NBA Wednesday betting preview: Back Harden in return to Houston
We're 5-1 against the spread on our NBA picks this week and feeling good heading into Wednesday's 10-game slate.
Here are a few of our favorite plays.
Nets (-7, N/A) @ Rockets
If you aren't fading the Rockets at every turn, you haven't been following along. Since Christian Wood's injury on Feb. 4, Houston is 1-11 ATS and has been outscored by 17.7 points in 12 straight-up losses - nine of which came by double digits.
The Nets, meanwhile, have covered during eight straight games with James Harden and Kyrie Irving active, as they're expected to be on Wednesday. Keep an eye out for Harden, in particular, during his first time facing the Rockets since the trade. Harden has averaged 28.2 points throughout his career against the Thunder - his third-most against any club - and could produce a similar output against his other former team.
Pick: Nets -7
Hawks (-4, 225) @ Magic
The Hawks ended the NBA's longest active win streak Tuesday by beating the Heat 94-80, holding Miami to a season-low in points and grabbing 21 more rebounds - with Clint Capela accounting for 17. How's that for a start to the Nate McMillan era?
Capela has now recorded 14-plus rebounds four times over his last five games, and he's blocked at least three shots in three of those matchups. He'll need to maintain that level of play against All-Star center Nikola Vucevic, who's averaging 29.7 points and 12 rebounds during his last six games.
Containing him is key to beating the Magic, who are 8-6 ATS when Vucevic scores 28-plus points, and 8-13 ATS when he falls short of that mark. The team is also 9-5 ATS when winning the rebounding battle and 6-11 ATS when it loses, which doesn't bode well against one of the league's best rebounding clubs.
Pick: Hawks -4
Bulls @ Pelicans (-5.5, 236.5)
When will oddsmakers jack up the totals on Pelicans games to the moon and live with the result?
New Orleans is now riding a ridiculous 20-1-2 run to the over after Monday's shootout win over the Jazz, boasting the NBA's best offensive rating (120.1) and worst defensive rating (119.6) in that span.
It hasn't mattered how high the totals are, either. The Pelicans are 9-1-1 to the over in games with a total above 230, and they're 3-0 to the over when the total is above 235. That's in line with a greater league-wide trend, as games with a total above 235 are 25-7 to the over this season, including 2-1 when the Bulls are involved.
Pick: Over 236.5
(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.