NBA Monday best bets: Fade tanking Trail Blazers without top scorers

Just like that, we're on a bona fide heater after cashing all four of our NBA picks against the spread this past weekend. Can we make it seven straight with a Monday sweep? Here are our top plays:

Magic @ Cavaliers (-9, 217), 7 p.m. ET

The Cavaliers haven't won a matchup by 10 or more points since Feb. 9, and they've actually lost six contests by that margin over that 19-game stretch. So why should we expect them to do it here?

Cleveland hasn't been the same since losing All-Star center Jarrett Allen (finger) in early March, losing six of 10 games (3-6-1 ATS) without him. You can see the difference reflected in the team's advanced stats. Before the injury, Cleveland ranked fourth in defensive rating (106.5), 10th in rebound rate (50.9%), and ninth in effective field-goal percentage (53.9%). Without him? Those marks drop to 117.7 (23rd), 49.9% (15th), and 53% (19th).

The Magic have taken advantage of vulnerable favorites for weeks, boasting a 5-1 ATS record in their last six games as underdogs. Grab the points against a club that scarcely deserves to be laying this many.

Pick: Magic +9

Warriors @ Grizzlies (-10, 221.5), 8 p.m.

This is a clash between teams without their top stars, as Stephen Curry (foot) and Ja Morant (knee) will watch from the sidelines. That trade-off significantly benefits the Grizzlies, who are far better equipped to handle the loss of their leader.

Memphis is an astounding 17-2 without Morant this season, which includes consecutive wins by at least 25 points against the Pacers and Bucks, respectively. These aren't fluky wins, either. The Grizzlies are outscoring opponents by 18.6 points per 100 possessions, which would rank first across an entire season.

The same can't be said for the Warriors, who are 3-8 this campaign without Curry and have been outscored by 5.2 points per 100 possessions. The team will likely be without Draymond Green (rest) and Klay Thompson (rest), too, which means we'll see an especially uninspiring group take the floor Monday.

Pick: Grizzlies -10

Thunder (-1.5, 222) @ Trail Blazers, 10 p.m.

The Trail Blazers have entered full tank mode over the final stretch of the campaign after news broke Monday that they shut down Anfernee Simons (quadriceps), Jusuf Nurkic (foot), and Eric Bledsoe (Achilles) for the season. Those three join Damian Lillard (abdomen), Nassir Little (shoulder), and Joe Ingles (knee) as the six Portland players out for the year, while Josh Hart (knee) will also miss the next week.

The results have been downright embarrassing for the Trail Blazers with their key players on the mend. Since the All-Star break, Portland ranks dead last in net rating (minus-21.6) with the NBA's worst offense rating (102.4) and defensive rating (124.0). The team has dropped 11 of 15 ATS, and eight of those games were decided by 30-plus points. Yikes.

The Thunder have been lousy in their own right and started to shut down key players, too. However, they've still covered 10 of 16 contests since the All-Star break, including six straight wins ATS entering Monday. With such a short spread in its favor, expect OKC to take care of business against the league's most pitiful active roster.

Pick: Thunder -1.5