Eastern Conference rivals Detroit and Washington square off for just the second time this season.
Sixth with a 36-29 record, Detroit are just $1.10 to take the spoils here after winning 11 of their last 14. They bounced back from consecutive away losses to LA Clippers and Golden State with a 119-112 win at Portland two days ago, Cade Cunningham scoring 28-plus for the fourth straight game.
Washington (13-49) are last, despite going 3-2 in March. They won at home against Utah and away against Toronto – with Jordan Poole putting up 34 points in the latter – but lost 119-104 at Toronto yesterday.
Detroit came away from Washington with a 124-104 win in November, having won only two of the previous 12 games between the teams. Jaden Ivey top-scored with 28 points, while Cade Cunningham chalked up a triple-double.
Washington is 3-7 against the line on no rest, but Detroit is only 5-9 ATS as a home favourite. The teams’ long-term form is poles apart, however, and Detroit should coast to victory in the first of two encounters at Little Caesars Arena in three days.
Cleveland are $1.04 favourites to complete a regular-season series cleansweep when they host Brooklyn.
NBA-leading Cleveland (54-10) have now won 14 straight, outlasting Milwaukee 112-100 on the road two days ago with a balanced offence the story of the day. Max Strus led the scoring with just 17 points and also pulled down a team-high 9 rebounds.
Brooklyn (21-42) are 12th in the East and coming off a long-awaited win, halting an seven-game slide in a 111-108 defeat of a LeBron-less LA Lakers at home.
Cleveland beat Brooklyn 105-100 at home in November, before recording more comfortable wins on the road in December (130-101) and February (110-97). Donovan Mitchell had 26 points and Jarrett Allen 20 rebounds in the latter.
Cleveland are 20-12-1 ATS as a home favourite, but Brooklyn are one of the NBA’s best performers against the line as an away underdog at 18-11-1. Six wins on Cleveland’s current streak have come by seven points or less, which makes Brooklyn a tempting option with an 18-point start.
Fifth hosts fourth in this key Eastern Conference showdown, with both teams looking to bust out of a mini-slump.
Indiana (35-27) return from a three-game roadstand that netted a pair of losses at Atlanta (124-118 and 120-118), and one at Chicago (121-103) yesterday. They look vulnerable without Tyrese Haliburton, who missed all three games and is no certainty to play in this one.
Milwaukee (36-27) have lost their last two at home to Orlando (111-109) and Cleveland (112-100), despite 37 and 30 points, respectively, from Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Milwaukee avenged their loss to Indiana in the first round of the 2024 playoffs with victories in the opening three months of this season, 129-117 at home and 120-112 in Indianapolis. Antetokounmpo notched 30-plus points in both games.
Giannis’ dominant form and the likely absence of Haliburton puts Milwaukee in a strong position as a narrow favourite, though they have only covered 12 of 30 on the road so far this season (7-11 ATS as away favourite).
Los Angeles Clippers get a great chance to chalk up four straight wins when they head to New Orleans.
Sitting in eighth and still a strong chance of moving out of the play-in scramble, LA Clippers (35-29) have won their last three – at home against Detroit (123-115) – with James Harden scoring 50 points – New York (105-95) and Sacramento (111-110 in OT).
But LAC are on an unflattering 1-6 run on the road.
Second-last New Orleans (17-48) have lost four straight, including a 29-point loss at Houston and a three-point defeat to Memphis at home in recent days. Trey Murphy III and Zion Williamson have been putting up solid numbers on offence, but New Orleans rank last in the NBA defensively.
Their only meeting so far this season saw LA Clippers claim a tight 116-113 win in New Orleans after trailing at the end of the first three quarters. Norman Powell put up 35 points and James Harden 27 for LAC, while CJ McCollum scored 33 for New Orleans.
LA Clippers have a poor 4-10 record against the line as an away favourite, while New Orleans cover at 11-10-1 as a home underdog. But the line looks too small to hold the visitors in this one.