Monday's NBA Games Odds, Predictions and Picks For March 4, 2019

Seven games are on the NBA’s schedule for Monday, March 4th and with playing dates passing us by, the playoff picture is starting to get clearer.

The Jazz try to move up the playoff ladder when they host the Pelicans while the Kings try to climb back to the Top 8, On the other hand, the Bucks try to strengthen their hold on the best record in the league and the Nuggets look to keep pace with the leaders after falling off the track recently.

Let’s take a look at some of the important games scheduled for March 4, 2019:

New Orleans Pelicans at Utah Jazz

The New Orleans Pelicans go on the road to take on the Utah Jazz at the Vivint Smart Home Arena on Monday night.

The Pelicans head to Utah brimming with confidence after the team’s huge upset win over the Denver Nuggets in Mile High last Saturday. New Orleans stormed back from an early 19-point deficit to beat the Nuggets 120-112 behind 29 points from guard Jrue Holiday and 28 points from forward Julius Randle.

Holiday has been the Pelicans’ main man since they limited Anthony Davis’ minutes after being unable to trade their disgruntled star at the trade deadline. Holiday is averaging 21.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 1.6 steals on the season. Randle meanwhile is putting up 20.5 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in his first season with the Pelicans. Elfrid Payton is playing well as a starter, averaging 9.9 points, 6.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

The Pelicans rank 3rd in the league in scoring at 116.0 points per game. They are also 4th in both passing and rebounding at 27.0 dimes per contest and 47.2 boards per outing, respectively. New Orleans however, is allowing the 5th most points in the NBA at 115.1 opponent points per game.

New Orleans Pelicans vs Utah Jazz Odds

The Jazz also enter this game with plenty of confidence as well as they too, rallied from double-digits to beat the NBA’s best team Milwaukee Bucks in Utah. Their victory was perhaps even more impressive because Utah came from 17 points down in the final period to win 115-111.

Donovan Mitchell lead the Jazz with a career-high 46 points including 18 in the final eight minutes of the game. Mitchell leads the Jazz this season with 23.3 points and 1.4 steals per game. Rudy Gobert is the defensive anchor of the team with 12.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per contest while also scoring 15.3 points per game. Ricky Rubio leads the team with 5.9 assists aside from scoring 13.1 points per game. Joe Ingles is also having a fine season with 11.9 points, 5.1 assists and 1.3 steals per outing.

Utah is the 20th ranked scoring team in the NBA at 110.2 points per game. The Jazz are ranked 12th in passing with 25.1 assists per game. They are also ranked 10th in rebounding with 45.9 boards grabbed per contest. The Jazz are 6th best defensive team in the league at 106.7 opponent points per game allowed.

New Orleans is 5-5 SU in its last 10 games played. The Pelicans are 2-3 SU in their last five road games. Utah is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games played and the Jazz are 6-1 SU in their last seven home games. Head to head, the Jazz are 8-2 SU in their last 10 games versus the Pelicans.

The Pelicans have been resilient and despite the Anthony Davis situation, they have continued to play hard. New Orleans has won back to back games and Jrue Holiday is averaging 25 points and 7 assists in those game while Julius Randle is also putting up 25 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest.

The Jazz have played well with Donovan Mitchell scoring 27.5 points in his last 10 games played. Utah’s sophomore star has picked up his game in 2019 after a slow start to the season. Mitchell displayed tremendous poise against Giannis and the Bucks the last time out. Look for him to dominate against the Pelicans on Monday.

Give credit to the Pelicans for their valiant effort. But this is a Utah team that is on a mission. With Donovan Mitchell powering the offense and Rudy Gobert anchoring the defense, the Pelicans will be undermarched with Anthony Davis’ minutes limited once again.

I’m picking the Utah Jazz to beat the New Orleans Pelicans on 3/4/19.

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The Pelicans are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games played. New Orleans is 3-2 ATS in their last five games on the road. The Jazz are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games played. Utah is 4-3 ATS in its last seven games on road. Head to head, the Jazz are 7-2-1 ATS in their last 10 meetings against the Pelicans.

New Orleans is 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games against teams with a winning record, 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games on the road and 4-1 ATS in their last five games overall. The Jazz are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games against their Western Conference rivals, 4-0 ATS in their last four games against teams with a losing record and 6-2 ATS in their last eight games overall. The Pelicans have played well against the spread but the Jazz have played better both SU and ATS. And yes, the Pelicans are 6-13-3 in their last 22 games in Utah so

I’m picking the Utah Jazz to cover the -9.5 spread.

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The total has gone over in six out of the last 10 games played by the Pelicans. The over is 3-2 in New Orleans’ last five games on the road. The Jazz have seen the total go over in six out of their last 10 games played. The over is 5-2 in Utah’s last seven home games.

