Welcome to the second-to-last Sunday of the NBA regular season. The league has a busy 11-game schedule on deck for us today. So, let's get right to the best NBA picks & predictions for this lovely Easter holiday.
I am referencing FanDuel Sportsbook odds with today’s NBA picks, but it may be worth shopping around to make sure you get the best odds for the market you are betting on or take advantage of promo codes and odds boosts.
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Sunday’s NBA Best Picks & Predictions
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Toronto Raptors vs. Boston Celtics
With just five games left and a half-game lead on the 76ers for the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Raptors are in desperate need of a win to keep from falling into the NBA Play-In Tournament. However, they have not been playing their best with Immanuel Quickley out, losing three of their last six games.
Boston, on the other hand, comes into this game winning five of their last six games, including a 133-101 romp over the Bucks in Milwaukee on Friday. The roster is relatively healthy. Jaylen Brown is playing well, as is Jayson Tatum.
Boston has already defeated Toronto three times this season, but only once by 10+ points. However, Boston has owned the Raptors, winning nine of their last 10 meetings. With how well they've been playing, there is no reason to think the Celtics can't cover a 10-point spread against a middling Toronto team.
Pick: Boston -10 (-110)
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks
This game should be a no-brainer - a Lakers win. However, in light of recent injuries, that inevitability is now in question. Los Angeles could handle a team like the Mavericks without Luka Doncic, but with Austin Reaves also out for the remainder of the regular season? I'm not so sure.
Yes, the Lakers still have LeBron James, but he is not the scoring threat he once was. Outside of him, they don't have another scoring threat that opposing teams need to gameplan for. Dallas, on the other hand, has a red-hot Cooper Flagg, who is coming off a 51-point game.
Yes, Flagg just smoked Orlando for 51 points, but he and the Dallas offense have been far from consistent this season. While they scored 127 points in that loss to the Magic, they failed to clear 100 points in their previous three. With Doncic and Reaves out, I definitely don't trust the Lakers to score big.
Pick: Under 233.5 Points (-110)
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Sacramento Kings
The Kings are on a surprising two-game win streak after upsetting the Raptors last Wednesday and beating the Pelicans on Friday. The Clippers will be part of the NBA Play-In Tournament, but could still move up to the No. 8 seed as they are just a half-game back of the Portland Trail Blazers.
However, while this is a game the Clippers should win, it is hard to say whether they'll cover. With the talent they have compared to the Kings, they should. But the Kings did beat them 118-109 a couple of weeks ago in L.A., and the Clippers are on a two-game losing streak.
The Clippers are the better team, but they have not brought their "A" game for a while, going 5-5 outright in their last 10 games and 3-7 against the spread (ATS) during that span. Sacramento is 4-6 straight up (SU) and 5-5 ATS in their last 10 games. There appears to be enough life left in the Kings to keep the Clippers from running away with this one.
Pick: Sacramento +12.5 (-110)
