Skip to content

NBA Tuesday betting preview: Bet Zion, Pelicans as favorites over Nets

Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images Sport / Getty

We hit two of our three NBA picks against the spread on Monday, including the Suns' outright win as underdogs. Here are our favorite plays for Tuesday's condensed five-game slate:

Magic @ Hawks (-12.5, 217.5)

How long can the Hawks keep this up? Atlanta is 8-2 ATS since the beginning of April, but the team has only outscored opponents by 5.4 points per game. Meanwhile, the Magic are 3-10 straight up since the trade deadline and have won just one of their last seven contests against the number.

Still, this line feels a shade too high. Orlando has lost by 13 or more points just four times in that 13-game span, while the Hawks have just two wins by 13-plus points during their 10-game run. The Magic aren't fierce competition here, but the club should be able to keep this one within the number.

Pick: Magic +12.5

Nets @ Pelicans (-2.5, 234.5)

It's rare to see the Nets priced as underdogs - it's only happened nine times since the team acquired James Harden and just three times since the All-Star break. Yet Harden played in seven of those nine matchups, which makes Tuesday's game a unique challenge for his side.

Brooklyn has played just four contests without Harden and fellow star Kevin Durant since trading for the former in January, and the club's lost three of them by 44 points combined. The duo's absence will significantly hamper the Nets' offense, while their already porous defense will struggle to contain Zion Williamson, who's averaging 30.8 points on 58% shooting over his last six games for the Pelicans.

Pick: Pelicans -2.5

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.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox