We have a seven-game slate in the NBA for Tuesday, March 12, highlighted by an NBA on TNT doubleheader. 76ers vs Knicks tips things off on national television at 7 p.m. ET, followed by Wolves vs Clippers in the late game at 10 p.m. ET.
And in our NBA picks, NBA predictions and NBA bets for Tuesday, our expert NBA bettors have picks for both NBA on TNT games and more. You can get their best bets early every day on the "Buckets" podcast.
NBA Odds, Picks, Predictions, Bets | Tuesday, March 12
Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
---|---|---|
7:30 p.m. | Knicks -5 | |
7:30 p.m. | Knicks -5 | |
7:30 p.m. | Under 211.5 | |
8:00 p.m. | Over 240.5 | |
8:00 p.m. | Under 240.5 | |
10:00 p.m. | Timberwolves +6.5 |
Knicks -5 vs. 76ers
7:30 p.m. ET ⋅ TNT
By Jay Money
I like this line up to -7.
Tyrese Maxey returns to the lineup tonight for the 76ers, but I also expect OG Anunoby to go tonight after returning to basketball activities and being listed as questionable.
The Knicks are battling for playoff spots with the 76ers so they should come out fired up to take this one. When teams play in the duplex spot and lose in the first game, I generally like to take them, especially if they are favored.
I expect Jalen Brunson and the Knicks to bounce back tonight and the addition of Anunoby into the lineup is a huge boost to the Knicks defense.
Knicks -5 vs. 76ers
7:30 p.m. ET ⋅ TNT
I agree with everything Jay said.
I think this number matters and often does to my handicapping process. -5 is the second most common outcome and is the most common push number because so many games are priced at this line. It has already moved from 4.5 to 5 and if it gets to 5.5/6 I would consider just taking the moneyline at that point.
Just lay your normal unit size on the spread and take the insurance point because it's worth it if it moves past these outcomes.
Under 211.5 at Knicks
7:30 p.m. ET ⋅ TNT
By Matt Moore
The Knicks are really banged up right now, but I just can't get to this number even with the huge 76ers slide.
A lot of the data for the 76ers without Embiid actually isn't that bad, but they are obviously losing a lot. The Knicks are so difficult to figure out right now.
This is a model play.
Over 238.5 vs. Pacers
8:00 p.m. ET ⋅ NBA League Pass
This is a simple top-down handicap: Understanding where the market numbers sit, where the opening number was and seeing the direction of the movement. I saw this open at 235.5 but the entire board had immediately began moving to 237.5.
I picked this off as a handicapping discrepancy, and I understand everything Matt has to say about the unders below. The Pacers certainly don't have the same identity with the addition of Pascal Siakam, I just saw that there was good closing line value.
Under 238.5 vs. Pacers
8:00 p.m. ET ⋅ NBA League Pass
By Matt Moore
The Pacers are truly trying to change their identity.
When we are doing the total play, I think one of the important things to recognize is how teams evolve from early in the season. There are still nights when the Pacers get rolled and give up a ton of points. They have gone from one of the worst defenses of all-time to bad but better.
The Pacers offense has slid from 2nd-best in the league to 9th and their defense has gone from 30th to 20th. This is a model play for me, and I consistently have OKC as an under team at home. The last three homes games for the Thunder have gone under too.
Timberwolves +6.5 at Clippers
10:00 p.m. ET ⋅ TNT
By Matt Moore
I think there is a very strong possibility Karl-Anthony Towns plays.
I have this power-rated at Clippers -1, but I haven't done the downgrade on Towns yet, but I can guarantee he isn't worth 5.5 points. Two points, maybe three, but still I can't get to this number. Rudy Gobert has been upgraded to questionable alongside Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
The Clippers are 8-7 straight up in their last 15 games and I'm not overreacting by any means because sometimes good teams just have stretches of struggle. Another reason I like the Timberwolves is how James Harden used to cook Gobert in drop coverage but he has learned how to defend him after years of facing him in Houston.