NBA Odds, Picks & Predictions: Saturday (2/22)
The National Basketball Association (NBA) has five games on tap for Saturday, including a nationally televised game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN+.
Let’s get that bankroll in the black with our best NBA picks for Saturday, February 22nd.
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Saturday’s Best NBA Picks
NBA odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All NBA picks are for 1 unit
Phoenix Suns (-178) at Chicago Bulls (+150) | O/U 238.5 (-110/-110)
The Suns (26-29) and the Bulls (22-34) hook up at the United Center on the west side of Chicago at 5:00 p.m. ET.
Phoenix has dominated this series in recent seasons, winning nine in a row and going 5-3-1 against the spread (ATS) in the span. That includes five straight victories in the Windy City while going 3-1-1 ATS. The over has hit in three of the past four meetings, too, while going 5-2 across the previous seven contests.
The Suns suffered a 120-109 loss on the road against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, which was stunning considering Victor Wembanyama is sidelined due to deep vein thrombosis in the shoulder. Bismack Biyombo made his first start, helping San Antonio win as a 2.5-point underdog as the under (238) cashed. It was an agonizing game for the Suns, who have dropped four in a row while going 1-3 against the spread (ATS) in the skid.
Phoenix has also lost seven of the past eight games and is 2-6 ATS in that span. Facing Chicago could be the elixir to cure all of their ills. The Bulls are in equally dire straits lately, dropping five in a row, while going just 1-4 ATS. The Bulls covered in a 113-111 overtime loss at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks on Thursday night.
While I’m a little leery to go with the Suns, as the public is betting the visitors at a 3-to-1 clip, the Bulls are awful. Let’s lean over, too.
Picks: Phoenix Suns -4.5 (-110) & Over 238.5 Points (-110)
Brooklyn Nets (+330) at Philadelphia 76ers (-420) | O/U 213.5 (-108/-112)
The Nets (20-35) and 76ers (20-35) square off at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday for the fourth time this season. The Sixers have won two of the first three games, with Philadelphia also going 2-1 ATS, with the under outpacing the over 2-1.
Brooklyn resumed play after the All-Star break with a home game against the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, and it was hammered 110-97, just missing a cover as a 12-point home underdog as the under (226) cashed. It’s been all about the under lately for the Nets, going 4-0 in the past four outings and 11-1 in the past 12 games since January 21st.
For the Nets, D’Angelo Russell (ankle) and Cam Thomas (hamstring) remain sidelined due to injury, so the top scorer (Thomas – 24.7 points per game) and third-best scorer (Russell – 13.1 points per game) are sidelined. That’s problematic. Nic Claxton (nose) is expected to be available, which is big since he averages 10.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game in 47 games this season.
Philadelphia enters on a six-game skid, losing eight of the past nine outings. The 76ers have failed to cover the past seven games, too, while the under is 2-1 in the past three games while splitting 3-3 in the previous six contests.
As far as the Sixers are concerned, Justin Edwards (ankle), Eric Gordon (wrist) and Kyle Lowry (hip) are sidelined, while Paul George (finger) is expected to be available.
The best play here is the Nets catching double digits, as the 76ers have no business being a double-digit favorite against anybody, especially a team with an identical record. Let’s roll with the under, too.
Picks: Brooklyn Nets +10.5 (-112) & Under 213.5 Points (-112)
Los Angeles Lakers (+205) at Denver Nuggets (-250) | O/U 240.5 (-110/-110)
The Lakers (33-21) and Nuggets (37-19) meet at Ball Arena at 8:30 p.m. ET. This game is available to view or stream on ABC and ESPN+.
This is the second meeting of the season and the first of three meetings through March 19th. In the first meeting on November 23rd at Crypto.com Arena, the Nuggets boat-raced the Lakers 127-102 to win outright as a 4-point underdog as the under (236) came through. Since May 22nd, 2023, including the postseason, Los Angeles is 9-1 straight up (SU)/7-3 ATS in the past 10 meetings, while the under is 8-2 in the 10-game span.
L.A. is coming off a 110-102 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers as a 2-point favorite as the under (226) cashed, halting a two-game losing streak, including 100-97 at home to the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday out of the break. Despite that mini-skid, the Lakers are 7-2 ATS in the past nine games, while going 10-3-1 ATS across the past 14 outings.
For Denver, it bounced the Hornets 129-115 Thursday, but the Nuggets missed as an 18-point favorite as the over (227) cashed. Denver has won nine in a row while covering six of the past seven outings. The over has hit in three consecutive contests, too. At home, Denver has won eight in a row since January 15th against the Houston Rockets. The Nuggets are 7-1 ATS in the home win streak.
As far as the total is concerned, the over is 9-2 in the past 11 games at home for the Nuggets.
Pick: Denver Nuggets -6.5 (-108) & Over 241.5 Points (-110)
Make sure to check out our other best bets for Saturday:
Daniel E. Dobish is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Daniel, check out his archive and follow him @danieledobish.