The NBA regular season continues with a solid seven-game slate this Thursday — headlined by a nationally televised doubleheader on NBA TV, as Nets vs Bucks tips off the action with an Eastern Conference clash at 8:00 p.m. ET, and then Hawks vs Suns takes center stage in the West at 10:00 p.m. ET.
The Buckets podcast crew has locked in three NBA picks for today, Thursday, March 21 — which includes two picks against the spread and a moneyline prediction.
Read below for their top three NBA predictions for today and listen to the latest episode.
NBA Picks, Odds, Bets for Thursday, March 21
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7:00 p.m. | Wizards 1H +5.5 |
  | 7:00 p.m. | Pelicans ML (-120) |
  | 8:30 p.m. | Mavericks -13.5 |
Wizards 1H +5.5 (-110) vs. Kings
7:00 p.m. ET ⋅ NBA League Pass
I am heading into the murky waters once again.
This cap is a little bit about the Kings playing on the second night of a back-to-back after flying from Toronto last night. I think this is a great spot for Washington, which is arguably the worst team in the NBA.
The Wizards 4-28 at home straight-up.
I don't want to deal with them in the fourth quarter and weird stuff that happens in the final minutes, so I like them in the first half only.
We know the Wizards don't play defense, but neither do the Kings. The Wizards are 7-2-1 against the spread in the first half in their last 10 games.
Pick: Wizards 1H +5.5 (-110)
|  | |
Pelicans ML (-120) at Magic
7:00 p.m. ET ⋅ NBA League Pass
By Sean Little
If you look at both of these teams, you cannot find a category against the spread that each team has not been profitable.
In this spot though, the Pelicans are just the better team in a bad matchup for Orlando. Since the All-Star Break, the Magic are 29th in turnovers and 28th in pace. The Pelicans are eighth in creating turnovers during that span.
The Magic have been beating up on the bottom-dwellers of the league in their last 12 games and haven't faced a team of this caliber of late. The Pelicans are second in the NBA in net rating at 9.9 since the break and have been playing far tougher competition.
Herb Jones should be able to lock up Banchero tonight, and I trust the Pelicans defense to give Orlando plenty of trouble defensively.
Pick: Pelicans ML (-120)
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Mavericks -13.5 (-110) vs. Jazz
8:30 p.m. ET ⋅ NBA League Pass
By Jay Money
This is more of a "fade the Jazz spot" for me.
The last time these two teams played, the Mavericks got smoked in Utah in the first day of 2024. They are catching the Jazz here on a back-to-back, which will be their third game in four nights and a fifth game in seven nights.
The Mavs have been playing much better of late and own a record of 6-1 against the spread and straight up in their last seven games.
It's a hefty number, but I think they can win this game by 20+ points.
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