Happy Saturday, RotoBallers! Another day, another dollar in the NBA and we have a small, three-game slate worth of NBA action this evening. We have some fun matchups tonight with some surprising storylines to monitor.
We have ourselves just one coming into tonight's slate on a back-to-back, as the Timberwolves will take the court once again after dropping a game to the Bucks on Friday night. Let's see how that affects some of our bets.
In this article, I'll be providing my favorite picks against the spread, game totals, parlays, and teasers for the NBA slate that tips off at 8:00 p.m. EST on Saturday, February 24.
Featured Promo: Get any Props Premium Pass for 50% off using code WINNING. Win more with our two new Props Optimizer tools -- one for PrizePicks Props, and one for Sportsbook Betting Props. Find optimal prop bets and get our recommended picks daily! Go Premium, Win More!
NBA Betting Picks: Totals
Orlando Magic (-6.5) at Detroit Pistons (226.5 total)
I'll start things off with the first game of the day as the Magic head up north to take on the league's worst team, the Detroit Pistons.
I'll be looking to target the Magic's defensive unit, who come into this one off of an impressive 116-109 victory in Cleveland on Thursday night. The league's fourth-ranked unit in defensive efficiency is projected to positively regress against the league's 25th-best unit in terms of offensive efficiency.
the steal + slam 🤌@jalensuggs pic.twitter.com/Q5i1StUyd9
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) February 23, 2024
While the Pistons rank eighth in pace this season (103.1), they'll likely see some regression in that juncture tonight against Orlando's 25th-ranked club. My model projects a pace of 101.62 in this one. I'll go with the Pistons team total under here, which we can get at 109.5 on FanDuel.
The Pick: Pistons TT u109.5 (-105, FanDuel Sportsbook)
Sports Betting Promo Offers
Featured Promo: Get any VIP Betting Premium Pass for 50% off using code WINNING. Win more with exclusive betting picks from proven winners across 9 sports! Find optimal bets with our Betting Picks Tool and Bet Weighting Tool and follow along in our VIP chat rooms! Go Premium, Win More!
NBA Betting Picks: ML and Spreads
Orlando Magic (-6.5) at Detroit Pistons (226.5 total)
With only three games on the slate tonight, I'll stick in the same game for my second play of the day, backing the Magic once again.
I mentioned above the reasons why I believe the Pistons offense will struggle against this Magic defense, but on the other side of the ball, the Magic are due to positively regress. They rank just 23rd in offensive efficiency this season (110.8), but look to positively regress significantly, according to my model. They project a 115.39 offensive efficiency against this Detroit unit.
ate + left no crumbs
22 PTS | 7 REB | 58.3 FG% https://t.co/OkuQkwFZ46 pic.twitter.com/yvKgE1DVVf
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) February 23, 2024
Orlando should see somewhat of a pace increase, albeit not too much. They should be able to control this game and play it at the pace they want to, and I can see them running away with this one. I'll lay the 6.5 points on FanDuel.
The pick: Magic -6.5 (-110, FanDuel Sportsbook)
Favorite ML Parlay: Magic -6.5 + ORL/DET u226 (+226, FD)
Favorite Teaser: Magic -1.5 + Nets +12.5 (+100, FD)
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy basketball mobile app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, lineup notifications & DFS articles. All free!