NBA Tuesday betting preview: Buy Hawks in 1st game after firing coach
We enjoyed another perfect 3-0 record against the spread with our NBA picks Monday. Can we make it two straight sweeps on a six-game Tuesday schedule?
Grizzlies (-1, 236.5) @ Wizards
When will the Wizards get some respect for their recent play? Washington has covered eight of its last nine games and won seven outright despite being favored just twice during that stretch. That includes a one-point loss to the Celtics on Sunday as 5.5-point 'dogs.
Bradley Beal dropped 46 points in that game and is averaging 34.2 points during the team's nine-game run. The Grizzlies' defense has played like a top-10 unit this year, but Memphis simply doesn't have a stopper to keep Beal from doing what he's done to so many teams during this hot stretch.
Pick: Wizards +1
Hawks @ Heat (-3.5, 222)
I loved the Heat entering the season, and they're finally turning things around amid a six-game winning streak (6-0 ATS) after Sunday's 10-point win over the Hawks. So they're an easy play here as short favorites, right?
Not so fast. On Monday, Atlanta fired head coach Lloyd Pierce, who had a strained relationship with star Trae Young and other players, according to a report from The Athletic. After Sunday's late collapse against Miami, I'd expect strong performances from Young and his supporting cast in their first game under Nate McMillan, who has built a reputation as a player-friendly coach.
Injuries are a factor, too. Atlanta forward Bogdan Bogdanovic is expected to play for the first time since Jan. 11, while Heat star Jimmy Butler could miss a second straight game with a knee injury. Miami is 3-6-1 ATS in its last 10 games without him.
Pick: Hawks +3.5
Suns @ Lakers (-1.5, 212.5)
This line might have made sense a month ago, when the Lakers were at full strength and the Suns were flirting with a .500 record. But it's hard to understand now.
Since Anthony Davis began missing games with lower leg injuries on Feb. 8, Los Angeles has gone 2-6-1 ATS and ranks No. 18 in net rating (+0.5). Conversely, Phoenix leads the NBA in net rating (+12.8) over that span with the second-most efficient offense and a top-10 defense.
Devin Booker and Chris Paul have been crucial to this recent run, but the biggest surprise has been Deandre Ayton, who is averaging 13.8 points and 11 rebounds on 62.1% shooting during Phoenix's 13-4 ATS run. With Davis still sidelined, Ayton could help spark an outright upset in this one.
Pick: Suns +1.5
(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.