It’s Saturday, and what an amazing set of games yesterday, with several teams playing in their first ever in-season tournament game. There were several good games last night and today there are four great games. The disappointing Milwuakee Bucks travel to the Orlando Magic, The Toronto Raptors continue their roadtour against the Boston Celtics, The Miami Heat play the high scoring Atlanta Hawks, and wrapping it up is the Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors. The Fantasy Alarm NBA best bets feature three straight bets. A high spread against a team playing back-to-back games and their third in four days. A teased spread divisional match-up, and a moneyline bet coming in at decent odds in a rematch from earlier this week. It will be a fun night to watch Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Trae Young, Clint Capela, Scottie Barnes, and other NBA stars. 

 

BET OF THE NIGHT: Toronto Raptors (+8.5) -120 MGM

The Toronto Raptors are on their last game of a four-game road trip. They have enjoyed three days since their last game, and coming off a game in which they destroyed the Dallas Mavericks. Although the Boston Celtics are a phenomenal team, the Raptors are being disrespected on the spread line. Boston played last night and Al Harford was the only starter given rest. Although they beat the Nets easily, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Jrue Holiday all played significant minutes. The Celtics are also playing their third game in four days on top of back-to-backs. The Toronto Raptors have a two-game winning streak, and have only lost one game by more than 8.5 points. They have a true rising star in Scottie Barnes who is averaging a double-double and has put up a triple-double. He is a mismatch for almost every player who guards him, and along with Dennis Schroder, Pascal Siakham, Jakob Poeltl, and O.G. Anunoby are a formidable starting lineup. The Raptors could win this game despite the spread at high numbers, but the Celtics are a formidable opponent and betting on the Raptors to win seems like too much of a gamble. Trust the spread.

TEASED SPREAD: Atlanta Hawks (-3.5) -120 MGM

This is a teased spread bet, moved down one point from the original line. The Atlanta Hawks are 5-3 and surprising several people with their high powered offense. They are currently third in the league with 974 points on the season, averaging 121.8 points per game. Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, Jalen Johnson, and Clint Capela are playing in their best rhythm since being teammates. This is a divisional game and State Farm Arena can be a rocking venue! The Miami Heat will be without Tyler Herro who will miss time due to a sprained ankle. This is a blow to the Heat as T. Herro was scoring well and averaging over 36 minutes per game. Those are two difficult statistics to replace against a divisional opponent. However Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo are future Hall of Fame members and can not be overlooked. For this reason the spread was teased down one point. Even if it is close, the Atlanta Hawks are third in free throw attempts and second in free throws made. A 2 point game with five seconds remaining, with a foul after a missed shot from shot from Miami, would likley mean two free throw attempts for the Hawks. Two free throws made covers this spread… it will not at -4.5. Tease the bet and still have great odds.

Moneyline: Golden State Warriors -175 MGM

This line was at -165 last night when the wager was placed. Even with the line moved to -175 it is still a good bet. The Cleveland Cavaliers smashed the Golden State Warriors earlier this week, but Golden State was in the middle of a brutal four game road streak. Seven of their last eight games have been on the road and now they are back home. Last year, the Warriors were 33-8 at home and 11-30 on the road, a wide split in results. They should be rested, and ready to score on their homecourt. Most importantly they have a full, healthy lineup. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins, and Kevon Looney are an all champion starting lineup. Cleveland has its own superstars of Mitchell, Mobley, and Allen but on the road versus a healthy Golden State is a tough task for any trio. Trust the moneyline.

Remember to check out Fantasy Alarm for all your NBA fantasy needs. Basketball stats, rankings, DFS picks, tools to help your lineups, and of course the NBA DFS show with Jon and James.

Thank you for reading.

Bet Smart, Be Lucky - Iggy

 

*All Bets to be placed at 1 unit unless specified otherwise