The total has gone under in Utah’s last four Monday games and the under is 5-0 in New Orleans’ last five games overall. The Pelicans are the 3rd highest scoring team in the league but they are up against a Utah defense that is 3rd in defensive efficiency and 6th in scoring defense. The Jazz aren’t also a high scoring team so that doesn’t help either.

I’m picking the teams to go under the total of 230.5 set for this game.

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New York Knicks at Sacramento Kings

The New York Knicks head west to visit the Sacramento Kings on Monday night at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California.

The Knicks’ two-game winning streak ended against fellow cellar dweller Cleveland Cavaliers last Thursday night as New York blew a 14-point four quarter lead and lost 118-125. With the loss, the Knicks retained their position as the bottom team in the Eastern Conference.

Dennis Smith Jr. is reviving his career in New York by averaging 15.5 points, 6.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Emmanuel Mudiay is scoring 14.8 points and dishing off 3.8 assists per contest while rookie Kevin Knox is contributing 12.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Allonzo Trier and Damyean Dotson are scoring 10.5 and 9.8 points per game this season.

New York is ranked 26th in team scoring at 105.9 points per game this season. The Knicks are also averaging 20.0 assists per game, the fewest among the 30 teams in the league. They are also 22nd in rebounding at 44.5 boards per contest. New York ranks 25th in scoring defense at 114.1 points per contest.

New York Knicks vs Sacramento Kings Odds

The Sacramento Kings have seen their playoff aspirations take a serious hit as of late as they have lost three in a row and five out of their last six games played. In their last game on Friday night, the Kings suffered a crucial 109-116 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in Sacramento. The loss put the Kings three games behind the Clippers for the 8th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Buddy Hield leads Sacramento with 20.9 points per game while also grabbing 5.2 rebounds and issuing 2.3 assists per game. De’Aaron Fox is having an excellent season with 17.2 points and 7.3 assists per game while Bogdan Bogdanovic is scoring 14.8 points amd 4.1 assists per game.

Sacramento has the 8th best scoring average in the league at 113.9 points per game. The Kings are ranked 9th in passing at 25.6 assists per game and they are 14th in rebounding at 45.3 boards per contest. Sacramento has the 4th worst scoring defense in the NBA at 115.2 opponent points per game allowed.

The Knicks are 3-7 SU in their last 10 games played. New York is 1-2 SU in its last three road games. The Kings are 4-6 SU in their last 10 games played. Sacramento is 3-3 SU in its last six home games. Head to head, the Kings are 6-4 SU in their last 10 meetings against the Knicks.

New York has gotten good mileage from undrafted rookie Alonzo Trier who is averaging 15.7 points and shooting 56% in his last six games. Dennis Smith Jr. has been the spark for the Knicks who have won three out of their last 10 games. DeAndre Jordan may not play in this game because he has missed four games with an ankle injury.

The Kings have struggled with Marvin Bagley III who was putting up a string of double-double games before he suffered a knee sprain. Bagley is expected to be out for two weeks and the Kings have to pick up the slack while he is on sick bay. Look for Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic to lead the team in scoring again.

Sacramento’s the much better team this season but the Knicks have played better since getting Dennis Smith Jr. Not only has New York been more competitive, they picked up wins over the Spurs and Magic last week. However, I think the young Kings are still hungrier and should pick up the win here.

I’m picking the Sacramento Kings to beat the New York Knicks on 3/4/19.

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New York is 4-6 ATS in its last 10 games played. The Knicks are 1-2 ATS in their last three road game played. Sacramento is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games played. The Kings are 4-2 ATS in their last six home games played. Head to head, the Knicks are 5-4-1 ATS in their last 10 games against the Kings.

The Knicks are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games against teams from the Pacific Division, 2-5 ATS in their last seven Monday games and 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games overall. Sacramento is 4-0 ATS in their last four games when playing on two days rest, 11-2 ATS in their last 13 home games and 9-3 ATS in their last dozen games overall. Sacramento’s been a much better team this season but they have struggled since Bagley got hurt. On the other hand, the Knicks have played better with Dennis Smith Jr. at the helm. This is the first time that the Kings are double-digit favorites this season so while I don’t like New York, I’m not sure if I can trust the Kings to cover this twin-digit spread without Bagley.

I hate to say this but I’m taking the plus points and picking the Knicks to cover with the +12 spread.

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The under is 3-2 in the Knicks’ last five games played. New York has seen the total go over in two out of their last three road games. The under is 6-4 in Utah’s last 10 games played and the under is also 4-2 in their last six home games. Head to head, the under is 3-1 in the last four meetings between these teams.

