NBA Wednesday betting preview: Bet high on Pelicans vs. Blazers
The Nets' miracle comeback on Tuesday encapsulated a tough night for our NBA picks, which went 0-3 to spoil a 9-2 run against the spread. Still, there's plenty of value in Wednesday's card to get back on track.
Rockets @ 76ers (-11, 227.5)
This line is one of the highest we've seen all season, but it also falls into a handful of spots that I can't help but bet into.
The Rockets have been dreadful without center Christian Wood, sporting an 0-6 ATS record with a -16.7 point differential since his injury on Feb. 4. The team owns the NBA's second-worst net rating (-22.2) in that span thanks mostly to an inept offense, averaging just 102.2 points in that stretch.
The 76ers have been elite defensively with Joel Embiid - who should play on Wednesday barring a late setback - and he ought to feast down low against Houston's undersized and short-handed frontcourt. Double-digit favorites have been a scorching 24-12-2 ATS this year; this line is massive for a reason.
Pick: 76ers -11
Trail Blazers @ Pelicans (-3.5, 236)
Will the Pelicans ever hit an under again? New Orleans has gone 18-3-1 to the over in its last 22 games, punctuated by Tuesday's 144-113 win over the Grizzlies that flew 25.5 points over the pregame total (231.5).
Wednesday's matchup particularly screams over. The Trail Blazers and Pelicans both rank in the top seven in offensive rating and the bottom three in defensive rating. Portland also scores 42.3% of its points from beyond the arc - second only to the Jazz (43.4%) - while New Orleans ranks dead last in 3-point attempts allowed (41.0) and second-to-last in wide-open attempts from deep (23.3).
Don't let the high total scare you away. Matchups with a total of at least 231 have gone 47-20 (70.1%) to the over this year and have been a profitable over play in each of the last five seasons, while those that are at least 236 are an astonishing 14-3 to the over this season. This total almost can't be high enough.
Pick: Over 236
Jazz (-4, 227) @ Clippers
When this line was sitting at Jazz -2 overnight, I almost couldn't believe it. This adjustment is more reasonable, but it's still hard to justify pricing the Clippers as such short underdogs without one - or even two - of their star players against one of the best teams in the league.
Los Angeles beat the Heat (+3.5) on Monday without four starters, including Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, in its fifth straight game against a club with a losing record. Now this group faces the Jazz, who are riding a ridiculous 18-2 ATS run and have outscored teams by 13.8 points over those 20 games.
George and starting wing Nicolas Batum won't suit up for the Clippers in this one, while Leonard could potentially end his two-game absence on Wednesday. Since signing the star duo in 2019, L.A. has a losing ATS record without one of its stars and has gone 4-4 ATS with a negative point differential when they both sit out.
Pick: Jazz -4
(Odds source: theScore Bet)
C Jackson Cowart is a betting writer for theScore. He's an award-winning journalist with stops at The Charlotte Observer, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Times Herald-Record, and BetChicago. He's also a proud graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, and his love of sweet tea is rivaled only by that of a juicy prop bet. Find him on Twitter @CJacksonCowart.