NBA Tuesday best bets: Grizzlies criminally underrated vs. Jazz
We split our four NBA picks against the spread over the weekend, but we're still riding a 17-3 ATS record over our last 20 games. Here are our best bets for Tuesday's slate as we head into the final week of the regular season:
Rockets @ Nets (-17.5, 245), 7:30 p.m. ET
Only one team has been favored by this many points the entire 2021-22 season, which speaks to just how much confidence oddsmakers have in this mismatch on paper. Practically, though, can the Nets actually cover such a big number?
You'd have to go all the way back to March 15 to find the last time Brooklyn won a game by at least 18 points, something it's done just eight times this season. In fact, the Nets are 3-6 ATS this year when favored by double digits, which includes an 0-3 ATS mark when laying 13 or more points.
The Rockets have a winning record (4-3) in that latter spot, and while they've lost their fair share of blowout results, their last four games were defeats decided by a combined 18 points, which followed a pair of outright wins. Talented rookie Jalen Green averaged 29 points on 45.8% shooting from deep in those six games and should help keep this one close.
Pick: Rockets +17.5
Hornets @ Heat (-5.5, 226.5), 7:30 p.m.
Just when it looked like the Heat's season might be falling apart, they rallied to four straight wins behind clutch shooting from Jimmy Butler and surprise showings from the bench.
Seldom-used wing Victor Oladipo fueled their latest win, erupting for 21 points in a season-high 27 minutes in just his seventh appearance of the campaign. That came a day after Dewayne Dedmon (14 points) and Gabe Vincent (13 points) combined to shoot 10-of-15 to key an 18-point win over the Bulls.
This team is firing on all cylinders to build its lead atop the Eastern Conference, while the Hornets are still reeling from Saturday's 30-point loss to the 76ers that knocked them down to the East's No. 9 seed. All signs point to another strong showing from Miami on Tuesday.
Pick: Heat -5.5
Grizzlies @ Jazz (-5.5, 226), 9 p.m.
This is one of the more baffling lines of the season, and I'm still scratching my head about it even with tipoff hours away.
The Grizzlies have been the better team all year. Memphis owns the NBA's second-best record (55-23) and third-best net rating (plus-5.9), and it's been even more efficient without superstar Ja Morant (knee). He's been absent from the Grizzlies' current 6-1 ATS run, which they capped off with an 8-point win over the league-leading Suns on Friday despite missing four other regular starters.
Memphis' injury report includes just two key rotation players - Morant and Dillon Brooks (hip) - so there's no excuse for this group to be such sizable underdogs against a Jazz team that lost six of its last seven games (1-6 ATS). Utah is also allergic to winning big, having blown two leads of at least 16 points in the last week and 15 double-digit leads this season.
Pick: Grizzlies +5.5
C Jackson Cowart is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on Twitter (@CJacksonCowart) or email him at [email protected].