@KeepTheJuice21 NBA Picks - 3/31

This game has blowout written all over it. The Pistons are in a full tank and the 76ers are fighting for a top spot in the East. Philly -10 is a tempting bet but Harden can get cold and the Pistons could easily score a few points in garbage time to ruin the cover. So to me it all lines up for an under. The 76ers are a top defense and should have no problem shutting down the Pistons at any point. The Pistons have not been looked at like a good defensive team, which is where the line comes from, but they have a little more capability than they get credit for.

A lot of sharps are on the Bucks tonight and it’s hard to blame them. Giannis has been hot and the Bucks are aiming to take the lead in the Eastern Conference. But the Nets have some crucial seeding to play for themselves and have two elite scorers in KD and Kyrie. Here’s the key, Kyrie is now available for all home games and both he and KD will be on the floor, something the Bucks haven’t seen this season.

Given the gravity of this game for both teams, it’s not crazy to look back to the 2021 Eastern Conference Semis for reference. It also makes helps that in that series, the Nets had every combination of KD, Kyrie and Harden. Games 1 and 2 in Brooklyn, the Nets handled the Bucks without Harden and there was no answer for the ridiculous scoring duo. In games 4,5,6, and 7, the Nets got back Harden and lost Irving and went 1-3 to lose the series. To put it simply, the Bucks have a lot of trouble with Kyrie. We even saw it without KD when the Nets beat the Bucks in Milwaukee in February. We’ll see the same tonight but I would be surprised if it isn’t close so take the money line to be safe.