The NBA regular season continues with an excellent 8-game slate today — Tuesday, March 17.
Our NBA betting experts dug into the latest odds and identified best bets for five of tonight's contests, including picks for Thunder vs. Magic, Cavaliers vs. Bucks, Spurs vs. Kings, and more.
Continue below for today's NBA best bets, expert picks, and predictions.
NBA Best Bets for Tuesday, March 17
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 8 p.m. | |
  | 8 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. | ||
Pistons vs. Wizards Player Prop Pick
By Joe Dellera
The Pistons are huge favorites over the Wizards tonight — and whenever Detroit is in a potential blowout position, I like to target Cade Cunningham‘s assists prop.
Cade has recorded double-digit assists in 12-of-14 games when Detroit has been a double-digit favorite this season — and that number is 12 out of 13 when the Pistons actually covered and won the games.
Naturally, the one loss was against this same Wizards team.
The Wizards are much more focused on their future at this point in the season, as opposed to securing wins down the stretch — and this aligns perfectly for Cunningham.
Cade has now recorded 11+ assists in seven straight games that fit this criteria — and I expect him to continue that trend tonight.
Pick: Cade Cunningham Over 9.5 Assists (-140)
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Thunder vs. Magic Prop Bet
Action PRO is projecting 7.5 points for Jett Howard in the Magic's matchup against the Thunder tonight, showing a massive 24.1% edge against his current prop line of over/under 5.5, which is strong enough to tag the Over with an A+ grade in our database.
Howard is only averaging 5.4 points on 12.5 minutes per game on the season for the Magic. However, we have seen those numbers take a sharp uptick over the last 10 days or so.
Howard enters tonight's contest having played 19+ minutes in five straight games, which has resulted in him scoring 8+ points or more in all five of those contests, while scoring 10+ points in three of them.
Tonight, the Magic draw a brutal matchup against a Thunder team that ranks 1st in defensive rating and 2nd in points allowed per game. However, given the amount of playing time Jett has received lately, he should still be able to clear this line.
Pick: Jett Howard Over 5.5 Points (-125)
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Cavaliers vs. Bucks Spread Prediction
By Matt Moore
Jarrett Allen is out for the Cavaliers, and that's a huge deal.
Cleveland is now 5-12 ATS without Allen, and the Under is 11-6 in those games. Allen's absence has a major impact on the Cavaliers’ offense and their ability to run spread pick-and-roll.
But ultimately, the Cavaliers are too much for Milwaukee to handle here. I think we'll see Cleveland stomp the Bucks without Giannis tonight.
I project the spread for this game at Cavaliers -13.
Jaylon Tyson missed Sunday’s game against the Mavericks, and the Cavaliers are now 2-4 without him.
Simply having Tyson back is enough to get me to lay the points with Cleveland here, even without Allen — albeit unenthusiastically.
Pick: Cavaliers -10.5 (-110)
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Suns vs. Timberwolves Moneyline Pick
By Bet Labs
This NBA moneyline betting targets road teams positioned for outright wins when undervalued by the market during regular season play, such as the Suns in this spot.
Teams entering a road stretch after consecutive away games often build rhythm and cohesion that sharpens their focus, especially when facing opponents with modest win streaks.
When the opponent’s previous game came against a weaker team and they enter this matchup slightly overconfident, the road team benefits from a motivational edge.
Moneyline ranges in this zone capture underdogs or small favorites that have the talent to compete but are priced at a discount due to travel fatigue or perception bias.
Historically, these teams capitalize on opponents riding short winning runs by controlling tempo and playing with higher urgency, producing profitable upsets and solid returns over time.
So, let's back the Suns to win outright in tonight's matchup against the Timberwolves.
Pick: Suns Moneyline (+145)
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Spurs vs. Kings ATS Best Bet
By Matt Moore
The Spurs are 9-4 ATS on the second night of a back-to-back this season. There’s no real sense of who will play in this one as of this writing, but I won’t be surprised if some of the veterans like De’Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell sit out tonight, even if Victor Wembanyama goes.
DeMar DeRozan has been playing great lately, and he’s the kind of player who can give the Spurs’ defense issues with his ability to get buckets.
I’m not saying I love betting the Kings here, but they are playing well right now, and the Spurs are in a lookahead / letdown spot coming off the Clippers game.
Pick: Kings +13.5 (-110)
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