INSIGHT

The Los Angeles Clippers (28-31), sitting eighth in the Western Conference and two and a half games behind seventh-place Golden State, travel to Chase Center to take on the Warriors (31-29) on Monday, March 2, tipping off at 10:00 PM ET. With John Collins confirmed out after exiting Sunday's blowout win over New Orleans with an arm injury, Darius Garland expected to make his Clippers debut coming off a month-and-a-half layoff with a toe injury, and Kawhi Leonard operating on the second night of a back-to-back after logging 29 minutes the previous evening, this is a loaded situation. Golden State, meanwhile, is still without Stephen Curry (knee, at least five more games), Kristaps Porzingis, and Will Richard, leaning on Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, and a surprisingly productive Gui Santos to hold down Fiserv in a game with direct play-in positioning on the line.

The Denver Nuggets (37-24), fifth in the Western Conference and desperate for a bounce-back after dropping Sunday's home game to Minnesota, travel to Delta Center on Monday, March 2, tipping off at 9:00 PM ET against a Utah Jazz (18-42) squad that has lost five straight, surrenders the most points in the NBA, and is missing Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler, Jusuf Nurkic, and Jaren Jackson Jr. for the foreseeable future. The Joker is running on less than 24 hours of rest after logging 37-plus minutes and dropping 35 points against the Wolves, Jamal Murray is right behind him at 37 minutes and 25 points, and the supporting cast shot 6-for-22 from three in a game Denver needed. Utah is pure lottery mode. The spread opened at 11.5 and the total is sitting at 243.5, a number that gets more interesting the more you look at Denver's recent scoring in regulation games.

The Boston Celtics (40-20) travel to Fiserv Forum to face the Milwaukee Bucks (26-33) on Monday, March 2, tipping off at 7:30 PM ET, with Jaylen Brown ruled out due to illness and Neemias Queta resting on the second night of a back-to-back, all while Milwaukee gets Giannis Antetokounmpo back from a five-week calf absence on a minutes restriction. The line moved from Boston -7.5 all the way to -2 after both injury developments confirmed, and the spread is now a genuine coin flip on paper. Boston is also playing their fifth game in seven nights, which is a real concern for a team that relies heavily on perimeter athleticism. The Bucks come in off a 120-97 blowout loss to the Chicago Bulls on Sunday, which is a tough look for a team that was supposed to be building momentum. Two depleted rosters, one genuinely weird line, and one of the bigger injury storylines of the week. This one is worth your attention.

The Clippers and Warriors and the Nuggets and Jazz are squaring off on Monday, with Benedict Mathurin and Los Angeles looking for a big away win. Christian Braun and the Nuggets visit the Jazz seeking to cash in a win. McBets is targeting both players in his two game parlay.

The Pelicans and Clippers and the Grizzlies and Pacers are squaring off on Sunday, with Kris Dunn and Los Angeles looking for a big home win. Ben Sheppard and the Pacers host the Grizzlies seeking to reverse the losing trends. McBets is targeting both players in his two game parlay.