NBA Picks Today: Best Bets for Warriors vs Celtics, Lakers vs Rockets

The NCAA Tournament continues its ramp-up Wednesday with games in the men’s and women’s First Four.

A nine-game slate in the NBA offers something of an answer as three of the top four teams in the Western Conference are in action. Just one such counterpart in the East is scheduled to play, but add those together and you’ve got half of a so-called elite eight, right?

Odds are with FanDuel.

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS AT BOSTON CELTICS, 7 p.m. ET

Warriors coach Steve Kerr called his club’s six-game road trip “the Kristaps Porzingis reunion tour” because it features matchups against five of the reserve big man’s former teams.

Wednesday marks the third stop on the journey and finds Porzingis aiming to prove Kerr right again.

“Players usually get up for playing against their old team,” Kerr said, “and I think that’s the case with Kristaps.”

To be sure, Porzingis delivered his best performance in his brief tenure with Golden State during Monday’s visit to one of his former outposts, Washington. He scored 30 points on 8-for-13 shooting and a 13-for-14 effort from the free-throw line as the Warriors stopped a five-game losing streak.

Next up, a Celtics team that allowed Phoenix to shoot 45% in Monday’s home win.

Contending with illness issues for much of the season, Porzingis said of his conditioning: “I’ve still got a pretty good way to go, I would say, so with each game, just a little step forward and I’ll be all right.”

Wednesday offers a chance at further progress in a familiar place, although Boston’s own reacclimating star, Jayson Tatum, figures to make strides of his own, too.

Tatum is averaging 20 points in five games since returning from an Achilles injury, filling in alongside Jaylen Brown, who poured in 41 against Phoenix.

Over 216.5 points (-110)

TORONTO RAPTORS AT CHICAGO BULLS, 8 P.M.

Bulls guard Josh Giddey is averaging 14.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists in his past 10 games against Toronto, which includes a meager, 21-minute effort February 19 in his return from dealing with various injuries.

He has logged no less than 32 minutes in a game this month while notching a triple-double in five of seven contests.

Toronto may have clamped down on East-leading Detroit on Sunday, but Giddey simply finds his way around the ball as he sticks around games longer.

Josh Giddey 35+ points, assists, rebounds and Raptors -7.5 as two-leg parlay (+211)

LOS ANGELES LAKERS AT HOUSTON ROCKETS, 9:30 p.m.

Rockets forward Kevin Durant needs 69 points to pass the legendary Michael Jordan for fifth most all-time.

With Durant averaging 21.5 points in two games against the Lakers this season, that milestone seems unlikely to come in this one.

But there’s something more exciting for Rockets fans, anyway. Durant openly lamented his sloppiness as Houston crumbled in the fourth quarter of Monday’s 100-92 home loss to the Lakers – “I’ve got to be smarter, better with the ball,” he said.

Throw in the expected return of Alperen Sengun (back) and Houston’s focus on limiting turnovers after committing 22 on Monday and a Rockets rebound should be in the cards as they try to chip away at LA’s hold on the No. 3 seed.

Rockets -2.5 (-110)