Best NBA Bets Today: Wednesday Predictions and Player Props

The Boston Celtics are successfully incorporating Jayson Tatum back in the mix and that makes Wednesday’s home contest against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder a pivotal battle. The Thunder have rattled off 12 straight victories but Boston put up a big fight on March 12 when it fell 104-102 in Oklahoma City on a night Tatum sat out to rest his right Achilles.

The Thunder won that contest on two free throws by Chet Holmgren with 0.9 seconds left so who knows how things would have transpired if Tatum had been on the floor. He has made a swift recovery from the Achilles tear he sustained last May and Boston is a top-notch Eastern Conference contender with him on the floor.

The red-hot Atlanta Hawks look to continue their strong play when they visit the East-leading Detroit Pistons. And the Milwaukee Bucks are a complete mess and in full tank mode entering their clash with the host Portland Trail Blazers.

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER AT BOSTON CELTICS

Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 35 points on 13-of-18 shooting and added nine assists in the recent meeting and he has scored 40 in two of the past four games. Running mate Jalen Williams (hamstring) returned for Monday’s 123-103 rout of the host Philadelphia 76ers and had 18 points in just 20 minutes.

The Thunder are completing a five-game road trip and they have won the past three games by an average of 23.3 points. Boston had a four-game winning streak halted with Sunday’s 102-92 home loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves when Tatum was just 6-of-16 shooting despite having 16 points and 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double in eight games since returning.

Jaylen Brown scored 29 points to fall one shy of his fifth 30-point outing in six games but been a season-long force. He had 34 points in the recent game against the Thunder and another big performance should sink the OKC winning streak.

Celtics plus 2.5-point spread, -112 (DraftKings)

ATLANTA HAWKS AT DETROIT PISTONS

Atlanta figured out the secret to winning – trade Trae Young to anyone who would take him – and it is now thriving with 13 wins in the past 14 games. The Hawks currently hold a top-six playoff spot, something that didn’t seem possible when the club was four games under .500 at the All-Star break.

The Pistons lead the East but the loss of star Cade Cunningham – one of the best five players in the league this season – is a blow even though someone named Daniss Jenkins scored a career-high 30 points in Monday’s home win over the Los Angeles Lakers. All-Star Jalen Duren will be the focal point of the attack and he has scored 20 or more points in eight of the past nine games.

Jalen Johnson (shoulder) is thriving for the Hawks but could miss his third straight game. Nickeil Alexander-Walker has excelled this month with a 23.3 scoring average on 50.6% 3-point shooting and 96% free-throw shooting.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker to score 20 or more points, +100 (DraftKings)

MILWAUKEE BUCKS AT PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS

The offseason divorce between the Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo after 13 campaigns seems more and more likely with the friction continuing to increase. Antetokounmpo (hyperextended left knee) will miss his fifth straight game but has expressed he wants to play and the National Basketball Players Association scorched the franchise on Tuesday for refusing to play the healthy two-time MVP.

Milwaukee is in just as much disarray on the court with 11 setbacks in 14 games. The Bucks are 1-2 on a four-game road trip and the losses were by 32 points to the lowly Utah Jazz and 33 to the Clippers. Milwaukee looks sure to lose to Portland for the fifth straight meeting but also doesn’t seem capable of covering the very generous spread.

The Trail Blazers routed the Brooklyn Nets by 35 points on Monday when Toumani Camara established career highs of 35 points and nine 3-pointers. Odds certainly don’t favor a repeat performance – he’s -117 to score 13 or more points – but someone else will surely step up and help Portland to its sixth win in the past eight games.

Trail Blazers minus 12.5-point spread, -108 (DraftKings)