After last night’s small five-game slate of NBA action, we have an exciting ten-game schedule in the NBA tonight. Let’s dive into the schedule, odds, and top picks for Friday, April 1, 2022.

NBA Odds and Schedule, April 1

Toronto Raptors @ Orlando Magic, 7:00 p.m. ET

Spread: TOR -10
Raptors last 10: 8-2
Raptors ATS: 44-32-2 (3rd)
Magic last 10: 3-7
Magic ATS: 35-42 (22nd)
Over/Under: 216.5
Over/Under Trends: Just two of the Raptors’ last five games have gone over the point total, while three of the Magic’s last five games have gone over. The Raptors are 9th in points against per game, and the Magic are 19th and eleven of their last twelve meetings in Orlando have gone under.
Pace of Play: Magic are 10th in the NBA in pace, Raptors are 25th.
The pick: Franz Wagner over 2.5 assists
Why?: Wagner has hit this total in six of his last ten but five of his last six games. The Raptors are 20th in the NBA in assists allowed per game, and we know the Magic are going to try and play at a play at a fast pace, which will benefit this over.

Dallas Mavericks @ Washington Wizards, 7:00 p.m. ET

Spread: DAL -9
Mavs last 10: 7-3
Mavs ATS: 43-32-2 (4th)
Wizards last 10: 4-6
Wizards ATS: 30-44-2 (29th)
Over/Under: 217.5
Over/Under Trends: Both of these teams are trending towards the under, with each of them only hitting the over twice in their last five games. The Mavericks are also second-best in the NBA in points allowed per game, while the Wizards are 17th, so if the Mavs can control the tempo of the game, the under would appear to be more likely.
Pace of Play: Wizards are 23rd in the NBA in pace, Mavericks are 30th.
The pick: Luca Doncic over 46.5 PRA (Points, Rebounds, and Assists)
Why?: Over the last 30 days, Doncic is averaging 30.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 8 assists per game, which comes out to 47.3 PRA. He has the highest usage rate in the NBA at 37% and will be extra motivated going up against his old teammate, Kristaps Porzingis. I expect Doncic to be involved in pretty much everything tonight, which makes me feel a little confident in this play despite the high total.

For more NBA odds today and news, visit TailgateSports.com

Indiana Pacers @ Boston Celtics, 7:30 p.m. ET

Spread: BOS -14.5
Pacers last 10: 3-7
Pacers ATS: 33-41-4 (24th)
Celtics last 10: 7-3
Celtics ATS: 40-35-2 (11th)
Over/Under: 226
Over/Under Trends: This is another game that could all come down to which team can control the tempo. The Celtics have hit the over in four of their last five games, but the Pacers have only done so in two of their last five. However, the Pacers have hit the over in each of their last two games. The Celtics are 1st in the NBA in points against per game, so buckets might be hard to come by for Indiana.
Pace of Play: Pacers are 17th in the NBA in pace, Celtics are 24th.
The pick: Grant Williams under 1.5 assists
Why?: Williams has only hit this total in three of his last five games. However, what really stands out is that the odds at coming in at -245 on the under, which is pretty damn high. Obviously, it wouldn’t be a bet to play solo, but with how confident people see to be that he hits the under here, Williams could be a good parlay onto some other props you’re confident in.

Sacramento Kings @ Houston Rockets, 8:00 p.m ET

Spread: SAC -2.5
Kings last 10: 4-6
Kings ATS: 35-39-3 (19th)
Rockets last 10: 3-7
Rockets ATS: 32-43-2 (26th)
Over/Under: 235.5
Over/Under Trends: The Kings like to play a fast-paced game and have hit the over in four of their last five, including each of their last three games. The Rockets have also hit the over in each of their last two games, but those are the only two times they’ve gone over in their last five games. However, the Rockets rank 30th in points against this season, and the Kings rank 29th, so neither one of these teams has really had any success stopping anybody.
Pace of Play: Rockets are 2nd in the NBA in pace, Kings are 6th
The pick: Over 235.5 points
Why?: For all the reasons mentioned above but also the pace of play we’re likely to see.

Phoenix Suns @Memphis Grizzlies, 8:00 p.m. ET

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Spread: PHO -7.5
Suns last 10: 9-1
Suns ATS: 42-34 (7th)
Grizzlies last 10: 9-1
Grizzlies ATS: 49-27-1 (1st)
Over/Under: 227.5
Over/Under Trends: Four of the Grizzlies’ last five games have gone under the total, but only two of the Suns’ last five have gone under. The Grizzlies rank 12th in points against, and the Suns rank 7th, so these are two strong defenses. However, it should be noted that the Grizzlies are expected to be without Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane, and Tyus Jones, which could leave them short-handed in a big matchup.
Pace of Play: Grizzlies are 3rd in the NBA in pace, Suns are 9th.
The pick: Grizzlies (+7.5)
Why?: I know, I know, the team is missing basically everybody, but hear me out, they’re still really good. They’re best in the NBA against the spread and 6-0 as underdogs at home this season. Also, are we sure the Suns are going to play everybody? Both of these teams are basically locked into their playoff seeding, so maybe they both take the opportunity to rest players rather than beat up on each other so late in the season? I dunno, but I struggle to bet against a really strong team who’s being given this many points.

