NBA Betting Picks April 4th: Three Best Bets for Saturday's Slate

It is going to be a quiet day in the NBA, as other games will take center stage in the hearts and minds of many basketball fans. But you really don’t want to miss out on the NBA games today. 

We’ve only got three, but two of them could end up being epic.

With only three games, all three will be part of today’s NBA Best Bets.

Washington Wizards vs. Miami Heat

My first thought was that maybe Washington could stay within the massive spread for this game. I say this, not because I have any confidence in them, but because the Heat have been struggling hard lately. Then I took a closer look at the Wizards.

They’ve gone 1-20 over their last 21 games. Of those 20 losses, 17 of their opponents scored 120+ points. Two scored 150+, and neither required overtime. One of those games was against the Heat on March 10, 150-129.

My Pick: Heat -16.5 at -110 (bet365)

Miami will cover, and not just because they’ve beaten Washington twice this year already by 20+ points. The Wizards will be without Anthony Davis, Kyshawn George, and Trae Young, while Cam Whitmore, with Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly, and Tre Johnson, are all game-time decisions.

San Antonio Spurs vs. Denver Nuggets

Both teams are coming in hot; San Antonio has won 11 in a row, and Denver has won its last seven. Victor Wembanyama is playing like a man who deserves to be named NBA MVP. Nikola Jokic and Jamaal Murray have been taking turns lighting up the scoreboard for the Nuggets.

Both have averaged 125.2 points per game over their last 15 games. The only significant difference: San Antonio has allowed around 110 points per game, while Denver has allowed closer to 119 points per game. How on Earth do you pick a winner between two great teams?

My Pick: OVER 242.5 at -110 (bet365)

Easy answer—you don’t. In both prior matchups, the final scores were well north of 242.5 points (275 and 267). San Antonio has been playing really well on the defensive end, but the offensive talent on both teams is too good to be contained. It will be another high-scoring game.

Detroit Pistons vs. Philadelphia 76ers

The Pistons have already beaten the 76ers three times this season, by three, nine, and 22 points. The team has been playing extremely well without Cade Cunningham in the lineup. But the 76ers are not the same team as they were in the prior losses.

With Paul George, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey healthy. But with it being the second of a back-to-back, it would not be shocking if Embiid sat out. However, even if he does, I think the 76ers can absolutely make a game of it against the Pistons, given how they’ve been playing.

Over the last five games, the 76ers have had the highest-scoring offense in the NBA (1340.4 points per game). Now, Detroit has had the fifth-best defense in that time frame, allowing 106.6 points per game.

My Pick: 76ers ML at +100 (Fanatics)

With Embiid, Philly has the talent on the court to beat Detroit’s defense. Without him, it is still a strong possibility, but much less certain. But at +105, I’d call this a solid value play.