basketball | Monday, March 7, 2022 11:54 AM (Revised at: Thursday, March 10, 2022 8:49 AM)

NBA Best Bets: Tuesday, March 8th

Sam Cox

Tuesday night brings us six NBA games, but we’ve narrowed it down to our two best bets. The stout defence of the Clippers and Milwaukee’s knack for blowouts means some decent stakes here

NBA Best Bets Tuesday, March 8th

Oklahoma City Thunder vs Milwaukee Bucks: Bucks -13.5 at 1.78 (BetVictor)
Golden State Warriors vs Los Angeles Clippers: Clippers +6.5 at 1.78 (Betway)

Odds as at 1 pm March 8th 2022. Odds may now differ.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs Milwaukee Bucks Best Bet

Wed, Mar 9. 01:00 (UK)

The Bucks are third in the Eastern Conference with four wins on the bounce. Oklahoma City is on a 3-10 run. Josh Giddey, Luguentz Dort, Ty Jerome, Kenrich Williams, and Mike Muscala are all out. Derrick Favors missed Sunday’s game against Utah and is listed as day-to-day for this one.

Milwaukee has a +7.6 NET rating over the last five games. Giannis Antetokounmpo is continuing his MVP push. The defending champions are missing several players from their rotation too, including George Hill and Brook Lopez, but their big three are all available on Tuesday night. Khris Middleton stepped up with 44 points to defeat the Suns last time out, while Jrue Holiday should be able to slow down Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The former Clipper scored 17 points on 20 shots when the teams last met.

Books are generally settled around a 14-point spread for this one. Five of Milwaukee’s last nine wins have been by 14 or more points. They are generally ruthless, powered by Antetokounmpo’s dominance at both ends, and an offence that ranks third in the NBA across the last 10.

When the Thunder lose, it’s often by a considerable margin. Three of their last four losses have been by 20 or more points. Only the Blazers and Rockets have a worse NET rating across the previous 10 games.

This should be one-way traffic from tip-off. The Thunder have no hope of keeping Antetokounmpo under control, and their offence is going to struggle with Gilgeous-Alexander matched up against Holiday.

Selection: Clipper +6.5
Best Odds: 1.79 (Marathonbet)
Stakes: 7/10

More Oklahoma City Thunder vs Milwaukee Bucks tips

Golden State Warriors vs Los Angeles Clippers Best Bet

Wed, Mar 9. 03:00 (UK)

This is the second night of a back-to-back for the Warriors, though that’s not the case for most of their core players after Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Gary Payton II and Otto Porter sat out Monday’s loss to Denver.

The Dubs have dropped to third in the Western Conference. They host a Clippers team that ranks eighth in the West and was blown out by the Knicks at the weekend. Los Angeles has covered in 13 of 22 games as a road underdog this season – Ty Lue has done a stellar job once again.

Even before the throw-away loss to Denver, Golden State was on a serious slide. They are 26th in defence over the last 12, winning just three games over that span. It’s been little better than .500 ball without Draymond Green, while Klay Thompson works his way back and Andrew Wiggins is slumping.

The Clips have the best defence in the league over the last 10. They are doing just about enough on offence to rack up wins, with Reggie Jackson dropping 36 against the Lakers a couple of games ago. Los Angeles beat the Warriors just before the break with every starter reaching double figures. Ivica Zubac should be in for another productive night against the undersized Dubs.

With the Warriors winning just twice since February 7th, the Clippers are a good bet to cover here. They are solid value anywhere down to +5.