NBA Wednesday best bets: Can the Clippers finally beat the Nuggets?
It's been a rough stretch for our NBA best bets, dipping our yearly record just below .500. We'll continue grinding away and providing our favorite plays of the day to get back to our winning ways.
Wednesday features a loaded slate, with 22 teams playing, all of whom failed to make it to the elimination stage of the In-Season Tournament. Here are the day's best bets.
76ers @ Wizards (+10.5, O/U 239.5)
This line opened at 6.5 and immediately caught my eye. It climbed all the way to 10.5 but is still worth the bet. The 76ers are coming off back-to-back losses without Joel Embiid, who was out with an illness. Tyrese Maxey also missed one of those games.
Philadelphia has had four days off since its last game, and Embiid and Maxey should be healthy and ready to go against one of the NBA's worst teams. The talent gap between the Sixers and the Wizards is astronomical. Philadelphia beat Washington by 18 the first time they played, and that was considered a close game. The Sixers should get back to playing winning basketball by dominating for 48 minutes.
Pick: Sixers -10.5
Nuggets @ Clippers (-1, O/U 225.5)
The Nuggets are a completely different team at home compared to on the road. Denver is a perfect 9-0 at home and 5-7 on the road. They're also 4-8 against the spread away from home.
The altitude advantage in Denver is real, but there's a dramatic difference in the Nuggets' offensive performances at home and on the road. They have the NBA's best offensive rating and net rating at home. In road arenas, however, they have the 19th-best offensive rating.
The Clippers have the league's best under hit rate, with 66% of their games going under the total. When the Nuggets play on the road, 66% of their games go under the total as well.
Los Angeles is finding its groove despite its funky group still working out its kinks. The Clippers have already lost to the Nuggets twice this season. But one of the losses was within the first couple of weeks of James Harden's arrival, and the other was in Denver. Los Angeles will get its revenge at home tonight.
Pick: Under 225.5 and Clippers -1
Hornets @ Bulls (-4.5, O/U 221)
This will be an ugly affair between one team that'll likely launch a rebuild in the coming months and a young team playing without its best player.
The only certainty in this game is there won't be a ton of defense. The Hornets have the NBA's worst defensive rating, and the Bulls have the ninth-worst. Chicago's offense has had its own struggles, and Zach Lavine will likely remain sidelined Wednesday night. However, if there's any game to get back on track, it's against Charlotte at home after three days of rest.
This total is too low for a Hornets group that goes over the total in 66% of their games and a Bulls team that does the same in 57% of their contests.
There have been at least 221 total points scored in the Bulls' last five games and seven of the Hornets' last eight.
Pick: Over 221
Sam Oshtry is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @soshtry for more betting coverage.