Mike's Picks (2 Live)
Mike's Past Picks
The Bucks are 8-4 at home with six of those wins coming by at least seven points. They are the healthiest that they have been in a while with Khris Middleton expected to play his third straight game. The Magic won’t have health on their side with Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner out. The Magic haven’t been nearly as good on the road as they have at home this season, so this is setting up to be a great spot for the Bucks to cover the spread.
RJ Barrett is averaging 5.8 three-point attempts per game this season, which is up from 4.3 attempts per game last season. He is shooting 34.4% from deep, so his added attempts have helped him make at least two three-pointers in seven of his last 10 games. The Knicks rank 20th in three-point shooting percentage allowed, so the over is the way to go here with Barrett.
Malik Monk has logged at least 32 minutes in each of the last five games. That helped him score at least 17 points in each of those games. The Spurs just allowed 139 points to the Bulls on Thursday and could have tired legs during the second game of a back-to-back set. This is a great spot for Monk to score in bunches.
This is becoming one of my favorite player props to bet. Nikola Vucevic is shooting 46.8% from behind the arc this season. That has contributed to him making at least two three-pointers in eight of his last nine games. This should be a high-scoring game between two teams that rank inside the top-eight in the league in pace of play. I’m taking the over again.
The Celtics are 9-1 over their last 10 games. Six of those victories came by at least nine points. The Bucks have played better lately, but they have been beating up on bad teams like the Pistons, Wizards and Hornets. Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford are all listed as questionable for this first game of a back-to-back set for the Celtics, but I think at least one of them will play, leaving the Celtics with a great opportunity for a decisive victory.
With the team struggling, the Kings have turned to Malik Monk to play more. He has logged at least 35 minutes in four straight games and even started the last two. With him playing more, he recorded at least 12 combined rebounds and assists in each game. The Grizzlies have played at the third-fastest pace in the league, making this over even more appealing for Monk.
Nikola Vucevic is locked in from behind the arc. He is shooting 47.6% on his three-point attempts, which has helped him record at least two made three-pointers in seven of his last eight games. With Victor Wembanyama out for the Spurs, two underwhelming options in Zach Collins and Charles Bassey will be left to defend Vucevic. Vucevic could also receive added shot attempts with Coby White out.
The Wizards are a trainwreck right now. Not only have they lost 15 straight games, but all of those losses came by at least nine points. With regards to this line, the Wizards lost nine of those 15 games by at least 14 points. The Mavericks have won nine of their last 10 games and have a mostly clean injury report for this matchup. Meanwhile, the Wizards have already ruled out Kyle Kuzma and Corey Kispert, while Malcolm Brogdon is questionable. Don’t expect the Wizards to be able to keep this close.
Dennis Schroder dished out 10 assists in a lopsided loss to the Bulls on Monday. That marked the fifth time over his last six games that he has recorded at last seven assists. He should have plenty of opportunities to rack up assists Wednesday with the Pacers playing at the sixth-fastest pace in the league. They also have the sixth-worst defensive rating.
Bam Adebayo has recorded at least five assists in six straight games. He even reached 10 assists in two of those games. For the season, he is averaging 4.9 assists per game. The Lakers have the seventh-worst defensive rating in the league, which has contributed to them allowing the fourth-most assists per game. Take the over here for Adebayo.
It has been a rough stretch for the Kings, who are 1-6 over their last seven games. Four of those losses came at home, where they are 4-7 this season. The Rockets are 10-2 over their last 12 games and have a clean injury report heading into this matchup. They have vastly superior depth, so I like their chances of keeping the Kings in their recent funk.
The Raptors are 1-11 on the road this season, but they are 5-4 at home. Meanwhile, the Pacers are 2-9 on the road. A big problem for the Pacers is that Tyrese Haliburton is averaging 11.9 points and shooting 31.7% from the field on the road. With Scottie Barnes, R.J. Barrett and Jakob Poeltl all thriving for the Raptors, this is a great spot for them to cover the spread at home, and possibly even win outright.
After getting off to a slow start, the Bucks have won six straight games. The Pistons have been heading in the opposite direction, losing five of their last seven games. When these two teams faced each other earlier this season, the Bucks won in overtime despite Damian Lillard and Bobby Portis being out. Look for the Bucks to stay hot and earn the road victory.