The end of the NBA regular season is always a volatile time for bettors. Normally I am a proponent of getting your money down as early as possible, but at this time of year it makes more sense to wait. What you may lose in terms of getting the best price, you make up for in not being on the wrong side of a late scratch. We can argue about how much we love or hate the way the NBA players sit out games, but you cannot deny it affects betting lines.
I mention this because the best bets lately are the ones we have seen in the FTNBets Discord. The points ladders on guys like Immanuel Quickley after Brunson was ruled out or Tyrese Maxey points over when James Harden and Joel Embiid sat. If you are not in the FTNBets Discord, click the link and get over there. If you do not have access to the premium channels, use this free trial link so you can be on top of those late-breaking plays. As far as early plays go, here are the three best bets for Tuesday.
Best NBA Moneyline Bet
Cleveland Cavaliers Moneyline
(-110, DraftKings Sportsbook)
The Cavs are one of the best teams in the NBA statistically. They score the seventh-most points per 100 possessions and give up the second fewest this season. Atlanta is also a team that has some offensive firepower, but Atlanta has been bottom 10 in the association on the defensive end. The game is in Atlanta, but that is not enough to keep me off the better team here. Cavs are the better team on both ends of the floor, so even on the road they should be favored.
Best NBA Points Prop Bets
Darius Garland Over 20.5 Points
(-120, PointsBet)
Darius Garland has torched the Hawks twice already this season. He had 26 and 33 points in the two previous matchups. He is a handful for a below-average defender in Trae Young to guard and should continue to produce here. The Cavs are the slowest-paced team in the league and Atlanta is in the top half, which means this is a paced-up spot for Garland. Atlanta ranks 21st for points allowed per 100 possessions, so this is a good spot for the Cavs offense. They should see more possessions and are facing a defense that will struggle to slow them down. That is the recipe for outsized production.
Jaren Jackson Over 21.5 Points
(-110, BetMGM)
This opened at 20.5 and is now up to 21.5 at standard -110 juice or worse on every book. Ja Morant is sitting out the front end of this back-to-back. The last four times Morant was out, Jaren Jackson picked up the scoring slack. He had 28 against Dallas, 31 against Golden State, 28 against the Spurs and 25 against Miami. That means he’s easily cleared his prop number without Ja and those games took place only a week ago. Desmond Bane‘s production has been steady with or without Ja. Tyus Jones replaces the minutes but tends to not take as many shots as Ja does. That means you have shots and points to distribute elsewhere. Jackson has been the guy soaking them up in Morant’s absence.