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NBA Wednesday betting preview: Buy Clippers on no rest

Adam Pantozzi / National Basketball Association / Getty

We struck out on a pair of NBA picks against the spread Tuesday. Can we bounce back with a more robust Wednesday slate?

Warriors (-2, 238.5) @ Wizards

Get your popcorn ready for this matchup, which features two red-hot teams and two of the top scorers in the league.

Bradley Beal was the NBA's leading scorer until Stephen Curry dropped 49 points Monday to lead the Warriors to their fifth ATS win in their last six games. The Wizards are riding their own 7-1-1 ATS run since April 5, which marked Beal's return from a five-game hiatus.

Golden State has actually been the NBA's best team in net rating (plus-10.0) over that span, while Washington has enjoyed resurgent defense but pedestrian offense beyond Beal. If he can't match wits with Curry - and who can? - it could be tough for the Wizards to keep pace in this one.

Pick: Warriors -2

Grizzlies @ Clippers (-1.5, 227)

It seems like it should be easy to fade the Clippers on the second half of a back-to-back, right? Not so fast. Los Angeles is 9-2 ATS on no days' rest this season - the best mark in the league - despite giving an average of 6.3 points per game in that spot.

The line here is much tighter due to the absence of Kawhi Leonard, who missed Tuesday's game with right foot soreness and won't return until at least next week. The Clippers have been a mixed bag in games without him, but they have covered four of their last six in that spot against teams below .500.

L.A. also rarely disappoints twice in a row. The Clippers escaped with a one-point win against the Trail Blazers (+4.5) on Tuesday, but they're 9-3-1 ATS in their last 13 games following an ATS loss, including 5-1-1 ATS since March 11.

Pick: Clippers -1.5

Nuggets (-1.5, 228.5) @ Trail Blazers

The Nuggets have been a pleasant surprise since losing star guard Jamal Murray on April 12, covering their first two games with ease before Monday's double-overtime win over the Grizzlies. But that win could prove costly in this one.

Matchups with Memphis have historically taken their toll on opponents, and that's been the case this year, too. Teams are 20-34-1 ATS (37%) in their next game after playing the Grizzlies - easily the worst mark in the NBA - with four of Memphis' last five foes losing the following game by a combined 29 points.

Overtime doesn't help matters, either. Favorites coming off a double-overtime game are 4-14 ATS in their next contest since March 2019. Expect the Nuggets to look a bit sluggish after such a taxing affair.

Pick: Trail Blazers +1.5

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.

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