Welcome to Bet For The Win’s 1 Bet Per Game series, where we make one bet for each of the slate’s games. Throughout the 2022-23 season, we’ll look at some of the night’s biggest games and predict how the teams and players might perform.
It’s simple — we find the matchup’s best prop and if we like it, we take the over. Otherwise, we take the under.
Wednesday’s NBA lineup features eight games that all offer enticing bets worth grabbing. Whether it’s as simple as a moneyline bet or predicting which star player can hit the over on his points total, let’s pinpoint the perfect bet to make for each game.
Here are the bets that might add to your bank account.
All odds via BetMGM
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Portland Trail Blazers at Memphis Grizzlies
Both the Grizzlies and Trail Blazers have fallen on some rough times recently after a super hot start to the season (although the Grizzlies’ start was so hot that they’re still in second place out West despite a recent five-game losing streak).
Nevertheless, Portland’s slide hasn’t stopped Damian Lillard from playing his best basketball in years. He just finished January by averaging 34.5 points per game on nearly 50 percent from the field with just under 4.0 3-pointers per contest. That magical January stretch included three 40-point games, one 50-piece and a ridiculous 60-point showing. So, what reason is there to doubt that he’ll get to more than 32.5 points against Memphis on Wednesday?
Orlando Magic at Philadelphia 76ers
The Sixers had a huge come-from-behind win over the Denver Nuggets last Saturday but followed it up with a letdown loss at home to the Orlando Magic a couple of days later. To be fair, the Magic have repeatedly beaten up on some of the East’s top teams this season (namely the Boston Celtics) so their win over Philly on Monday shouldn’t be considered surprising.
But it’d be surprising if it happened again, considering the Sixers just got this wake-up call. I’d expect Joel Embiid to put his foot down and deliver an MVP-like stat line as he gets Philly back in the win column. Take the over on his points.
Brooklyn Nets at Boston Celtics
Nic Claxton began January by recording at least three blocks in 10 straight games, including a four-block performance against the Celtics during that stretch. Those are truly wild stats that shouldn’t be overlooked, and with not many other options at center for the Nets, you can count on Claxton staying on the floor and turning out some similar defensive numbers.
Oklahoma City Thunder at Houston Rockets
Let’s get straight to the point. The Oklahoma City Thunder are the NBA’s best at covering the spread, and the Houston Rockets are the second-worst. Put the two together and then add in the fact that OKC is a far superior team, and you’ll understand why betting on them to cover the spread (-5.5) is the move to make.
Golden State Warriors at Minnesota Timberwolves
I really had the urge to bet on Minnesota (moneyline) given how documented the Warriors’ road struggles are. But the dubs have won two-straight away games and despite the T-Wolves finally looking like the team we’d all expected them to be, something in me doesn’t trust that they keep it up.
Specifically in this matchup, I don’t like Rudy Gobert trying to deal with how the Warriors operate on offense. He’s already averaging some of the fewest blocks per game he has during his career and he won’t have enough opportunities even to register two of them on Wednesday. Under 1.5 blocks seems about right.
Sacramento Kings at San Antonio Spurs
Behind De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis and the leadership of new head coach Mike Brown, the Sacramento Kings have the second-best offense in the NBA this season. Meanwhile, the rebuilding Spurs, who Gregg Popovich previously told us not to bet on, have the worst defense in the league.
See where I’m going with this? The Kings are also the highest-scoring team in the league and will score A LOT of points in this game and bettors should wager on them scoring more than 126.5 points.
Toronto Raptors at Utah Jazz
One of my favorite bets to make when wagering on Toronto Raptors games is on Gary Trent Jr.s 3-point props. He’s a high-volume shooter who is never afraid to hoist them up, and he usually converts a good amount of his 3-point attempts. Over 2.5 makes should be easy for a guy who took 10 or more in nearly half of the team’s January games.
Atlanta Hawks at Phoenix Suns
Finally, all seems well in Phoenix. Chris Paul is back and playing as well as he had been before his 37th birthday, Cam Johnson has returned to the lineup and the Suns are suddenly clicking. They’ve won six out of their last seven games and shouldn’t have much of an issue with an Atlanta Hawks team that’s struggled recently. I’m taking Phoenix to cover.
