NBA Odds, Picks & Predictions: Tuesday (4/14)
The National Basketball Association (NBA) has a pair of NBA Play-In Tournament games on Tuesday night. At 7:30 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime Video, the Miami Heat travel to meet the Charlotte Hornets in a clash between the No. 9 and No. 10 seeds in the Eastern Conference. At 10:00 p.m. ET, the Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns battle at Mortgage Matchup Center, also on Amazon Prime Video. Let’s build our bankroll with our best NBA picks & predictions for Tuesday, April 14th.
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Tuesday’s Best NBA Picks & Predictions
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All bets are for 1 unit
Miami Heat (+180) at Charlotte Hornets (-215) | O/U 228.5 (-108/-112)
The Heat (43-39) and Hornets (44-38) meet in what could be a very entertaining game in the Eastern Conference at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C.
Miami won three of the four regular-season meetings, with the Hornets winning the most recent matchup on March 17th in Charlotte. The Hornets won 136-106 as a 5.5-point favorite, as the over (237.5) cashed. That halted a four-game cover streak by the Heat in the series. The over is 4-1 in the past five in the series, too.
In the previous five meetings since March 23rd, 2025, the winning team has amassed at least 122 points. The losing team has managed at least 105 points, too.
Miami won its final two regular-season games, including a 143-117 rout on Sunday as a 10.5-point favorite, and it won and covered both games. The over has hit in three in a row and five of the past six games, while going 12-3 in the previous 15 outings, too.
Charlotte closed out the regular season with a 110-96 win at Madison Square Garden, but it just missed covering as a 14.5-point favorite, as the under (216.5) cashed. That halted a two-game losing streak. The Hornets are 0-3 against the spread (ATS) in the past three games, following up a four-game win and cover streak from March 31-April 5. The under is 9-3 in the past 12 contests, too.
Miami appeared in the NBA Play-In Tournament in 2023, going 1-1 and securing the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference that season. The same thing happened in 2024. Last season, the Heat won both play-in games, originally as the No. 10 seed, improving to the No. 8 seed before being swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round.
Charlotte doesn’t have an extensive history in the NBA Play-In Tournament. It last appeared in 2022, falling 132-103 to the Atlanta Hawks. And, in 2021, the Hornets were crushed 144-117 by the Indiana Pacers.
While the Hornets have been awful in the NBA Play-In Tournament, this is easily their best team in years. Charlotte might get the win, but take Miami catching nearly three buckets in what could be a very entertaining game. And, we’ll go low on the total.
Picks: Heat +5.5 (-110) & Under 228.5 Points (-112)
Portland Trail Blazers (+132) at Phoenix Suns (-156) | O/U 216.5 (-110/-110)
The Trail Blazers (42-40) and Suns (45-37) meet at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix in the late game. Phoenix won two out of three meetings in the regular season, with the road team going 3-0 straight up (SU)/ATS in each of the meetings. The over has cashed in two out of three matchups this season, too. The over is 4-1 in the past five in the series.
Portland won 92-77 on February 22nd in Phoenix in the most recent battle, cashing as a 4-point favorite, as the under (224.5) hit. The Blazers have won three of the past five in the series, while going 6-2 ATS in the past eight in the series.
Portland is making its first appearance in the NBA Play-In Tournament since 2020 against the Memphis Grizzlies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Trail Blazers advanced to the playoffs as the No. 8 seed that season. That was their first and only appearance in the NBA Play-In Tournament. Phoenix is playing in its first-ever play-in game.
The Trail Blazers were impressive down the stretch, going 5-2 SU in the final seven games, while also going 5-2 ATS. The under is 6-2 in the past eight outings.
The Suns beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in their regular-season finale, with the No. 1 seed Thunder resting most starters with nothing to gain. They covered as 7.5-point underdogs, halting a 0-6 ATS skid. Phoenix tumbled into the NBA Play-In Tournament by going 6-10 SU in the final 16 regular-season games. The over is 7-3 in the past 10 outings.
Let’s take Portland catching a little bit of points, while going over on the total.
Picks: Trail Blazers +3.5 (-108) & Over 216.5 Points (-110)
Joe Williams is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Joe, check out his archive and follow him @winwithjoe