This is it, the last In-Season Tournament games of the inaugural year. Most hardcore NBA fans will tell you it has been successful, and a few teams that have secured a position or are on the verge of clinching a tournament position, have not won a Larry O’Brien trophy. Eight games are taking place, several with tight lines and there are a few interesting scenarios for teams playing against each other. 

For example, The Golden State Warriors are playing the Sacramento Kings, and if the Kings win they are in no two ways about it. If the Warriors win and the Minnesota Timberwolves lose, they are in. If the Warriors and Timberwolves win, then it would go down to the point differential compared to all three. For that reason, we are avoiding the Warriors vs the Kings. Instead, there is a similar situation in group East B with the Milwaukee Bucks at Miami Heat, which will be Fantasy Alarm’s NBA Bet of the Night, there is another in-state rivalry that is more or less a collegiate-style playoff game. 

There is also a plus odds proposition bet for Houston Rockets center, Alperen Sengun, and he has been successful in four of his last five games. The truth is tonight’s games will be fun to watch purely for a love of the game, but there are some favorable odds across several matchups.

 

Bet of the Night

Milwaukee Bucks Money Line (-155 at BetMGM)

The Milwaukee Bucks have been scrutinized by the media but they are currently 3-0 in the In-Season Tournament, and with a win tonight will secure a position. They are traveling down to South Beach and playing against the team that knocked them out of the playoffs, the Miami Heat. The Heat have several questionable players including Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, but B. Adebayo is speculated to play. 

The Bucks will be without Jae Crowder, and Khris Middleton is questionable but Giannis Antentokopo and Damian Lillard are both good to go. Those two superstars alone are capable of carrying Miluawkee to an In-Season Tournament championship. They are currently tied with the Indiana Pacers in points differential with +39, and with a win would have a greater number. Although the Bucks have won a championship recently, they were humiliated in the playoffs last year losing to an eighth seed. 

However, there is a new head coach and superstar who were not part of the loss or the championship team. The Bucks are the favorites to win the In-Season Tournament, and a win tonight secures them the first seed in the Eastern grouping.

Straight Bet of the Night 

Houston Rockets Money Line (+155 at BetMGM)

The Houston Rockets are in a win-and-in scenario, but also the inverse is true, If they lose they no longer win the group and would have less of a point differential than the Phoenix Suns for the wild card. So, their match-up with the Dallas Mavericks has a little extra incentive on it tonight. The Dallas Mavericks have won two more games than the Rockets, but Houston is well-rested. It has been four days since their previous game and the Lone Star State, Interstate 45 rivalry is a close geographical match, there is no time zone differential, and the teams have opposing strengths. 

Houston has a better frontcourt than Dallas, and if they can contain Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving they have an outstanding chance of winning this game. Houston has won several games as the underdog this year, and done so against top-ranked teams. This is a good opportunity for plus money cash, as the bookies have not accounted for how well the Houston Rockets are currently playing. As always if you have an opportunity to cash out for plus money and want to, do it. That is the advantage of the money line.

Prop Bet of the Night

Alperen Sengun OVER 0.5 Threes Made (+110 at BetMGM)

This is the backup security bet to the Houston Rockets moneyline wager. If you are someone who likes to live dangerously you could combine these two bets for a same game parlay, or even tease the spread for a secure plus bet. The rationale for the Houston Rockets tilt today is if one of these bets hits, the game has been profitable, but if they both hit, they create a profitable betting day regardless of the Bucks vs Heat match. However, this is a great plus odds prop bet. Alperen Sengun has covered this bet in four of his last five matches, and the one game he did not was in Denver, where the air is thinner. He did have four attempts in that match though… All this bet needs to be successful, is one made attempt. 

One time for the ball to go in the basket from behind a line, not a stat that has to keep occurring throughout the game. He has covered this bet successfully six times this month, spends a great deal of time from the top of the arch, and he has fresh legs. Also in his favor, the Mavericks best center is a rookie, Derek Lively. Yet neither he, Dwight Powell, nor Max Kleber are being discussed for their defensive ability around the three point line. A fun one-hitter quitter with plus odds, trust Sengun to deliver tonight.

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