NBA Odds, Picks & Predictions: Tuesday (4/7)
The National Basketball Association (NBA) has a total of 10 games on the schedule for Tuesday, including a nationally-televised doubleheader on NBC and Peacock. The Charlotte Hornets and Boston Celtics meet at 8:00 p.m. ET, and the Houston Rockets and Phoenix Suns square off at 11:00 p.m. ET in the second end of the TV doubleheader. Let’s build our bankroll with our best NBA picks & predictions for Tuesday, April 7th.
Go premium to view top prop bets based on Cover Probability, Expected Value & Star Rating >>
Tuesday’s Best NBA Picks & Predictions
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All bets are for 1 unit
Charlotte Hornets (+194) at Boston Celtics (-235) | O/U 219.5 (-112/-108)
The Hornets (43-36) and the Celtics (53-25) meet at TD Garden at 8:00 p.m. ET in the first half of the nationally-televised doubleheader. This is the third meeting of the season for these two teams, all since March 4th.
Charlotte stunned Boston 118-89 at TD Garden as a 6.5-point underdog on March 4th, as the under (214.5) cashed, while the Celtics returned the favor at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, winning 114-99 as a 2.5-point underdog, as the under (217.5) cashed. That’s been the theme in this series lately, as the Celtics are 7-1 straight up (SU) in the past eight meetings. However, the underdog has covered three straight, four of the past five and six of the previous nine installments. The under is 3-0 in the past three meetings, and 4-1-1 in the past six in the series since November 1st, 2024.
The Hornets’ young core has really jelled nicely, and they’re ticking off wins on the regular. Charlotte has won and covered four in a row, and it is 9-2 SU/against the spread (ATS) across the past 11 games since March 17th. The Hornets have scored 122+ points in three in a row, too, cashing the over in each of those games.
Those games weren’t against slouches, either, as Charlotte topped the Phoenix Suns 127-107 in the Queen City last Thursday, and beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 122-108 in the Twin Cities on Monday as a 4.5-point favorite. The defense has been just as good, too, allowing 114 or fewer points in five in a row and 10 of the past 11 outings.
The Celtics have won and covered three straight, going for 133+ points in two of those games. The defense has also been suffocating for Boston lately, at least in terms of today’s NBA. The Celtics are conceding 112 or fewer points in 12 of the past 13 games. The under is 4-2 in the past six outings, 6-3 in the past nine games and 16-7 in the previous 23 outings.
Boston is 7-1 SU in the past eight games at home, although Charlotte did beat them on March 4th. While the Celtics are also 6-1 ATS in the past seven games overall, the Hornets catching more than three buckets is a lot. And, we’ll go low on the total, based on Boston’s play lately, and the series trends.
Picks: Hornets +6.5 (-114) & Under 219.5 Points (-108)
Houston Rockets (-116) at Phoenix Suns (-102) | O/U 218.5 (-110/-110)
The Rockets (49-29) and Suns (43-35) meet at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix at 11:00 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
Houston has won seven consecutive meetings in this series since March 2nd, 2024, while Houston is an impressive 7-2 ATS in the previous nine matchups. The under has cashed in three in a row, and seven of those nine outings, including each of the first three battles this season.
The Rockets have won six straight games, while going 3-2 ATS in the past five outings. The offense has been explosive, by its standards, posting 117+ points in five of those six victories. They’ve scored 116+ points in 10 of the past 11 tries. The over is 5-1 in the past six games, too.
Phoenix topped Chicago 120-110 on Sunday, but it didn’t cash as an 11.5-point favorite. The Suns are skidding, winning just four of the past 12 outings, and they’re on a 0-3 ATS slide. The over is 5-1 in the past six games, and you should really hammer the over by itself. In addition, back the Rockets pretty heavily, laying a little bit of points on the road, too.
These are two teams going in opposite directions, and Houston is still jockeying for seeding in the Western Conference, trying to secure homecourt advantage for at least the first round if it can get to the third or fourth seed.
Currently, the Rockets are a game back of both the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets in the fifth spot, but they could finish as high as the No. 3 seed. For Phoenix, it could climb out of the NBA Play-In Tournament round, but it is three games back of Minnesota with four games left to play. They will likely play the Golden State Warriors in the play-in round.
Picks: Rockets -1 (-108) & Over 218.5 Points (-110)
Joe Williams is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Joe, check out his archive and follow him @winwithjoe