Handicapping the NBA: Wednesday Roundtable

Handicapping the NBA: Wednesday Roundtable

This article is part of our NBA Picks series.

Below, the RotoWire crew outlines some of their favorite bets of the day:

Alex Barutha: Aaron Gordon over 28.5 points+rebounds+assists (-118) vs. Hawks -- DraftKings, 11:35 AM CT

Gordon has taken things up a notch this month. He's averaging 19.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists across nine February games. Notably, the Magic have only averaged 107.8 points per game this month, and they're expected to score 115 against the Hawks tonight, so Gordon is in a better spot than usual. On the season, Atlanta gives up the second-most points per game (119.0), the third-most rebounds per game (47.1) and the 11th-most assists per game (24.7).

Nick Whalen: Celtics to cover 4.5pts at Utah -- DraftKings Sportsbook, 11:30AM CT

This is a tough spot for Boston, which comes in on the second half of a back-to-back in the midst of a Western Conference roadtrip. Boston lost a close on in Los Angeles on Sunday but got a convincing win over the undermanned Blazers last night. It was another monster game for Jayson Tatum, who now has at least four made three-pointers in eight of his last nine games. I think he continues to roll in Utah, which has surprisingly been a bottom-10 defense in the league over its last 10 games, and a bottom five defensive over its last five. The Jazz allowed 131 points to the Suns -- the Suns -- on Monday night. Yes, there's an argument to be made that Utah, which has dropped three straight, needs this win more than Boston. I'm not saying the Celtics necessarily win the game, but I like them to cover 4.5 points. The Celtics are 12-4 ATS as underdogs this season, including 9-4 as a road underdog.

Eric Neuman: Caris LeVert over 20.5 points (-110) at Wizards + Joel Embiid over 25.5 points (-152) at Cavaliers = Parlay +217 - DraftKings 9:45 AM CT

With Kyrie Irving (shoulder) sidelined for the remainder of the season, go-to-scoring responsibilities will now be split between Spencer Dinwiddie and LeVert. Both sport a 31.6 percent usage rate with Irving on the bench, and the latter averages 22.7 points per 36 minutes. He is finally healthy, has an established role, and will be taking on a Wizards team that has given up 125.3 points per game since the All-Star Break. They also give up a league-worst 22.8 points per game to opposing small forwards on the season.

We are watching the Joel Embiid show in Philadelphia. He is coming off a career-high 49 points in Monday's 129-112 victory over the Hawks, and the offense figures to continue going through him while Ben Simmons (back) remains sidelined for at least two weeks. Shake Milton is now starting, and with him on the court and Simmons off, Embiid has a usage rate of 41.7 percent and an average of 38.2 points per 36 minutes. If you are looking for extra motivation the All-Star big man also has a notable rivalry with the Cavaliers' recently acquired center, Andre Drummond

Joe Bartel: Joe Harris over 13.5 points (-110) vs. Wizards  -- DK Sportsbook, 3:07 PM CT

While everyone will naturally (and rightfully) be attracted to the the Brad Beal side of a sneakily fun sharp-shooting contest between the Nets and Wizards, it's Harris who has the better odds to hit his total points prop bet. The Wizards allow the most points to the shooting guard position per game (24.5), and also the sixth most 3-point attempts to the position along with the highest overall percentage made from deep (41.2 percent). And Harris has scored 12 points in each of the last three games despite going just 5-of-14 from downtown combined.

Jeff Edgerton: Houston (-11) vs. Memphis + Miami (-10) vs. Minnesota = Parlay +259 -- DK Sportsbook, noon ET
With Jaren Jackson and Brandon Clarke both out, Houston's small-ball approach will get a bit of a breather. I expect both James Harden and Russell Westbrook to lay down the hammer and control the pace of this matchup to their favor.

The Timberwolves are a mess without Karl-Anthony Towns, and Bam Adebayo is enjoying a career year. I expect both he and Jimmy Butler back in the fold tonight, and Miami should handle business at home.

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Joe Bartel
Joe Bartel is RotoWire's Operations Specialist and football contributor among many other things. When not at the office, he's probably playing a variety of Gen 4 console games or rooting on his beloved Green Bay Packers.
Alex Barutha
Alex is RotoWire's Chief NBA Editor. He writes articles about daily fantasy, year-long fantasy and sports betting. You can hear him on the RotoWire NBA Podcast, Sirius XM, VSiN and other platforms. He firmly believes Robert Covington is the most underrated fantasy player of the past decade.
Jeff Edgerton
Jeff has provided sports content for numerous sports outlets and has played fantasy sports since scores had to be tabulated via newspaper. He started working with RotoWire in 2017. Originally from South Carolina, he's a lifelong Clemson fan now enjoying the sun in Los Angeles.
Eric Neuman
Eric Neuman makes words into sentences for RotoWire, and turns sentences into verses in the music world. He would cheer for Notre Dame to beat Wisconsin in a bowl game, but not in the Final Four.
Nick Whalen
Now in his 10th year with the company, Nick is RotoWire's Senior Media Analyst, a position he took on after several years as the Head of Basketball Content. A multi-time FSGA and FSWA award winner, Nick co-hosts RotoWire's flagship show on Sirius XM Fantasy alongside Jeff Erickson, as well as The RotoWire NBA Show on Sirius XM NBA with Alex Barutha. He also co-hosts RotoWire's Football and Basketball podcasts. You can catch Nick's NBA and NFL analysis on VSiN and DraftKings, as well as RotoWire's various social and video channels. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @wha1en.
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