The NBA regular season continues with an excellent 8-game slate today — Monday, March 16.
Our NBA betting experts dug into the latest odds and identified best bets for five of tonight's contests, including picks for Magic vs. Hawks, Lakers vs. Rockets, Spurs vs. Clippers, and more.
Continue below for our NBA best bets, expert picks, and predictions for Monday.
NBA Best Bets for Monday, March 16
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
  | 9:30 p.m. | |
  | 10 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NBA Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Magic vs. Hawks Spread Prediction
In tonight's "battle of the win streaks," I’ll take the better team catching points in this spot.
The Hawks have won nine games in a row, which is an impressive feat, but only one of those wins came against a team above .500 — and that team was the 76ers, who were without Joel Embiid, of course.
The Magic have won seven straight games, which includes tough wins over Cleveland, Miami, and Minnesota.
I'm buying into the Magic's recent success far more than the Hawks' right now. Let's take the points with Orlando on Monday night.
Pick: Magic +2.5 (-110)
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Trail Blazers vs. Nets Player Prop Pick
By Joe Dellera
The Blazers draw a matchup against Brooklyn tonight in what is a back-to-back spot for Portland, and the key thing here is that Donovan Clingan is averaging 16 points, 15.5 rebounds, and 3.1 assists on no days of rest this season.
The biggest factor here is that Robert Williams usually sits those games. That means Clingan gets more minutes, and more run at center at his own speed and pace.
Clingan should be able to beat up Brooklyn pretty badly on the boards tonight — both offensively and defensively.
Plus, in a game where Williams is almost certainly going to sit, Clingan will likely see a boost in minutes in this spot as well.
Pick: Donovan Clingan Over 27.5 Points & Rebounds (-115)
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Suns vs. Celtics Spread Pick
By Bet Labs
The NBA spread betting system titled "Visitor Recent Dogs Losing Streak" focuses on regular season matchups where struggling road underdogs offer hidden value, such as the Suns in this spot.
Teams on short losing streaks both straight up and against the spread often become undervalued in the market, as public sentiment turns sharply against them.
These spots tend to produce inflated lines that fail to reflect the small margins separating most teams, especially when the visiting side has already been in the role of the underdog for consecutive games.
Such teams frequently respond with higher energy and focus after a string of poor performances, particularly when traveling, where distractions are limited, and motivation is heightened to end a skid.
This system capitalizes on market overreaction to recent losses, finding edges where perception diverges from reality and resilient road teams quietly bounce back to outperform expectations.
Action PRO projects the spread for this game at Celtics -4.7, presenting an excellent 12.1% edge against the current line, which is strong enough to tag Suns +8.5 with an A+ grade in our database.
Pick: Suns +8.5 (-110)
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Lakers vs. Rockets Player Prop Prediction
By Joe Dellera
The Rockets face off against the Lakers tonight, and I’m looking at Amen Thompson in this matchup.
Thompson is excellent at attacking the rim and getting into the teeth of the defense. He puts pressure on opposing teams with his size and athleticism.
The Lakers are weak inside of the restricted area. They do not have a great rim presence, and their defense is a bit lacking overall with Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves taking up a lot of space.
Thompson has already crushed this defense with a 26-point performance back on Christmas, and other players like him have had success. Zion Williamson and Josh Giddey are players that both try and get to the rim frequently — and both guys found success against the Lakers recently.
I’ll back Amen in the scoring department on Monday night.
Pick: Amen Thompson Over 18.5 Points (-125)
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Spurs vs. Clippers Prop Bet
Action PRO is projecting 6.7 rebounds for Bennedict Mathurin in the Clippers' matchup against the Spurs tonight, showing a solid 12.9% edge against his current prop line of over/under 5.5, which is good enough to tag the Over with a B+ grade in our system.
If the oddsmakers are going to keep offering us this line at a decent price, we are going to keep betting it.
In 15 games since joining the Clippers at the trade deadline, Mathurin has now recorded 6+ rebounds in 10 of those contests, while reaching 7+ rebounds in seven of them; and getting all the way up to 8+ rebounds in three of those outings.
Plus, his rebounding numbers were a little bit shakier when he first joined the team. Mathurin enters tonight's contest having recorded 6+ rebounds in nine of his last 12 games.
So, we will go back to the well here and take Mathurin over 5.5 rebounds in this spot.
Pick: Bennedict Mathurin Over 5.5 Rebounds (-115)
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