The total has gone under in five out of the last six road games of the Knicks against teams with winning home records and the total has gone under in four out of their last five games against teams from the Western Conference. The under is 4-1 in the Kings’ last five home games against teams with a losing home record and also under in four out of their last five games played at home. Sacramento is a high scoring team but the Knicks won’t help them hit the total here.

I’m picking these teams to go under the total of 231.5 points set for this contest.

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Milwaukee Bucks at Phoenix Suns

The Milwaukee Bucks take the NBA’s best record to the valley of the sun when they face the Phoenix Suns at the Talking Stick Resort Arena on Monday night.

The Bucks saw their eight game winning streak end at the hands of the Utah Jazz on Saturday night despite Giannis Antetokounmpo scoring 43 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Despite the loss Milwaukee has won 14 out of its last 16 games and still has the NBA’s best record at 48-15.

Antetokounmpo leads Milwaukee with 27.1 points, 12.6 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. First-time all-star Khris Middleton has been lights out with 17.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. Eric Bledsoe and Malcolm Brogdon are scoring 15.9 and 16.1 points per game, respectively for Milwaukee.

Milwaukee is the second highest scoring team in the league at 117.5 points per game. They are also the 6th best passing team in the NBA at 26.2 assists per game. The Bucks are ranked #1 in rebounds at 49.1 boards per contest and they are also the 9th best defensive team at 108.1 points per game allowed.

Milwaukee Bucks vs Phoenix Suns Odds

Don’t look now but the Phoenix Suns have won two out of their last three games played. On Saturday night, the Suns dealt a big blow to the playoff hopes of the Los Angeles Lakers as the beat LeBron and company 118-109 behind 26 points from DeAndre Ayton and 25 from Devin Booker.

Booker leads the Suns in scoring and passing at 24.7 points and 6.7 assists per game. Ayton is also having an excellent rookie season with 16.6 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. Kelly Oubre Jr. and Josh Jackson are adding 15.7 and 11.1 points pe game respectively. On  the other hand, Mikal Bridges is scoring 8.1 points while averaging 1.6 steals per game.

The Suns are ranked 24th in scoring at 106.5 points per game scored. They are the 19th best passing team with 23.9 assists per game and they are also ranked last in the league in rebounding at 40.1 boards per contest. Phoenix has the third-worst scoring defense in the NBA at 116.3 points per game scored.

The Bucks are 8-2 SU in their last 10 games played and Milwaukee is 6-1 SU in their last seven home games. The Suns are 2-8 in their last 10 games played and Phoenix is 1-3 SU in their last three home games. Head to head, the Bucks are 7-3 SU in their last 10 meetings.

Milwaukee has a pair of key players who could miss this contest due to injuries. Eric Bledsoe is questionable with a back injury while Malcolm Brogdon is also questionable with an injured heel. Aside from these potential absences, Milwaukee is on a roll right now and dominating the NBA.

As for the Suns, they have won two out of three but this has been a season of struggles really. Booker and Ayton are having fantastic seasons but outside the two, Phoenix hasn’t found consistent scoring. Phoenix has one of the worst records in the league and is headed to the draft lottery.

Khris dropped 29 PTS, 9 REB, 6 AST last night in Utah!!#FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/2mjdJghXTr

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) March 3, 2019

Milwaukee’s playing at a different level right now. Not only do they have the deeper lineup here, they are one of the hottest teams in the league as well.I don’t think the Suns have enough firepower to match the Bucks nor do they have the stopper to stop him from scoring.

I’m picking the Milwaukee Bucks to beat the Phoenix Suns 04 3/4/19.

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Milwaukee is 6-4 ATS in its last 10 games played. The Bucks are 6-1 ATS in their last seven road games played. Phoenix is 4-6 ATS in its last 10 games played. The Suns are 3-1 ATS in their last four games played at home. Head to head, the Suns are 3-1 ATS in their last four games against the Bucks.

Milwaukee is 5-1-1 ATS in their last seven Monday games and 13-3 ATS in their last 16 games against teams with a winning percentage of below .400. Phoenix is 0-7 ATS in their last seven games after an ATS win, 1-5 ATS in their last six games when their opponents scores more than 100 points in their previous game and 0-4 ATS in their last four games against the Central Division. The Bucks are just too good for the Suns.

I’m picking Milwaukee to cover the spread against the Suns.

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The over is 4-1 in the Bucks’ last five games played. The total has gone over in four out of Milwaukee’s last seven games played. The under is 6-4 in the Suns’ last 10 games played. The under is 18-13 in Phoenix’s 31 home games.

The under is 9-0 in the last nine games played by Milwaukee and 5-1 in their last six road games against a team with a winning home record. The total has gone under in five out of the last six home games of the Suns against teams with a winning road record., 4-1 ATS in their last five games when playing on one day rest and 4-1 ATS in in their last five games after an ATS win.

