NBA Betting Picks (Saturday, Aug. 8): Our Staff’s Bets for Clippers vs. Blazers and Suns vs. Heat

NBA action at the Orlando bubble rolls on with five games today, four of which are slated to be on National TV between TNT and ESPN.

Where's the value? Our staff is here to break down their favorite NBA bets for today's slate and has found angles in two games:

• 1 p.m. ET: Los Angeles Clippers vs. Portland Trail Blazers
• 7:30 p.m. ET: Phoenix Suns vs. Miami Heat

Saturday NBA Betting Picks

Odds via DraftKings. Get up to a $1,000 sign-up bonus at DraftKings today or see more offers and reviews for the best online sportsbooks.

Brandon Anderson: Clippers vs. Trail Blazers

A bet on the Portland Trail Blazers is a bet on motivation and momentum. The Blazers are 3-0-1 ATS in the bubble and look increasingly like the favorite to move into the No. 8 spot in the West.

This is a vastly different team than the one we saw for most of the season. Jusuf Nurkic is back and far healthier than expected — he makes this team so much better on both ends. Combine that with the fact that Carmelo Anthony and Gary Trent Jr. are shooting 58% combined from three in the bubble, (seriously, they're 30-of-51 through four), and the Blazers have been on fire from the jump.

As for the LA Clippers? They look exactly like they have in the regular season, which is to say that they aren’t overextending themselves if they don't have to do so. Kawhi Leonard will be resting Saturday and that is a pretty good indicator of how the Clippers view this game. You don’t think they would love to see the LA Lakers have to face Portland in Round 1? I sure do.

Pick: Trail Blazers -4

[Bet $20+ on the Trail Blazers at PointsBet and Win $125 if they make at least one 3-pointer]

Bryan Mears: Suns vs. Heat

The Heat could be quite shorthanded today with Kendrick Nunn and Jimmy Butler ruled out, plus Goran Dragic questionable with an ankle injury that held him out of last game. That means play-making duties could fall to guys like Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson, which stretches their games beyond what they’re used to.

The Suns, meanwhile, continue to play really impressive basketball. They’re now 4-0 in the bubble and clearly are in a groove. Devin Booker has been one of the best players in the bubble so far, period.

You could argue Suns +2.5 was incorrect in the first place, so the movement to -1.5 with Nunn and Butler (and maybe Dragic out) may not be enough. I’d prefer the moneyline here at -116 (FanDuel) if Dragic can’t go. If he does go, wait for it to move a bit back towards the Heat, and I’ll still likely prefer the Suns price.

The PICK: Suns -116

[Bet the Suns now at FanDuel. NJ, PA, CO, IN and WV only.]