This week’s Saturday NBA slate is a rough one. We’ve got three games, all of which feature a spread wider than five points. The headliner is the Celtics-Knicks game, but with New York missing Julius Randle and OG Anunoby, Boston is the road favorite. Sit back, relax and enjoy the analysis as we dive into today’s NBA odds and trends in hopes of finding one or two picks. If you’re hungry for more, check out our NBA betting tools or our NBA betting promos! You can also check out my guide to NBA player prop betting.
NBA Odds, Trends & Picks Today: Celtics-Knicks Showdown on ABC
NBA Odds Today: Thursday, February 24 | Odds via BetMGM
This article was originally written at 12 a.m. ET; line movement notes are from 11:30 a.m. ET.
Orlando Magic at Detroit Pistons NBA Odds & Trends
ORL: -275 | DET: +230
ORL -7.5: -115 | DET +7.5: -105
Over 224.5: -105 | Under 224.5: -115
Game Time: 8 p.m. ET
NBA odds as of 12 a.m. ET
The Orlando Magic will visit the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night. The Magic are coming off a big road win over the Cleveland Cavaliers and will stay in the Midwest for this one. Markelle Fultz remains out for the Magic. Isaiah Stewart is out for the Pistons due to his suspension, but Quentin Grimes is probable and could make his Detroit debut after recovering from a knee sprain.
The Magic are the best team against the spread this season, sitting at a comfortable 37-19 ATS. The Pistons are 26-28-1 ATS. Orlando is a steady 19-11 ATS on the road, which improves to 5-1 ATS as a road favorite. Detroit is a dreary 12-14-1 ATS at home, but they improve to 11-10-1 ATS as a home dog.
Line movement notes: The spread has moved in Orlando’s favor. The total has ticked down by a point.
Boston Celtics at New York Knicks NBA Odds & Trends
BOS: -245 | NYK: +195
BOS -6.5: -105 | NYK +6.5: -115
Over 224.5: -110 | Under 224.5: -110
Game Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
NBA odds as of 12 a.m. ET
The Boston Celtics will visit the New York Knicks in a nationally televised game on ABC. The Knicks will remain without OG Anunoby and Julius Randle for another game. The Celtics have everyone available. Both squads last played on Thursday, so they’re coming into this one after a full day of rest. The Celtics are up 3-0 on the Knicks in the season series, but these teams haven’t played since early December.
Despite Boston’s strong record, the Celtics are only 26-27-3 ATS. Meanwhile, the Knicks are a very profitable 30-24-2 ATS. New York is 15-11-1 ATS at home but only 3-3-1 ATS as a home dog. Boston is a shaky 11-13-3 ATS on the road and 10-12-3 ATS as a road dog. It’s also worth noting that New York is 20-11-2 ATS with equal rest and 20-13-2 ATS in conference play.
Line movement notes: The spread remains unchanged but the total has ticked up by two points.
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Brooklyn Nets at Minnesota Timberwolves NBA Odds & Trends
BKN: +275 | MIN: -350
BKN +7.5: -105 | MIN -7.5: -115
Over 215.5: -110 | Under 215.5: -110
Game Time: 9 p.m. ET
NBA odds as of 12 a.m. ET
The Minnesota Timberwolves will follow their tough home game against the Milwaukee Bucks with an easier home game against the Brooklyn Nets. They’re favored by a healthy margin. They have not released an injury report as of publication and won’t be obligated to do so until tomorrow afternoon. The Nets have no injuries of note listed on their report.
Minnesota has been the better team against the spread, sitting at 29-24-2 ATS; Brooklyn is an unprofitable 24-28-3 ATS. Minnesota is 13-9-2 ATS at home but only 10-9-2 ATS as a home favorite. The Wolves are also only 3-3 ATS without rest and are 4-5-1 ATS with a rest disadvantage. However, The Wolves are an NBA-best 11-5 ATS after a loss. Brooklyn is a bad 9-15 ATS on the road but improves to 8-11 ATS as a road dog. The Nets are also a profitable 6-3-2 ATS with a rest advantage.
Line movement notes: The spread for this one remains unchanged but the total has dropped by a point.
NBA Picks: Saturday, February 24
The Pistons are awful. I know this, you know this, the sportsbooks know this. So why are the Magic only a 7.5-point favorite? The Magic have already rolled the Pistons by 32 in Florida and by 12 in Detroit this season.
The post-deadline Pistons will struggle to cover any spread without Bojan Bogdanovic. The veteran forward often provided an offensive spark in dire situations and averaged 20.2 points per game with Detroit this year.
With Bogdanovic off the floor, Detroit’s effective field goal percentage dips by 2.7% and their offensive rating dips by 2.6 points per 100 possessions. No player with 200 minutes played for the Pistons has made more of a positive impact on those metrics.
NBA Pick: ORL -7 -108 at DraftKings
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