NBA Picks & Parlay of the Weekend | February 24

With just three games on the NBA schedule Saturday, we are a little limited in the picks we can offer. However, it will make it easier to put together a parlay, which is what we intend to do. Using betting odds from FanDuel, here is a three-leg NBA parlay for Saturday’s games.

Magic -6.5 | -110 at FanDuel

Betting against the Pistons is an easy way to begin this parlay. This team is just 8-47 on the season. Granted, Detroit has been decent against the spread as a home underdog. But this spread isn’t big enough to think the Pistons can stay competitive for 48 minutes. Not when they’ve lost four straight games and failed to beat a double-digit spread in three of them. No obvious improvements were visible in Detroit’s first game after the all-star break, so there is no reason to think we’ll see any on Saturday.

Plus, the Magic won their first game after the all-star break on Thursday, continuing the team’s excellent form before the break. Orlando is 7-2 in the team’s last nine games, as well as 7-2 against the spread during that span. In other words, when the Magic have won recently, they’ve won convincingly and covered the spread. That’s not going to change on Saturday, making it an easy decision to back Orlando to cover.

Celtics -7 | -110 at FanDuel

This game is the highlight of the night and will get a national audience. Typically, a primetime game would favor the home team, especially given how good the Knicks have been at home this season. They are 19-8 straight-up at MSG this season and will be up for a game at the best team in the Eastern Conference. That being said, New York is just 3-3 against the spread as a home underdog. The Knicks are also hurting right now, quite literally. Julius Randle, OG Annoy, and others are missing due to injury. Despite an impressive win over the 76ers on Thursday, those injuries could be too much to overcome against Boston.

Speaking of the Celtics, they picked up after the all-star break where they left off, beating the Bulls by 17 points on the road Thursday night. Boston has now won seven in a row, going 4-3 against the spread in those wins. They didn’t look the least bit rusty after the long layoff, nor are they dealing with any concerning injuries. While we expect the Knicks to fight hard throughout the game, especially during the first half, look for the Celtics to assert themselves late and pull away enough to cover the spread.

Timberwolves - 8 | -106 at FanDuel

Given the records of these two teams, it’s a little surprising to see a betting line that is less than 10 points. Minnesota is playing on back-to-back nights, which might be the only reason the spread isn’t bigger. But since these teams just got back from an extended rest, playing back-to-back nights shouldn’t be an issue. Talent-wise, the T’Wolves have a huge advantage, which is why this game could easily turn into a blowout, enabling Minnesota to cover the spread with ease.

It’s also worth mentioning that the Nets are 1-6 straight-up and 1-6 against the spread in their last seven games. The Nets weren’t going anywhere this season anyway, but now Brooklyn’s season is going down the tubes. There is almost no reason to think that the Nets can pull off a surprise win. Look for the T’Wolves to control this game from start to finish and have no problem covering the spread.