NBA Odds, Picks & Predictions: Sunday (3/2)
The calendar has turned to March and the NBA playoff races are heating up. There is a full slate of NBA action on Sunday. Here is a look at a few spots that I like for our NBA best bets on Sunday.
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Sunday's Best NBA Picks
(Odds Courtesy FanDuel Sportsbook)
Denver Nuggets at Boston Celtics
The Nuggets will finish up an Eastern Conference road trip with a stop in Boston on Sunday afternoon. This will be the third game in four nights for the Nuggets against a very strong Celtics team. Boston is coming off of back-to-back losses to Detroit and Cleveland. They'll be looking to erase that sour taste and avoid their first three-game losing streak of the season.
Denver was one of the hottest teams in the NBA in February going 10-2 straight up (SU). If you look at the schedule, this was mostly a product of a very soft schedule. Six of those wins came against the Hornets, Trail Blazers and Pelicans, all of whom will be sitting at home during the playoffs. Boston will be quite a bit more challenging.
Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday aren't expected to suit up, but the Celtics have one of the deepest benches in the league, so they won't miss a beat with Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser absorbing those minutes.
Denver likes to get out and run, leading the league in fast-break points. Boston won't give them those chances as they're one of the best teams at taking care of the ball. Boston should be able to get Denver off their game and slow down one of the hottest teams in the league in this nationally televised matchup between the last two champions.
Pick: Celtics -2 (-112)
Toronto Raptors at Orlando Magic
After a surprising turnaround last season, Orlando hasn't quite captured that same magic in 2025. This has been for the most part because of a myriad of injuries to their young stars. The Magic are now as healthy as they've been all season and are looking to finish the season strong and maybe make some noise in the playoffs.
Orlando has certainly struggled against the better teams in the league, but they've had a lot of success recently against teams in the bottom part of the standings. Toronto fits into the latter category. The offense for the Raptors has been part of why they've struggled so much. They rank 26th in offensive rating. They don't shoot particularly well and they don't take care of the ball as both aspects rank in the bottom third of the league. This will be a problem against Orlando.
The Magic have struggled mightily on offense, particularly shooting, but their defense has been fantastic. They create turnovers at a top-three rate in the league and should give Toronto fits all night.
Orlando is one of the best teams at getting to the free-throw line and Toronto surrenders free throws at a near league-high rate. Now that we're into March, Orlando will look to make a push for the playoffs. They should get off to a good start Sunday against the Raptors.
Pick: Magic -6.5 (-110)
Minnesota Timberwolves at Phoenix Suns
The wheels have fallen off for Phoenix in recent weeks. They went 3-10 SU and 4-9 against the spread (ATS) in February. They'll hopefully get some reprieve as they play a Minnesota team that appears to not realize the All-Star break is over. Since the time off, Minnesota is 1-4 SU and 2-3 ATS.
Minnesota's lack of success is partly related to a difficult schedule. Two games against Oklahoma City, one against Houston and one against the red-hot Lakers make the recent slide understandable, even with a win over the Thunder sprinkled in. The loss to Utah can be chalked up to missing Anthony Edwards (suspension).
Minnesota is the team I expect to get back on track. They're an incredibly strong defensive team that is better than their record indicates. They're seventh in Net Rating, nestled between the Rockets and Knicks. This is a team that can slow down a strong shooting Suns team. I'm not sure Phoenix hasn't given up on the season and I'll bet Minnesota is the better team in this matchup.
Pick: Timberwolves +1.5 (-110)