NBA Wednesday best bets: Sixers get back on track
A perfect 4-0 Tuesday night can hopefully give us some momentum heading into Christmas Day. After a small but exciting Tuesday slate, 20 teams are playing Wednesday night.
Let's dive into our best bets.
Timberwolves @ Sixers (-3.5, O/U 226.5)
The Sixers have a historically great net rating this season. Part of that is due to a particularly easy stretch of games over the last couple of weeks. Philadelphia won six straight before it lost its last contest to the Bulls at home.
Minnesota, meanwhile, has the NBA's best record and is a juggernaut defensively. However, Sixers coach Nick Nurse should find ways to jumble the Timberwolves' elite defense by getting Rudy Gobert away from the basket.
When the Timberwolves beat the Sixers earlier this season, Joel Embiid didn't play. With a healthy Sixers squad, it will be a different result in Philadelphia.
Pick: Sixers -3.5
Kings team total: Over 119.5
The Kings have produced a top-10 offense over their last 10 games. After a rough stretch to start the season, it's clear they are contenders with a deep array of offensive weapons.
They play the Celtics on Wednesday, who have one of the NBA's best defenses but are on the second leg of a back-to-back after losing a thrilling overtime game in Golden State on Tuesday night. They will surely be tired after their stars logged a massive workload.
The Kings have scored at least 120 points in their last three games and four of their last six.
Odds: -120 (playable to -130)
Heat @ Magic (-5.5, O/U 221.5)
This is an unusually low total by today's NBA standards, but it's for good reason. The Magic have the league's fourth-best defense and the Heat have an average defense.
At the other end of the court, the Magic have the NBA's 13th-worst offense, while the Heat's offense is around league average. Jimmy Butler is also out tonight, which will certainly put a damper on the latter's scoring.
Miami plays with the sixth-slowest pace, so it should be a low-scoring affair in Orlando.
Pick: Under 221.5
Mikal Bridges: Over 21.5 points
Mikal Bridges and the Nets take on the Knicks in a crosstown rivalry Wednesday night. Basketball's version of the Subway Series has extra meaning as the teams compete for bragging rights in New York.
For Bridges, though, this game could provide extra motivation for other reasons. He's competing against four of his former Villanova teammates.
Bridges is already a go-to option for the Nets, who need him to score efficiently to compete with playoff-caliber teams. He's averaging 22.3 points per game over the last eight contests.
Odds: -115 (playable to -130)
Sam Oshtry is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @soshtry for more betting coverage.