Top NBA Picks for Today: Thunder vs Magic, Cavs vs Bucks, Nuggets vs 76ers

It would seem appropriate to preview and predict the Boston Celtics on St. Patrick’s Day, but the NBA schedulers gave them the night off.

But you're in luck — we have plenty of great games to choose from for today’s NBA Best Bets.

Let’s get things started by taking a look at the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. the Milwaukee Bucks, followed by the Philadelphia 76ers visiting the Denver Nuggets, and finally the San Antonio Spurs vs. the Sacramento Kings.

Oklahoma City vs. Orlando Magic

Thunder -9.5 at -112 (FanDuel)

The Thunder (53-15, 24-8 Away) are coming off a 116-103 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves at home on Sunday, their eighth consecutive win. Orlando tried to extend their win streak to eight games as well against the Hawks in Atlanta on Monday night, but fell short (124-112).

Orlando is a solid defensive squad and usually play their best at home. However, their offense will suffer without Franz Wagner in the lineup. Even if the defense succeeds in slowing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander down, their own offense will struggle to keep up, making it easy for the Thunder to cover.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Milwaukee Bucks

Cavaliers -10 at -112 (FanDuel)

Cleveland (41-27, 19-14 Away) is one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference this season, while the Milwaukee Bucks (28-39, 16-18 Home) have been struggling all season. This is the fourth of four games scheduled between them; Cleveland leads the series, 2-1, but the Bucks won the last game 118-116 (Feb. 25).

So, if the last game a couple of weeks ago was so close, why a 10-point spread? Simple— because the Cavs did not have James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, or Evan Mobley in the lineup that night.

The Cavs won the first two games earlier in the season by five and 12 points, but without the offensive weapon that is James Harden in the lineup. With a healthy Harden, Mitchell, and Mobley, it will not matter who suits up for the Bucks (several players are listed as GTD). Cleveland will cover.

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Denver Nuggets

Nuggets -16 at -110 (FanDuel)

The 76ers (37-31, 17-15 Away) taking on the Nuggets is a game that fans should be excited about, but few probably are. Why not? Because the team taking the court for Philadelphia may be competitive in the G League, but not against one of the best teams in the West.

Once again, the 76ers will be without the services of Joel Embiid (injury), Kell Oubre Jr. (injury), Paul George (suspension), and Tyrese Maxey (injury). Denver is still down Peyton Watson, but will have Jamaal Murray and Nikola Jokic in the lineup.

Philly is actually coming off a pair of wins, but against lackluster teams like the Brooklyn Nets and Portland Trail Blazers. They played Detroit prior to them and lost by 22. With no one who can even slow Jokic down a little, Denver will cover this monster spread.