Brooklyn Nets (41-38) at New York Knicks (35-44)
The Nets will be on a back to back after beating the Rockets by 13 points on Wednesday, 118-105. Kyrie Irving was the star for Brooklyn, scoring 42 pts. With an upcoming play-in tournament, the Nets will be looking to gather winning momentum and that should continue against the Knicks.
New York's disappointing season is almost over as they have 3 games left and have been eliminated from playoff contention. After back to back losses against the Cavs and Hornets, the Knicks let out some frustration in a 30 pt win over the Magic on Monday. RJ Barrett scored 27 pts and Quickly added 20 pts. With Randle out for the season, most of the team will continue to get a good boost in usage.
The Knicks would love to close out the season with a win over their crosstown rivals and they do have a good line record against the Nets. In the last 5 meetings, they're 4-1 ATS and the margin has been tight in all 3 matchups this season.
Stadium Record
The Knicks are 1-4 in their last 5 home games. Brooklyn has won 4 of their last 5 at MSG.
Head to Head Record
The Nets have owned this matchup with an 8-2 record since 2019 and they're looking to sweep the season series 4-0.
Best Bet
Boston Celtics (49-30) at Chicago Bulls (45-34)
Boston thrashed the Wizards by 42 pts on Monday and currently holds the #2 seed in the East. Jaylen Brown was the standout for the Celtics against Washington with 32 pts and he was well supported by Tatum (22 pts). The Celtics have been excellent on the road recently with an 8-2 record and will be looking to hold onto the #2 seed in their next 3 games before playoffs. However, they might need to rest Brown / Tatum during this 3 game road trip but they'll likely play against Chicago.
The Bulls are getting an early taste of playoff Basketball as they've played the Heat and Bucks in back to back outings. They haven't played well in either game, losing by 18 against Miami and lost to the Bucks by 21 on Wednesday. The only bright spot was a 40 pt performance by DeMar DeRozan on Wednesday against the Bucks. But their defence will need to show improvement after allowing 127+ pts in 3 straight games.
Chicago has proven to struggle against the top teams in the East, highlighted by back to back losses against the Bucks/Heat. Boston also has a 5-1 ATS record on the road and have covered in 12 of their last 18 in Chicago.
Stadium Record
The Bulls are 6-4 in their last 10 home games. Boston has won 7 of their last 10 in Chicago.
Head to Head Record
The season series is tied at 1-1 and this is the first meeting in Chicago since last season's 121-99 Bulls victory.
Best Bet
Phoenix Suns (63-16) at Los Angeles Clippers (39-40)
The Suns ended the Lakers playoff hopes on Wednesday and improved to 63-16 on the season. They've earnt the #1 seed in the West and will be looking to close out the regular season with no serious injuries. Devin Booker comes off another 30+ pt outing as he scored 32 against the Lakers and Ayton added 22 pts. While they don't have a great record in LA, they have won 8 of their last 10 road games and will know that winning on the road will be important for their run to the finals.
The Clippers will head into this matchup with the Suns after back to back comfortable victories. They beat the undermanned Bucks by 34 and followed that performance with a 19 pt win over the Pelicans on Monday. Marcus Morris top-scored for the Clippers with 22 and Zubac added 16 pts. They'll have Paul George for this matchup and there's also a chance that Norman Powell can return from injury.
There's not much at stake for the Suns as they've clinched the #1 seed in the West so the Clippers seem good value. They also have a very strong record against the Suns on their home court.
Stadium Record
The Clippers are 10-4 at home in their last 14 games. The Suns hold a poor 3-15 record against the Clippers at this venue.
Head to Head Record
Phoenix leads the head to head 2-1 but the Clippers won the only meeting at this venue, 111-95 in December.
Best Bet
