Peter’s Points: NBA Best Bets Today (Predictions, Prop Bets for Spurs-Lakers, Mikal Bridges, Raptors-Suns)

Sports Illustrated's Peter Dewey breaks down his favorite bets for the NBA action on Monday, March 17, including a pick for Mikal Bridges.

New York Knicks small forward Mikal Bridges is a solid prop target tonight. / Soobum Im-Imagn Images

The basketball world may be focused on the NCAA Tournament with Selection Sunday going down on March 16, but there isn’t any college basketball to watch on Monday, so why not turn the focus to the NBA?

Tonight’s 10-game NBA slate features a bunch of great matchups, including potential first-round playoff matchups between the Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets and the Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings. 

I’m eyeing several plays for this slate, including a moneyline parlay, a pair of player props and one underdog that I love to cover the spread.

Here’s a complete breakdown of Monday’s NBA Best Bets! 

NBA Best Bets Record to Date

• 2024-25 season record: 184-177-4 (-0.07 units)
• OVERALL (since 2021-22 season): 1194-1122-26 (+38.02 units)

Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.

NBA Best Bets Today

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

• Mikal Bridges OVER 25.5 Points, Rebounds and Assists (-115) – 0.5 unit
• Detroit Pistons-Los Angeles Lakers Moneyline Parlay (-147) – 0.5 unit
• Toronto Raptors +8.5 (-110) vs. Phoenix Suns – 0.5 unit
• Donte DiVincenzo OVER 11.5 Points (-115) – 0.5 unit

Mikal Bridges OVER 25.5 Points, Rebounds and Assists (-115) – 0.5 unit

With Jalen Brunson out of the lineup for the New York Knicks, wing Mikal Bridges has operated as one of the primary initiators of the team's offense. 

Despite a down scoring year for the price that the Knicks traded for him (New York gave up five first-round picks for Bridges), Bridges has cleared this prop in all four games since Brunson went down, registering 31, 26, 41 and 28 points, rebounds and assists. 

He hasn’t seen his shots increase at a crazy rate, but the Knicks wing always plays a ton of minutes and is hitting over 61 percent of his shots (on just over 14 attempts per game) since Brunson sprained his ankle.

I think he’ll have a lead role in the New York offense once again on Monday night. 

Detroit Pistons-Los Angeles Lakers Moneyline Parlay (-147) – 0.5 unit

Detroit Pistons

Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons are road favorites against the New Orleans Pelicans, who may be without Zion Williamson (questionable, personal reasons) in this matchup.

New Orleans got off to a strong start out of the All-Star break, but it has dropped seven of its last 10 games and 28th in the league in net rating over that stretch.

Meanwhile, Detroit is seventh in net rating over that same span despite losing back-to-back games and five of its last 10. The Pistons have been elite on the defensive end as of late (No. 2 in defensive rating in their last 10 games), and they’ve thrived as road favorites all season long, covering the spread in nine of 12 games in that spot.

For the sake of this parlay, we only need Detroit to win outright against an inferior opponent tonight. 

Los Angeles Lakers

This is the second night of a back-to-back for the Los Angeles Lakers after they knocked off the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.

However, they’re getting a crack at a San Antonio Spurs team that is without its two best players – Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox – for the rest of the 2024-25 season. 

San Antonio is just 22nd in the NBA in net rating over its last 10 games, and it has fallen out of the play-in tournament chase in the West. Meanwhile, the Lakers are fighting to stay in the top five in the conference, and they need every win they can get after falling from the No. 2 seed to the No. 5 seed due to a four-game skid last week. 

Very few teams have been better than the Lakers at home this season, as they’re 26-7 straight up and 16-9 against the spread – the third-best ATS record as a home favorite of any team in the NBA.

For the sake of this parlay, we only need Los Angeles to win outright on Monday. 

Toronto Raptors +8.5 (-110) vs. Phoenix Suns – 0.5 unit

The Phoenix Suns are coming off a loss to the Lakers on Sunday, and there are some concerning trends for them entering this matchup with Toronto:

• Phoenix is 7-15-1 against the spread as a home favorite this season.
• The Suns are 5-8-1 against the spread on the second night of a back-to-back this season.
• Toronto is 18-13 against the spread as a road underdog this season.

The Raptors covered the spread in a loss to Portland on Sunday, and they’ve actually posted the best defensive rating in the NBA over their last 10 games. Meanwhile, Phoenix is one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA, and it keeps shooting itself in the foot when it has a chance to make up ground for the No. 10 seed in the West. 

While I’m not totally sold on the Raptors pulling off the upset on the second night of a back-to-back, I do think that they can hang around in this matchup. Toronto has been resting some players over its last 10 games or so, but it is still 6-4 straight up in those matchups. 

Donte DiVincenzo OVER 11.5 Points (-115) – 0.5 unit

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo has really turned a corner shooting the ball this season, as he’s hitting 49.0 percent of his field goals and 48.1 percent of his 3-point shots since returning from a toe injury.

DiVincenzo has cleared 11.5 points in seven of 10 games since the injury, averaging 14.0 points on 10.2 shots per game during that stretch.

I love him against a fast-paced Indiana Pacers team tonight, especially since he’s scored nine or more points in all of these games, giving him a solid floor when it comes to this market. DiVincenzo started on Sunday for veteran Mike Conley (who was out for rest), but he should return to his high-volume bench role if Conley can go tonight.

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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