Welcome to the last day of the betting week, and the end of week 23 of the NBA. We went one-for-three Friday, but the successful bet was the triple hammer slammer. Pascal Siakam won the triple-unit wager, despite having just 10 combined points and rebounds in the first half. He earned over 30.5 points and rebounds, and the two-and-a-half units carried us past the shortcomings of Kevin Durant and Grayson Allen. They would have covered, but were pulled with over 7:30 remaining in the fourth quarter blowout loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Durant’s wager died on the hook, he was that close.

There are 10 games on the last day of March. It is entering crunch time for a few teams, also for season long goals, and personal incentives. One of the best matches of the day is the Oklahoma City Thunder at New York Knicks which begins at 7:00 PM ET. A straight bet comes from that match.

The NBA begins action early and two afternoon games come with plus money bets. The Los Angeles Lakers play against the Brooklyn Nets at 6:00 PM ET and a two-fold same-game parlay comes from this match. The Bet of the Night is a plus odds player prop in another Eastern versus Western Conference showdown, the Denver Nuggets at Cleveland Cavaliers.

 

NBA BET OF THE NIGHT MARCH 31

AARON GORDON OVER 6.5 REBOUNDS (+100 DraftKings Sportsbook)

The Denver Nuggets experienced their first back-to-back losses at Ball Arena this season, and have a chance to end that beginning at 3:30 PM ET. Cleveland and Denver are currently third in their respective conferences, and both are in heated races for playoff positioning. It will be a tough game for both teams tonight, and role players will need to be at their best to have success.

Aaron Gordon has been playing aggressive defense lately, and rebounding is part of it. He has seven or more rebounds in four of his last six games, and could be asked to rebound more against Cleveland. Nikola Jokic is dealing with a wrist injury that head coach Michael Malone said he wasn’t sure he could play with. This could be part of the reason the Nuggets have played poorly, but they have also been without Jamal Murray.

The Cavaliers have Jarrett Allen, who is an amazing rebounding center, and Evan Mobley has returned to the lineup. Those two are formidable rebounders capable of controlling the paint. This is why Aaron Gordon will need to play with more aggressiveness around the rim. Cleveland allows 50.7 rebounds per game to the opposing team, but that number increases to 52.7 in games on the road.

The Nuggets have been displeased with their performance lately, and Jamal Murray has a good chance to play. If that happens the team will have their starting five on the floor, and Gordon will operate as the point-forward less, and play more as a dominant power-forward.

The sportsbooks are over compensating on numbers from Mobley, Allen, and Jokic. In turn it has set Gordon’s average rebounding line at positive odds. Place a unit to win a unit.

SAME GAME PARLAY: LOS ANGELES LAKERS AT BROOKLYN NETS

LOS ANGELES LAKERS (ML) & ANTHONY DAVIS > 13.5 REBOUNDS (+140 Fanatics Sportsbook)

The Los Angeles Lakers are coming off a loss and playing the Brooklyn Nets who are on a three-game win streak. The Nets are desperately clinging to a play-in bid currently five games out of the 10th in the East. The Lakers are in ninth in the Western Conference, and 1.5 games behind the Sacramento Kings for eighth. They are two games behind the Phoenix Suns for seventh. 

Anthony Davis is listed as questionable for what feels like the 70th game this season, but this is with a hyperextended knee in addition to his achilles soreness. Not to fret as he played with this same questionable designation in his last two games and has been a force down low. He earned 15 and 23 rebounds in those games.

Davis is playing like an all-time great right now, much like he did for the Lakers late run last season. He has recorded 14+ rebounds in his last five games played, and will be the best rebounder on the floor tonight. No disrespect to Nic Claxton but Davis should be able to bully and box out him with ease. He has played 34+ minutes in seven of his ten games this month, and in four of those games he played over 40 minutes. The volume and opportunity will be there

The Lakers have no games to spare with only a 2.5-game lead over the 11th place Houston Rockets, who are the hottest team in the NBA. The Nets have the longest winning streak in the Eastern Conference with three, but will run into a much superior team in the Lakers. They will be playing against Anthony Davis in what could be one of the greatest stretches of his professional career. Do not tease his rebounds, and take the moneyline as opposed to the spread on the road. This is great odds for essentially his rebounding prop to be successful. 

STRAIGHT BET: OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER AT NEW YORK KNICKS

NEW YORK KNICKS -1.5 (-110 DraftKings Sportsbook)

The New York Knicks are currently fourth in the Eastern Conference, but with a win and Cleveland loss. they could be back in third. Tonight they host the Oklahoma City Thunder who are tied for first in the Western Conference. It is projected to be a close one, but it really shouldn’t be. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is listed as doubtful for this game and he has zero player props available.

This tilts the advantage to the Knicks, as replacing a 30-point per game scorer is not easy. Meanwhile the Knicks play tough defense allowing only 107.8 points per game to opposing teams. They also allow the second-fewest rebounds to opposing teams, and have won 24 of their 37 games at Madison Square Garden this season.  It is very tempting to combine the under 116.5 points for a same game parlay as this could be an under 200-point game.

The Knicks have a healthy Isaiah Hartenstein that should control the paint, and Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo are playing in just as great a rhythm now as when they were teammates in Villanova where they won national championships. 

The Thunder are coming off an impressive win against the Phoenix Suns, a game they won before the fourth quarter began. The Knicks aren’t going to allow the Thunder to score 128 points without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander though. Trust in the Knicks to win a close game at home.

 

Thanks for reading my NBA best bets today! Remember to check out Fantasy Alarm for all your fantasy and betting needs.

Bet Smart, Be Lucky - Iggy

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