NBA Best Bets: Back the Hawks at Home

Even with Trae Young expected to return for the Hawks, the spread has moved in favor of the Spurs. Which team should you bet on Tuesday night?

Glad to be back at it after some well-deserved rest and relaxation. We have had a pretty good start to the season, so let's keep it up Tuesday night with this six-game slate.

San Antonio Spurs at Atlanta Hawks: Hawks +5.5, Under 221 Points

Trae Young makes his return to the Hawks lineup this evening when they take on the Spurs. The Hawks have lost their last three games after winning two games in a row to open the season. The Spurs are off to a 4-2 start with three of those wins coming at home. Their lone road victory was against the lottery-bound Warriors. The Spurs opened up as 3-point road favorites, and you know we don't bet short road favorites. This line began moving in the Hawks direction, as it pushed all the way up to Spurs -5.5. 

Even with Young back in the lineup, the public is enamored with the Spurs. Atlanta will be without John Collins Tuesday night, as he was suspended for 25 games earlier in the day for violating the league's drug policy. The Spurs successfully laid seven points on the road last week vs. the Warriors. The Hawks, unlike the Warriors, are not a G League team. Atlanta will easily cover the 5.5, and I'm gonna drip on the moneyline. The Hawks have played five games this season, and the under cashed in all five games. The Spurs are 3-3 O/U. The total opened up at 218 and has been bet up to 221. The last four games in this series have gone under the total. I will be betting the under tonight.

Orlando Magic at Oklahoma City Thunder: Magic Under 100.5 Points 

This is not one of the more intriguing games of the night, but there is a good chance to win a bet. Neither the Orlando Magic nor the Oklahoma City Thunder have played in a single game this season that has gone over the number. The Thunder and the Magic are both 0-5-1 O/U, which is pretty insane if you ask me. The Magic have not scored over 100 points in a single game this season. The total on this game opened up at 204 and was bet down to 203. That's a pretty low total for a professional basketball game. I think the Thunder will win this game and score over 100 points in doing so, which could push this over the total. The bet I like is the Magic team total, which sits at 100.5 I will be betting the under on that and bypassing the game total.

Los Angeles Lakers at Chicago Bulls: Lakers -7

I just wrote last week about how much I hate betting on LeBron James teams in nationally televised games. Well, the Lakers are on a five-game winning streak straight up and against the spread. What's impressive is the Lakers are laying numbers successfully every night. Tonight's matchup with the Bulls will be the Lakers’ third straight road game. They have a pair of impressive victories over the Spurs and Mavericks. The Bulls will be no match for the Lakers tonight, and Los Angeles is a value at -7. I would lay the number all the way up to 10.

Season record: 9-3