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NBA Best Bets Today | Expert Picks for Saturday, March 16

Michael Crosson
Michael Crosson Sports Betting Expert
3 minute read

The NBA regular season continues with a loaded nine-game slate this Saturday. However, with just one nationally televised matchup on tonight's docket. But it's a good one, as Warriors vs Lakers takes center stage for a Western Conference showdown at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Read on for our top three NBA best bets and expert picks for Saturday, March 16.

Looking for more basketball? Check out our NBA odds.

NBA Best Bets | Expert Picks for Saturday, March 16

Thunder vs Grizzlies

by Michael Crosson

After earning the two-seed in the West with a record of 51-31 last year, the Grizzlies are arguably having the biggest downfall out of any team this season as Memphis currently sits 13th in the conference standings with a record of 23-44.

In the Grizzlies’ defense, All-Pro point guard Ja Morant has participated in only nine games this season, and he won’t play any more the rest of the way after receiving shoulder surgery back in January. And they’ve been plagued by injuries all year. Reigning Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. is also listed as questionable for tonight’s contest, along with Desmond Bane, Brandon Clarke, Lamar Stevens, Scottie Pippen Jr., and a few others.

However, while it’s not quite time to start panic-selling stock in the future of this Memphis team, it doesn’t change how bad they’ve been throughout this journey.

The Grizzlies own a modest record of 3-3 in their last six games, as they managed to escape with victories in relatively favorable matchups against the Wizards, Nets, and Sixers – with two of those wins coming by six points or less. 

However, you don’t have to look too much further to see the depths the Grizzlies have plummeted to – and I’m not convinced their latest trio of wins means they are beginning to pull themselves out of the trenches either. Even after their latest six-game stretch, the Grizzlies still own a miserable record of 5-17 in their last 22 games, while ranking 30th in offensive rating and 14th in defensive rating during that span. 

This Memphis team simply can’t score. But sometimes, their defense plays well enough to keep them in games, highlighted by the Grizzlies holding their opponents to less than 103 points per game in their last three wins – which is pretty much their only path to victory at the moment.

Unfortunately for Memphis, however, they face an Oklahoma City offense tonight that is very difficult to tame.

The Thunder rank top-3 in the league in both scoring and offensive rating on the season, and they’ve scored 117+ points in 13 of their last 18 games – which is something the Grizzlies have done just once in their last 29 contests.

The Thunder have won eight of their last 14 games by double digits, and many of those matchups were against much tougher opponents than the one they face tonight – with their most recent win coming by a 13-point margin against Dallas. OKC should be able to run away with this game early, especially given the laundry list of health issues on the Memphis side.

Pick: Thunder -10 (-110)

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Warriors vs Lakers

by Ray Monohan

Los Angeles Lakers -2.5 (-110)

The Lakers are catching the Warriors at the right time here. Los Angeles will see a Golden State team that has dropped 3 of 4 as they enter play on Saturday.

Injuries have piled back up on the Warriors as they continue to miss key pieces. Stephen Curry missed his third straight game, while Draymond Green continues to battle back spasms.

The duo missing has led to the Warriors offense just struggling as they failed to reach 100 points in their latest loss to Dallas. The Lakers have played much better at home as they won both home games prior to their road loss at Sacramento.

The Lakers put up 120 and 123 points in those two wins against the Bucks and Timberwolves as they continue to play very well at home. This is a nice spot for them to come out once again and really have the Warriors reeling with their missing pieces.

Los Angeles will be aggressive from the outset, which should allow them to dictate the pace of this game. We're getting great value on an LA team that has the confidence right now. You know what to do. Hop ON!

For more daily expert predictions, check out our NBA Free Picks page and our NBA odds!

Knicks vs Kings

VegasInsider NBA betting expert Bruce Marshall is on fire right now! Bruce is 20-11 in his last 31 NBA picks -- returning a profit of +780. Click here to purchase his top play for Knicks vs Kings tonight.

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Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson began his time at VegasInsider as a freelance NBA writer back in 2019 while he continued to study Psychology and Biology at James Madison University. Following his graduation in 2021, Michael joined the team full-time, and he's been with VI ever since. Michael still writes NBA, NFL, and MLB for VI, as well as gambling industry news. He's also become a crucial part of our editorial production team. More from Michael Crosson
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