PICKS & PARLAYS

The Dallas Mavericks (21-42), sitting on a six-game losing streak and their fourth road game in five days, visit Scotiabank Arena to face the Toronto Raptors (35-27) on Sunday, March 8, tipping off at 6:00 PM ET, with Cooper Flagg listed as questionable due to a left midfoot sprain and both Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II confirmed out. This is a matchup between a Toronto team fighting for playoff seeding in the East and a Mavs squad that has won twice in their last 18 games, running on empty through a brutal stretch of road basketball with a rookie star who re-aggravated his foot injury on the floor at TD Garden just 24 hours ago. The Raptors opened as 10-to-10.5-point home favorites depending on the book, and the total sits at 228.5, setting up a number that asks both teams to score above what either has actually done in weeks.

The Detroit Pistons (45-17), owners of the East's best record and a three-game skid that nobody saw coming, fly into Kaseya Center to face the Miami Heat (35-29) on Sunday, March 8, tipping off at 6:00 PM ET, with Cade Cunningham listed as a game-time decision due to a left quad contusion and Ausar Thompson confirmed out with a right ankle sprain. Detroit is playing the second night of a back-to-back after dropping a Saturday home game to Brooklyn, a squad that entered the week with the NBA's longest losing streak. Miami, meanwhile, just knocked off Charlotte on Friday in a 128-120 thriller and has a full day of rest. The Pistons opened as -1.5 road favorites depending on the book, and the total sits around 222.5, setting up one of those spots where the favorite's credentials and the actual conditions they're walking into are telling two different stories.

The Boston Celtics (42-21) visit Rocket Arena on Sunday, March 8 to face the Cleveland Cavaliers (39-24) in an ABC national showcase with genuine East playoff-seeding stakes, tipping off at 1:00 PM ET. Jarrett Allen is out with knee tendinitis, Donovan Mitchell is probable after sitting four straight games with a groin issue, and Jayson Tatum clears the injury report entirely for his first road start since tearing his Achilles last May. Cleveland opened as a slim home favorite, with the line sitting between Cavaliers -1 and -1.5 depending on the book, and the total ranging from 223.5 to 224.5 across books. Two bottom-five pace teams on the floor, the #1 defense in the NBA showing up on the road, and a starting center on the shelf for the home squad: 224.5 is a number bettors should find very interesting.

The Indiana Pacers (15-48) stumble into Moda Center to face the Portland Trail Blazers (30-34) on Sunday, March 8, tipping off at 9:00 PM ET, with Deni Avdija confirmed out for his eighth consecutive game due to lower back injury management and Shaedon Sharpe already ruled out for the rest of the regular season with a fibula stress reaction. Portland opened as a significant home favorite and the spread settled at -8.5 (-115), with the total hovering at 237.0, setting up a matchup where the Blazers are the better team on paper but their cover rate as big favorites is genuinely alarming. Indiana is 0-8 straight up in its last eight, on the road with short rest after a Friday night loss in Los Angeles, and riding a 1-5 ATS record in its last six games against Portland. Those are all the obvious reasons to ignore the Pacers. The less obvious reason to back them at +8.5 is that Portland is 1-5 ATS in games they were favored by 8.5 points or more this season and 0-7 ATS in its last seven March games The line is doing most of the work for Indiana here.

The Charlotte Hornets (32-32) roll into Mortgage Matchup Center to face the Phoenix Suns (36-27) Sunday night, tipping off at 10:00 PM ET with the Hornets installed as 4.5-point road favorites and the total sitting at 218.5. Charlotte just had its six-game win streak snapped by Miami on Friday, but that road winning streak is a different story entirely, sitting at ten straight, the longest active streak in the league. Phoenix survived the Pelicans by two points that same night and now turns around at home, still missing Dillon Brooks (hand), Mark Williams (foot), and Jordan Goodwin (calf), with Royce O'Neale listed as questionable. Both clubs have playoff seeding on the brain. The handicap still leans Hornets.