NBA Expert Picks and Best Bets | March 11

The calendar might say March, so you may be more focused on college basketball at the moment, but the NBA is also approaching its stretch run. No matter your preference between the two, it’s the perfect time of year to explore your online sports betting options. If the NBA is your preference, the USA Legal Betting team has three picks among Monday’s games that you may want to consider.

Bulls +4 | -106 at FanDuel

The Bulls are far from perfect, but they recently went 3-1 on a West Coast swing. They are also 8-5-1 against the spread this season as a home underdog. They have a bonafide star like DeMar DeRozan and a good supporting cast, which makes them a good team to back as a home underdog, especially against a team like Dallas that isn’t anything special either.

In fairness, the Mavericks are at least in the running to avoid the play-in tournament, giving Dallas plenty of motivation coming down the stretch. But the Mavs are also just 3-5 over their last eight games. A road win on Saturday night against the Pistons isn’t exactly convincing, especially when they’re so reliant on Luke Doncic. The Bulls are better able to handle Doncic than Detroit, which gives Chicago a chance to make this game interesting and possibly steal a win.

Spurs +6.5 | -115 at BetMGM

The Spurs pulled off a shocking 13-point win as 12.5-point underdogs against the Warriors on Saturday. The biggest surprise is they did it without Victor Wembanyama. They now have a chance to beat Golden State in back-to-back games. While that may seem like an aberration, the Spurs have won three of their last five games and are 5-1 against the spread in their last six games. San Antonio might finally be coming along, and with Wembanyama likely to play, the Spurs should have a chance to beat Golden State again.

Keep in mind the Warriors have lost three of their last four games. Steph Curry also missed Saturday’s game, which might explain the Golden State loss. But Curry will also be absent on Monday, making it hard for the Warriors to turn things around in a rematch. With Golden State’s momentum moving in the wrong direction, we’re going to fade them, even against the Spurs.

Nuggets -13.5 | -113 at BetRivers

The Nuggets have been rolling lately, suffering just one loss in their last nine games while going 7-2 against the spread during that stretch. The tight race in the Northwest division has kept them on their toes and kept them motivated. That has helped to keep Denver playing at a high level and is why we foresee a blowout win as a double-digit favorite on Monday. The Nuggets have covered the spread in their last two games as a double-digit favorite, including a 21-point win on Saturday. Surely, they can do the same against the Raptors.

Toronto is flat-out struggling right now. The Raptors are 1-5 straight-up and 1-5 against the spread in their last six games. They’ve already lost the first two games of their West Coast road trip and now they have to deal with the elevation in Denver. To make matters worse, Bruce Brown is out while D.J. Carton and R.J. Barrett are both battling injuries, making it hard to believe the Raptors can get their act together against the Nuggets.