Reeling Clippers look to exact revenge against Sixers
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The NBA put together a loaded Wednesday slate before March Madness starts back up Thursday with the Sweet 16.
Wednesday features 12 games to choose from. We broke down our four best bets.
Clippers @ Sixers (+5.5, O/U 219)
On Tuesday, I wrote the Warriors were in desperation mode and needed a victory. Golden State handily defeated the Heat and covered the spread.
Well, this is a desperate spot for the Clippers. Los Angeles has lost two straight, including a Sunday matinee to the Sixers. Philadelphia is an abysmal group on both ends without Joel Embiid. It simply showed more effort and toughness against the Clippers on Sunday. But that makes this the perfect revenge spot for Los Angeles, which is beginning a four-game road trip.
Following L.A.'s most recent loss, Clippers coach Ty Lue seemingly tried to send a message to one of the NBA's worst defensive teams this month by calling his group "soft." Plus, the Clippers are just a half-game ahead of the Pelicans for the 4-seed. Expect Los Angeles to come out with a newfound energy and excitement in response to Lue.
The Clippers have far superior talent than the Sixers. If they're motivated, this could be a blowout.
Pick: Clippers -5.5
Spurs @ Jazz (-3.5, O/U 229)
This doesn't rank very high on an entertainment ranking for Wednesday's slate of games. These are two of the NBA's worst teams that are already looking toward the draft.
However, there's a rationale for taking the Jazz in this spot. The Spurs are riding high after an unexpected win over the Suns on Monday. That could take some juice out of the game for them against a fellow lowly Western Conference opponent. San Antonio has only won back-to-back games four times this season.
The Jazz are in a tailspin. They've lost six straight, but all their losses were to quality opponents. Although they aren't playing for anything of value, Utah should bring the energy at home in a winnable game to end its skid.
Pick: Jazz -3.5
Jalen Green: Under 26.5 points
Jalen Green has been on a tear the last month. He's averaging 27.8 points on 40% shooting from the floor in March. It's the best and most efficient month Green has had in his three-year career.
However, there's a trend with his scoring performances. He's had some monstrous scoring nights, including two 40-plus-point outings. But four of the last five times he's scored at least 27 points, he's followed it up by scoring less than 27 points. Green poured in 27 points in 40 minutes in his last game against Portland on Monday.
It's hard to trust a historically inefficient player to remain consistent every night. Green and the Rockets also have a challenging matchup against the Thunder, who have the league's fifth-best defense.
Odds: -130
Josh Hart: Over 18.5 rebounds and assists
Josh Hart has taken on a monstrous workload over the last few months with an abundance of injured Knicks players missing games. Hart leads the entire league in minutes over the last month, averaging 41.9 per game in March.
Somehow, though, his energy never wavers. He rebounds as well as any guard in the league, makes impressive hustle plays, and defends at a high level. In many ways, he's the Knicks' engine.
Hart is averaging 12.1 rebounds per game this month. His assist numbers go up and down, but Hart is always looking to make the extra pass and excels as a drive-and-kick threat. If the Knicks knock down shots, which they should against the Raptors' abysmal defense, he'll rack up enough assists.
Toronto is the NBA's fifth-worst rebounding unit, so there should be plenty of opportunities to clean up the glass.
Odds: -130
Sam Oshtry is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X @soshtry for more betting coverage.