NBA: Frank picks 3 including the Sixers looking to dispel Magic
Magic (+4) @ SIXERS (222.5)
Pick: Magic +4
Philadelphia returns to action after a tough 120-117 loss on Saturday night against Golden State. It was an encouraging effort to see the Sixers go toe to toe with the Warriors sans Joel Embiid. Philly covered for the second time in as many games against the two-time defending champs and picked up an outright win in the Bay Area a little over a month ago. But, do you remember what happened to the Sixers in the next game after the win in Oakland? They lost by seven in Sacramento in a game they were playing from behind in most of the way as a three-point favorite. Beating the Warriors, or even playing them as tight as the Sixers did on Saturday, can take a lot out of a team. Teams that have managed to beat them have not had much success against the number in their following game. Though the Sixers didn’t win on Saturday, we think the same logic may apply here. Additionally, Philadelphia has had a lot of marquee opponents on the schedule lately and another one is coming on Friday when it travels to Houston. That would make for some flat spot potential both tonight against the Magic and tomorrow in Chicago. We’d be decently surprised if the Sixers covered both of these games on this back-to-back. Playoff bubble teams have been cashing at a great rate for us since the All-Star break and we’re on another one in the Magic here.
Trail Blazers (-6.5) @ GRIZZLIES (217)
Pick: Under 217
This is the lowest total of the night in the Association and it’s not low enough. While you can’t always count on the Memphis Grizzlies winning games, they’ve been one of the best defensive teams in the NBA for the better part of the last decade. Sure enough, the Grizz are leading the league in opponent points per game allowing just under 104 a night. However, they’re also last in the NBA in scoring as they only pour in 101 points per game. To no surprise, that makes the Grizzlies a league-best 39-24-2 to the under. Portland has been on a long trip east that included wins in Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Boston, Charlotte and a closely-contested loss in Toronto. The Trail Blazers haven’t had an off night yet on this trip as it wraps up in Memphis on Tuesday. They might be able to grind one out, but it’ll have to be a low-scoring game. We’re not sure the winner of this game goes over 105 points giving us lots of value on another Grizzlies under.
Celtics (+8.5) @ WARRIORS (229.5)
Pick: Celtics +8.5
Who wants a piece of the Celtics right now? Probably no one given they’re playing at Golden State and are entering off another loss. There’s a fine line between buying low this late in the year and placing a bad bet on a team whose season might just be over. Boston is likely the former. Are we really to assume that the Celtics are about to go away? Is this how the Kyrie Irving era in Beantown ends? Is a Brad Stevens coached team about to quit if it hasn’t already? We wouldn’t bank on it. There’s enough time for the Celtics to make a push and get back into the East’s top four and earn home court advantage in the opening round of the playoffs. You often hear players and coaches talk about how hitting the road can be good for a team that’s reeling. This has all the makings of a circle-the-wagons game for the Celtics. We love them to stay inside the 8.5 here and won’t be surprised at all if they win outright.