NBA Best Bets Today: Top Sports Betting Picks, Predictions April 2nd

There are many ways to get over Hump Day. My favorite is winning a little money on the day’s NBA games, and there are nine opportunities on the pro hoops slate today.

Several top teams are on the schedule. Let’s focus on them and leave the tanking to someone else.

Odds are via FanDuel, but you should always shop around before placing a bet to make sure you’re getting the best odds you can.

New York Knicks (+420) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (-11), o/u 231.5

The New York Knicks have won five of their last six, including a 105-91 victory vs. the 76ers last night. But they have had some issues on the road lately. Prior to their recent road win over the Bucks, they had dropped three in a row on the road.

With a four-game lead on the Celtics and seven games to play, the Cavs are not quite at a place where they can start resting people. They’ll have a rest advantage, having not played since Sunday, and a home win over the Clippers, 127-122.

Cleveland has been practically untouchable at home this season (32-5). The Cavs have won four of their last five but went 5-5 in their previous ten.

Best Bet: Knicks +11

I do not expect the Knicks to win this game outright, but I don’t see the Cavs dominating this game and winning by 10+ points either. Not having Jalen Brunson hurts against a solid Cleveland team, but the Cavs have not been great against good teams of late.

Even without Brunson, the Knicks are a good team.

Utah Jazz (+1040) vs. Houston Rockets (-17.5), o/u 226.5

• OVER 226.5 at -110
• Rockets -17.5 at -108
• Same Game Parlay Odds:  +235

Houston is shaping up to be the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. Utah already has 60 losses and has lost its last six, including a 121-110 home loss to the Rockets. After 15 turnovers and poor shooting from three-point range, the Rockets will be eager to get back on track.

But can they cover a 17.5-point spread? That’s a big ask, even though the Jazz are a mess. Houston was a 13.5-point road favorite in the recent win over the Jazz and failed to cover.

This time, the Rockets will try to put on a show in front of a home crowd and will want to replace the memory of the loss to the Lakers with a dominant win over a team they should, and probably will, destroy.

Don’t be shocked if the final score is something like Houston 132 Utah 105.

Detroit Pistons (+700) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (-14.5), o/u 231.5

Detroit has a good squad this season, but will be shorthanded as a few players will be serving suspensions for their role in a recent on-court altercation. At full strength, they’d be hard-pressed to keep up with a juggernaut like the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Thunder have been smashing opponents lately, scoring 141, 145, 132, and 125 points in recent games. With the Pistons being undermanned in this one, I expect the Thunder to absolutely smash another opponent.

Best Bet: Thunder -14.5

I’m not a big fan of betting on teams to cover such large spreads. But the Pistons are not in the same class as the Thunder and they’ll be down a few players. OKC will cover the spread with ease.