The NBA returns on Wednesday with ten games across the league, including two with strong betting leans. The Kings-Raptors tip-off first at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by the Wizardss-Nuggets at 8:00 p.m. ET. There are a lot of betting angles to breakdown in both games to make the sharpest NBA betting predictions and picks. For even more NBA picks and analysis be sure to visit the OddsShopper tools.
Best NBA Bets Today: Game Tips & Betting Predictions
Kings-Raptors Bet
The Sacramento Kings continue along their six-game East coast road trip with a stop in Toronto to take on the Raptors Wednesday night. Both teams are struggling as of late, losing three of their last four games overall. The Raptors are coming off back-to-back losses against the 8-20 Orlando Magic. Sacramento is hoping to forget about their poor shooting performance yesterday against Philadelphia. The game total has sky rocketed up to 232.5 points after opening at 227.5 points. Take advantage of the five points off the opening line and ride the under on the full game total.
The Kings offense has found itself in a rut as of late ranking 27th in offensive rating with 106.2 points per game over their last five games. De’Aaron Fox was absent from two of the five games dealing with a foot injury, but he is not on the injury report for this game. Sacramento’s success has been heavily predicated on the efficiency of their offense. If the Kings are unable to get it going from beyond the arc, they will struggle to put up a ton of points. Look for Toronto to apply pressure on the perimeter defense and force the Kings to score inside the arc.
The Raptors have lacked scoring this year averaging 110.9 points per game (21st). The Raptors record is actually better than one would expect for a team that ranks in the bottom five for both effective field goal percentage (29th) and opponent effective field goal percentage (27th). Their success comes from limiting turnovers and excellent defense. They average the fewest turnovers of any team in the league (12.8). Their defense also ranks first in steals per game (9.9) and eighth in blocks per game. Toronto will be without OG Anunoby who is dealing with a hip injury.
Tonight will be the third road game in the last four days for the Kings, so we could see some tired legs on Sacramento causing them to play down to the Raptors tempo. Toronto ranks 24th in pace this season. The Kings rely heavily on the three ball and if we see any signs of fatigue, expect them to struggle against a top-ten defensive unit. The Kings are averaging a combined total of 217.6 points over their past five games while the Raptors are averaging 225.2 points. The Kings have a 4-10 over/under record on the road this season. The total has only exceeded 232 points in two of their last five matchups. Do not let the line movement scare you away from taking the under in this match.
Best Kings-Raptors NBA Bet: Game Total UNDER 232.5 Points
Wizards-Nuggets Bet
The Wizards will begin a six-game road trip against the Nuggets on Wednesday in Denver. Washington has fallen off a cliff losing seven straight games and nine of their last ten overall. The Nuggets will look to string together a third straight win after securing a 115-110 victory over the Utah Jazz on Saturday. Wednesday’s matchup will be the first time these two teams meet this season.
Washington is in dire need to get Bradley Beal back in the lineup. He has missed the last fives games and will sit once again in tonight’s contest with a nagging hamstring injury. To make matters worse, their second leading scorer, Kristaps Porzingis, exited Monday’s contest in the third quarter due to a back injury has been ruled out for Wednesday. The team will need to rely heavily on Kyle Kuzma and Will Barton to handle the offensive workload.
Denver comes into tonight’s action with a 16-10 record. Their struggles this season have come on the defensive side of the ball where they rank 28th in defensive rating, allowing opponents an average of 113.8 points per game. They will get some relief tonight with Washington missing their top two scorers. Michael Porter Jr. (heel) will sit for the 10th straight game. Jamal Murray is progressing, but he is not back to his prior levels of efficiency. Nikola Jokic has a favorable matchup with Porzingis out, but he cannot do it all by himself.
The Wizards and the Nuggets both rank bottom ten in pace this season. Both teams prefer to slow the game down and look for good shots. Denver has gone Under in seven of 10 home games this season. The Wizards average 107.5 points per game without Beal in the lineup. With Kuzma as the only reliable option on offense for the Wizards, it is hard to back the over in this one. The Wizards have struggled on the road all year, and now they go into Denver down Beal and Porzingis. With all the injuries Washington is dealing with look toward the under on Wednesday.
Best Wizards-Nuggets NBA Bet: Game Total UNDER 223 Points
