NBA Betting Picks: Magic vs. Mavericks Among Our Experts’ 3 Favorite Bets

There are nine games on Wednesday's NBA slate. The bad news is Kawhi Leonard is out vs. the Bucks and all of the notable Warriors are out vs. the Rockets.

The good news? Our NBA crew still sees some betting value in tonight's games. They've detailed their favorite plays for tonight below.

Odds as of Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. ET.  Check out PointsBet, where Action Network users can access an exclusive promotion to get a 200% deposit match (deposit $50, bet with $150).

Wob: Knicks at Pistons

• Spread: Pistons -4
• Total: 206.5
• Time: 7 p.m. ET

If you’re going to continue to hang terrible Knicks lines after they have their scheduled stinker at home every week, I’m going to continue to bang them and cash out.

New York’s embarrassing loss at home on Sunday night was the first time all season they didn’t bring Game 7 energy, the only advantage they hold over every other team in the league. That will be remedied tonight, guaranteed.

With Elfrid Payton out again and DSJ still away from the team, expect a lot of RJ Barrett at point guard … almost 40 minutes worth. That is a good thing.

The Pistons are as banged up as any team in the league, and the only reason they have wins is because of Andre Drummond and his vastly improved play this season. As always, we all know why Drummond is able to put up 20/20 every night like it’s nothing and that ability to own the glass will be neutralized by a Godzilla with bounce in Mitchell Robinson and a desperate power forward carousel with their backs against the wall.

The Knicks will have a big lead at some point in this game, just don’t watch the fourth quarter if you want to live past 60.

The PICK: Knicks +4[In New Jersey? Bet now at PointsBet]

Brandon Anderson: Knicks at Pistons

What if I told you … two NBA teams would play a full game in 2019 without a single starting level point guard?

If the next great 30 for 30 sounds a little bleak to you, you may want to stay away from Knicks-Pistons tonight. Reggie Jackson, Derrick Rose, and Tim Frazier are all out for Detroit. Dennis Smith Jr. and Elfrid Payton are expected missing for New York.

There are a lot of angles on ugly basketball. The under is one of them. Experts have been hammering that already, and the total has plummeted from 211 to 206, and counting. But in a game featuring Bruce Brown and Frank Ntilikina as the de facto point guards, let’s give the ball to R.J. Barrett and see what happens.

Barrett hasn’t played in two days, so Coach Fizdale will probably play Barrett approximately 793 minutes (seriously, he's fourth in the NBA with 37.1 minutes per game). He has settled in as a passer, with two five-assist outings in his past four games.

Our FantasyLabs models project Barrett at 5.5 assists. He will have the ball in his hands all game and should have plenty of chances to create.

The PICK: R.J. Barrett over 3.5 assists[In New Jersey? Bet now at PointsBet]

John Ewing: Magic at Mavericks Odds

• Spread: Mavericks -7.5
• Over/Under: 208
• Time: 8:30 p.m. ET

The Magic have lost three in a row and are playing the second night of a back-to-back on the road. This looks like a great spot to fade Orlando, but history suggests this is a buy-low opportunity.

Since 2004, it has been profitable to bet team playing consecutive games as long as they meet two criteria: the game is on the road and it takes place early in the season.

This scenario has been profitable because home court advantage is overrated and early in the season teams are fresh and less likely to be fatigued by a back-to-back.

A $100 bettor following this strategy has returned a profit of $5,801 since 2004.

About 21% of spread tickets are on the Magic +7.5. It is easy to understand why bettors would shy away from Orlando but this is a great contrarian spot to back the Magic.

The PICK: Magic +7.5[In New Jersey? Bet now at PointsBet]