Professor MJ's Daily Pregame NBA Projections: 2017-03-23

NBA DAILY PROJECTIONS

BY PROFESSOR MJ

University Professor. PhD in stats. Proud dad of 2 boys.

 

 

Only 5 games on the NBA menu tonight, and I have two recommended bets. Please have a look at the details below:

MARCH 23, 2017

 

SPREAD

MONEY LINE

 

 

 

Pinnacle

PROF. MJ

Pinnacle

PROF. MJ

Pinnacle

PROF. MJ

PICK

ROI

Suns

+4

+4,8

+153

+192

2,53

2,92

 

-8,9%

Nets

-4

-4,8

-170

-192

1,59

1,52

 

4,2%

Tip: No value bet.

 

Pinnacle

PROF. MJ

Pinnacle

PROF. MJ

Pinnacle

PROF. MJ

PICK

ROI

Raptors

+4,5

+4,7

+162

+188

2,62

2,88

 

-4,0%

Heat

-4,5

-4,7

-180

-188

1,56

1,53

 

-0,7%

Tip: No value bet.

 

Pinnacle

PROF. MJ

Pinnacle

PROF. MJ

Pinnacle

PROF. MJ

PICK

ROI

Clippers

-4,5

-2,3

-188

-125

1,53

1,80

 

-20,4%

Mavericks

+4,5

+2,3

+169

+125

2,69

2,25

X

15,7%

Tip: Bet the Mavericks.

 

Pinnacle

PROF. MJ

Pinnacle

PROF. MJ

Pinnacle

PROF. MJ

PICK

ROI

Grizzlies

+8

+8,3

+314

+360

4,14

4,60

 

-4,8%

Spurs

-8

-8,3

-360

-360

1,28

1,28

 

0,1%

Tip: No value bet.

 

Pinnacle

PROF. MJ

Pinnacle

PROF. MJ

Pinnacle

PROF. MJ

PICK

ROI

Knicks

+11,5

+9,4

+637

+456

7,37

5,56

X

14,8%

Blazers

-11,5

-9,4

-798

-456

1,13

1,22

 

-19,6%

Tip: Bet the Knicks.

 

 

“GOOD” BETS (3 stars / 5):

My first suggestion is to take the Mavericks +4.5 against the Clippers. These teams have split the first two meetings this year, each team surprisingly winning on the road (the Clippers won by 20 in Dallas, while the Mavs won by a 2-point margin in LA). The Clippers should feel some fatigue as they will be playing a 3rd game in 4 nights. They are riding a 3-game winning streak after going through a difficult 3-game skid. After facing easier competition with Philadelphia and Brooklyn, the Mavs hit a wall when they got beaten up by Golden State two days ago. How will they react tonight? They must win this game since they are 3.5 games back from the 8th seed. 70% of the money has gone on Los Angeles, which pushed the line from 3.5 to 4.5. Seth Curry is questionable for Dallas.

The line opened with the Blazers as 9.5-point favorites, and it now stands at 11.5. I’m betting the Knicks +11.5 in Portland. I picked New York last night as 10.5-point underdogs in Utah. Basically, Vegas is telling us that the Knicks are less likely to beat a 32-38 team (Portland) on the second night of back-to-back games (perhaps without Derrick Rose), than they were to beat a 44-28 team (Utah) when rested. Make your own opinion about that, but I believe it’s normal that I am picking New York tonight if I was picking them last night in such conditions. Going back to the Derrick Rose situation, he is questionable to play since he left the arena with a brace and a noticeable limp. Notice that the Blazers cannot be considered a totally rested team either since they will be playing a fourth game in six days. The only previous matchup in 2016-2017 occurred back in November where the Knicks won 107-103 at Madison Square Garden. The last meeting in Portland ended by a 2-point win by New York. One major warning about this game: Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek mentioned he might rest veteran players on back-to-back games, so there is a chance Carmelo Anthony doesn’t play (or is limited in terms of minutes). Be aware of it.

Thanks for reading!

Professor MJ