Given fatigue and the possibility of their top two guards missing yet another game, I’m picking the teams to go under the total for this contest.

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Denver Nuggets vs San Antonio Spurs

The Denver Nuggets travel to Texas for an inter-conference showdown against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night at the AT&T Center in San Antonio.

The Nuggets are trying to snap a two-game losing streak on Monday night. Denver lost back to back home games to the Utah Jazz and to the New Orleans Pelicans last week and finished a four-game home stand with a 2-2 SU record. The Nuggets hope to get back on track with a road win over the slumping Spurs.

Nikola Jokic leads the way for the Nuggets. Denver’s unicorn is averaging 20.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Jamal Murray is having his best season with 18.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. Veteran Paul Millsap has picked up his game, averaging 16.4 points and 10.6 rebounds in his last 10 games played. Isaiah Thomas is averaging 10.2 points per game in his first six games with the Nuggets.

Denver is the 14th highest scoring team in the league at 112.2 points per game. The Nuggets are 2nd in assists at 27.6 dimes per contest and they are also 6th off the glass with 46.9 boards per contest. Denver has the 7th best scoring defense in the NBA at 107.2 opponent points per game allowed.

Denver Nuggets vs San Antonio Spurs Odds

The Spurs hope to keep their momentum going after back to back wins over the Detroit Pistons and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Prior to those victories, the Spurs had lost seven out of their last eight games. LaMarcus Aldridge continues his strong play for the Spurs as he scored 27 points and grabbed 10 boards against the Thunder on Saturday night.

Aldridge is averaging 20.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. DeMar DeRozan leads the Spurs with 21.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1 steal per game while veteran forward Rudy Gay is averaging 14.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Bryn Forbes and Marco Belinelli are also helping out with 11.9 and 10.9 points per game, respectively.

San Antonio is the 17th best scoring team in the league at 112.0 points per game. The Spurs are ranked 16th in passing at 24.3 assists per game and they are also the 21st best rebounding team in the NBA at 44.5 boards per contest. San Antonio is allowing their opponents to score 111.2 points per game which is ranked 14th among 30 teams.

The Nuggets are 5-5 SU in their last 10 games played. Denver is 1-3 in its last four road games played. The Spurs are 3-7 SU in their last 10 games played and 2-0 SU in their last two home games played. Head to head, the Spurs are 6-4 SU in their last 10 meetings.

The Nuggets have uncharacteristically lost two games in a row and both at home. We know Denver is one of the best home teams in the league this season. Meanwhile, the Spurs were 1-7 SU in their annual rodeo trip but  they have bounced back to win back to back games heading to this contest. The Spurs do play much better at home than they do away from it but I’m expecting the Nuggets to play extra harder to get back on track.

Aldridge has been explosive for the Spurs while Jokic has been spectacular for the Nuggets. These teams split their first two games this season with the home team winning each contest. San Antonio has also won 74 out of the 93 overall games played in San Antonio and the Nuggets are 15-14 SU on the road while the Spurs are 24-7 SU at home this season.

Denver is also struggling right now but while San Antonio also has balanced scoring, the Nuggets have the more deeper rotation right now. I think the Spurs give this a good fight but Denver’s depth will be too much.

Give me the Nuggets to beat the Spurs at home.

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Denver is 4-6 ATS in its last 10 games played. The Nuggets are 1-3 ATS in their last four games on the road. The Spurs are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games played. San Antonio is 2-0 ATS in their last two home games. Head to head, the Spurs are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games against the Nuggets.

The Nuggets are 7-19 ATS in their last 26 games versus the Southwest Division, 2-6 ATS in their last eight games when playing on one day rest and 2-7 ATS in their last nine road games. The Spurs are 1-8 ATS in their last nine games when playing on one day rest, 3-10 ATS in their last 13 games overall but 15-6 ATS in their last 21 home games. The Nuggets are also 1-5 ATS in their last six games in San Antonio. San Antonio’s a different team at home and on the road. But the Spurs have lost seven of ten SU and have covered just thrice in their last 13 games. The Nuggets are likewise in a funk against the spread but they’re playing more consistent basketball this year.

I’m picking the Denver Nuggets to cover the -1 spread.

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The total has gone under in seven out of the last 10 games played by Denver. The over is 7-3 in the Spurs’ last 10 games but the under is 2-0 in San Antonio’s last two home games. Head to head, the over is 6-4 in the last 10 meetings between the Nuggets and Spurs.

The under is 4-0 in Denver’s last four games when playing on one day rest, 5-0 in their last five games against the Western Conference and 5-0 in their last five games overall. The total has also gone under in 23 out of the last 32 games between the Nuggets and Spurs when playing in San Antonio. These team play physical against each other and I’m expecting a tough defensive effort from both teams.

I’m picking the teams to go under the total of 228 points for this game.

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