NBA Expert Picks and Best Bets | February 27

It’s been close to a week since the NBA got back from the all-star break, so teams are finally starting to settle into the second half of the season. With a healthy slate of games on Tuesday’s schedule, we have plenty of options. We thought we’d help you narrow down your choices by sharing our three favorite NBA bets on Tuesday’s schedule.

76ers +12.5 | -110 at FanDuel

The 76ers are a shell of themselves without Joel Embiid. That’s a fact that’s hard to deny. They’ve also suffered some brutal losses lately, including a 14-point loss to the Knicks and a 21-point loss at the hands of the Bucks on Sunday. But it’s still hard to view them as this much of an underdog against anybody, even if the spread makes sense based on their recent losses. Keep in mind they were double-digit road underdogs against the Cavs earlier this month and won. In fairness, the Celtics are much better than the Cavs. But the 76ers should still put up enough of a fight to keep the deficit to 10 points or less.

As for the Celtics, this feels like a letdown game for them. They’ve won eight in a row and are coming off an impressive road win over the Knicks on Sunday. Plus, in the last six games that Boston has been a double-digit favorite, the Celtics have failed to cover four times. With two full days off at home following Tuesday’s game, a lack of motivation could hinder the Celtics from covering the spread against the Sixers.

Timberwolves -13.5 | -110 at BetMGM

While the Spurs have pulled off a few shocking results this season behind Victor Wembanyama, this game isn’t going to be one of them. The Spurs have lost four in a row and are in the midst of a stretch in which they’ve lost 11 of 12 games. To be fair, they’ve beaten the spread in the last two games they’ve been double-digit underdogs and are 11-8 against the spread as double-digit underdogs this season. But things will be different against a team like the Timberwolves.

Minnesota is 5-1 in its last six games and has covered the spread in each of those wins. Also, all five of those wins came by double digits, including three wins by more than 20 points. Outside of an understandable home loss to the Bucks, the T-Wolves are crushing everyone. With three teams in the Northwest Division locked in a tight battle, the Timberwolves know that every game counts, so they won’t be taking it easy on Wemby and the Spurs, which is why this should be another 20-point win.

Bucks -15.5 | -110 at BetRivers

Last but not least, we’ll stick with the theme of double-digit point spreads on Tuesday, as BetRivers has Milwaukee as a huge favorite over the Hornets. Even if Charlotte has suddenly gotten hot with five wins in its last six games, that doesn’t hold much wager against the Bucks. Most of Charlotte’s wins during that stretch came against other bad teams. When the Hornets visited the Bucks earlier this month, they were 16-point underdogs and lost by 36 points.

The Bucks are in a much better place right now than they were for that game. Milwaukee is fresh off back-to-back road wins over the Timberwolves and 76ers. Given those good vibes, the Bucks should push hard to keep it going and will enjoy blowing out a bad team in front of their home fans. We’re banking that this game will get out of hand with the Bucks dominating from start to finish.