Betting Guides

The Milwaukee Bucks (26-32), clinging to the Eastern Conference play-in conversation, visit United Center on Sunday, March 1, to face a Chicago Bulls (24-36) roster that just went 0-11 in February, traded away Nikola Vucevic, Coby White, and Ayo Dosunmu at the deadline, and currently has six players sitting out, all in the same breath. Giannis Antetokounmpo remains out for Milwaukee with a right calf strain, but Ryan Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr. have been carrying the Bucks through the Giannis absence, going a combined 8-2 in their last ten with a backcourt that is legitimately cooking. The line sits at Bucks -3.5 (-105), and this is about as clean a fade-the-tank setup as you'll find on the Sunday slate.

The Minnesota Timberwolves (37-23), sitting fifth in the Western Conference, travel to Ball Arena to face the Denver Nuggets (37-23) on Sunday, March 1, tipping off at 3:30 PM ET on ABC, with Julius Randle listed as questionable after going 1-for-10 from the field against the Clippers on Thursday and now dealing with low back spasms, putting the matchup's second-best player very much in doubt. Denver is laying a short number at home, a 2.5-point favorite coming off a Friday loss to Oklahoma City, while Minnesota brings Anthony Edwards, three straight road wins, and a two-day rest advantage into one of the league's toughest road environments. Two identical records, one standings spot separating them in the Northwest Division, and a high-scoring collision that projects right at the posted total of 237.5.

The Los Angeles Lakers (35-24), sitting seventh in the Western Conference with their eyes on a top-six seed, host the Sacramento Kings (14-47) at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, March 1, tipping off at 9:30 PM ET, with Sacramento missing Zach LaVine (hand surgery, out for the year), Domantas Sabonis (knee, out for the year), De'Andre Hunter (retinal repair, out for the year), Keegan Murray (calf), Drew Eubanks (thumb), and Devin Carter (ankle) while Russell Westbrook enters as questionable with a thigh issue, leaving DeMar DeRozan, Malik Monk, and a skeleton crew to hold off a Los Angeles squad that just ended its three-game losing skid with a bounce-back win over Golden State on Saturday, with Luka Doncic, the NBA's leading scorer at 32.6 points per game, and LeBron James looking to feast on the league's most depleted rotation in what shapes up as the softest spot on the Sunday slate and the cleanest spread on the board at Lakers -13.

The Portland Trail Blazers (29-32) have no business looking dangerous right now. Damian Lillard is gone for the season, Shaedon Sharpe is in a walking boot for 4-6 weeks, and Deni Avdija has been in and out with a nagging back issue all month. On paper, rolling into Atlanta on the second night of a back-to-back against a Hawks team riding a three-game winning streak is a nightmare draw. The line opened Atlanta (-6) and has settled between -5.5 and -6 across most books, which tells you the market respects Portland's ability to hang around even at their most banged-up. It should. The Blazers are 8-4 against the spread on back-to-backs this season and 11-8 ATS as a dog of six points or more. Atlanta, meanwhile, just ran off three straight against Washington twice and Brooklyn. Sunday is a level-up game.

The Detroit Pistons (44-14), first in the Eastern Conference, make a quick trip to Kia Center to face the Orlando Magic (31-27) on Sunday, March 1, tipping off at 6:00 PM ET. With Franz Wagner confirmed out with an ankle sprain and Jalen Suggs questionable after a rough return Thursday, Orlando is banged up heading into this one while Detroit rolls in off a gritty 122-119 overtime win over Cleveland on Friday. The Pistons are laying -5.5 to -6 on the road depending on the book, and this is a matchup where the injury news, the form line, and the spread all point in the same direction.