Los Angeles Clippers @ Milwaukee Bucks, 8:00 p.m. ET

Spread: MIL -7
Clips last 10: 3-7
Clips ATS: 37-40 (17th)
Bucks last 10: 7-3
Bucks ATS: 37-39 (16th)
Over/Under: 225.5
Over/Under Trends: The Clippers have gone over the point total in four of their last five and pushed in the other, which should give us confidence in the over, except that only one of the Bucks’ last five games have hit the over. The Bucks are also in the second game of a back-to-back, which might slow their pace even more.
Pace of Play: Bucks are 7th in the NBA in pace, Pelicans are tied for 17th.
The pick: TBD
Why?: Picks are not up yet due to potential injuries.

Detroit Pistons @ Oklahoma City Thunder, 8:00 p.m. ET

Spread: OKC -4.5
Pistons last 10: 3-7
Pistons ATS: 43-34 (5th)
Thunder last 10: 2-8
Thunder ATS: 46-26-4 (2nd)
Over/Under: 222
Over/Under Trends: We’ve got two teams on opposite ends of the trends here. Four of the Thunder’s last five games have hit the over, but only one of the Pistons’ last five have. In fact, 16 of the Thunder’s last 20 games have gone over, which could benefit tonight from the Pistons ranking 28th in the NBA in points allowed per game.
Pace of Play: Thunder are 12th in the NBA in pace, Pistons are tied for 20th.
The pick: Aleksej Pokusevski under 8.5 rebounds
Why?: So this one seems a bit weird. Yes, Pokusevski has been getting way more minutes of late with the Thunder basically having no healthy starters; however, even with those extra minutes, he’s not coming close to hitting this prop. He’s gone over this total in one of his last ten games and is averaging 7.2 rebounds over that time. This line feels too high.

Portland Trail Blazers @ San Antonio Spurs, 8:30 p.m. ET

Spread: SA -15
Blazers last 10: 1-9
Blazers ATS: 30-45-1 (30th)
Spurs last 10: 6-4
Spurs ATS: 37-37-2 (15th)
Over/Under: 23o.5
Over/Under Trends: So we’ve got a decently high point total and two teams that have both hit the under in four of their last five games. Each of the last four games between these teams has hit the under as well
Pace of Play: Spurs are 4th in the NBA in pace, Blazers are tied for 13th.
The pick: Under 230.5
Why?: You’ve got everything we mentioned above and two teams that are going in opposite directions. The Blazers are so banged up that we can’t really expect them to mount much of a fight against the Spurs.

Minnesota Timberwolves @ Denver Nuggets, 9:00 p.m. ET

Spread: DEN -3
Wolves last 10: 5-5
Wolves ATS: 42-34-1 (8th)
Nuggets last 10: 6-4
Nuggets ATS: 35-42 (21st)
Over/Under: 225.5
Over/Under Trends: Two of the Wolves’ last five games have gone over the total, while three of the Nuggets’ last five have gone over. This is also the highest over/under total on the slate tonight.
Pace of Play: Wolves are 1st in the NBA in pace, Nuggets are tied for 20th.
The pick: Karl-Anthony Towns under 24.5 points
Why?: I know this seems like an easy target to hit for a player as good as Towns, but he hasn’t hit this total in any of his last five games and has only hit this in three times in his last ten. He will also be going against Jokic, which should be a tougher matchup than he’s seen in recent games as well.

New Orleans Pelicans @ Los Angeles Lakers, 10:30 p.m. ET

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Spread: NO -2
Pelicans last 10: 6-4
Pelicans ATS: 38-37-1 (13th)
Lakers last 10: 2-8
Lakers ATS: 32-42-2 (25th)
Over/Under: 225.5
Over/Under Trends: Four of the Lakers’ last five games have gone over this total as they play at a relatively fast pace, but only one of the Pelican’s last five games have gone over and six of their last seven have actually gone under.
Pace of Play: Lakers are 8th in the NBA in pace, Pelicans are tied for 20th.
The pick: Pelicans (-2)
Why?: I know LeBron James and/or Anthony Davis may be back in time for this game, but the line is still giving the Lakers too much credit. They are simply not a good team, even with those two. They’re 4-14 since the All-Star break, and the Pelicans need this game for their playoff chances. I’m going to take the better team rather than speculating on a bad team being fixed by injured players possibly playing while still banged up.