based on the series trends.
Picks: Trail Blazers -8.5 (-112) & Over 240.5 Points (-110)
Joe Williams is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Joe, check out his archive and follow him @winwithjoe.