The National Basketball Association (NBA) has eight games on the schedule, including a nationally-televised doubleheader on NBC and Peacock. At 8:00 p.m. ET, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks meet in the first NBC game, while the Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets tip-off is 10:00 p.m. ET.
Let’s build our bankroll with our best NBA picks & predictions for Tuesday, March 17th.
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Tuesday’s Best NBA Picks & Predictions
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All bets are for 1 unit
Indiana Pacers (+660) at New York Knicks (-1000) | O/U 224.5 (-110/-110)
The Pacers (15-53) travel to meet the Knicks (45-25) at Madison Square Garden at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Indiana is 5-29 on the road this season, while New York is 24-9 at home in Madison Square Garden. This is the fourth and final meeting of the regular season for these two teams, with New York picking up two victories so far, while Indiana has covered in all three meetings. The Pacers are 4-0 against the spread (ATS) in the past four meetings, and 7-2 ATS across the previous nine in the series since May 21st, 2025. The over is 2-1 this season, and 3-1 across the past four meetings.
Before we get to the trends, let’s visit the injury report first. It seems like the entire Pacers team is on the injury report heading into Tuesday’s game:
- Guard Quenton Jackson (calf) is questionable
- Guard T.J. McConnell (hamstring) is questionable
- Guard Andrew Nembhard (calf) is questionable
- Guard Aaron Nesmith (ankle) is questionable
- Guard Ben Sheppard (ankle) is questionable
- Forward Pascal Siakam (knee) is doubtful
- Forward Obi Toppin (foot) is questionable
- Center Micah Potter (triceps) is questionable
- Center Ivica Zubac (ankle) is questionable
That’s overwhelming, and it’s hard to imagine who is going to score for the Pacers if a majority of those players are sidelined, especially McConnell, Nembhard, Nesmith, Sheppard, Toppin, Zubac and Siakam. As such, let’s really lean into the under for this battle.
New York’s injury report isn’t nearly as substantial, but one giant name appears. Guard Jalen Brunson (ankle) carries a questionable tag, and that’s bad news for the home side if he doesn’t play. It is good news, though, for the under.
The Knicks were in a similar situation against a Golden State team with substantial injury woes, and they still managed just a 110-107 win on Sunday as a 14.5-point favorite. New York is just 1-4 ATS in the past five games. The under is 6-3 across their past nine outings. Let’s take the huge amount of points with Indiana, and we’ll go low on the total.
Picks: Pacers +16.5 (-108) & Under 224.5 Points (-110)
Philadelphia 76ers (+660) at Denver Nuggets (-1000) | O/U 234.5 (-110/-110)
The 76ers (37-31) and the Nuggets (41-27) meet at Ball Arena in Denver, and like the Pacers above, the Sixers are in a world of hurt. The injury report is rather extensive, and that’s good news for the home side. Here is the injury report for Philly:
- Forward Johni Broome (knee) is out
- Center Joel Embiid (oblique) is out
- Forward Paul George (suspension) is out
- Guard Tyrese Maxey (finger) is out
- Forward Kelly Oubre Jr. (elbow) is out
- Guard Dalen Terry (shoulder) is questionable
- Forward Jabari Walker (illness) is out
It’s a good thing Philadelphia and Indiana are not playing each other, or it might be a one-on-one battle.
Philadelphia enters this game with two victories in a row and has won three of the past four outings. Those victories were at home against Portland, Brooklyn and Memphis, not exactly a gauntlet. Overall, the 76ers are still just 2-6-1 ATS in the past nine games, and the under has a 6-3 edge in that nine-game span.
For the Nuggets, only Peyton Watson (hamstring) is a notable absence. As such, Denver has the potential to absolutely boat-race Philadelphia in this battle in the Mile High City. As it stands, the Nuggets have won four in a row in this series, going 2-1 ATS in the past three. It has won three in a row in Denver since the 76ers’ last win at Ball Arena on January 28th, 2023.
The over has cashed in three straight meetings, while going 6-2 across the previous eight outings. Denver has won two of its last three games, including wins over playoff-hopeful teams Houston and San Antonio. The Nuggets are 3-1 ATS in the past four games, with the over going 4-1 in the past five outings.
Let’s lay the big points, and we’ll go with the over, even though Philly has most of its starting five in street clothes. The Nuggets will do most of the heavy lifting to get this one across the finish line for the over.
Picks: Nuggets -15.5 (-110) & Over 234.5 Points (-110)
Joe Williams is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Joe, check out his archive and follow him @winwithjoe