NBA Best Bets Today | Expert Picks for Thursday, April 5

Chicago is only 36-40 but the Bulls will be involved in the play-in tournament, currently sitting a half-game ahead of Atlanta in the 9/10 positions to sit in line to host the elimination game, even with a loss to the Hawks at home on Monday.

The Bulls are only 19-20 at home for the season but Chicago has played competitively in recent weeks going 9-9 overall since late February with high-quality wins over Cleveland, Sacramento, Golden State, Indiana, and Minnesota.

New York's playoff position remains in flux but they still have a 2.5-game cushion ahead of Indiana, with the Knicks currently #5 in the Eastern Conference standings but only a half-game behind #3 Cleveland, and just two games behind #2 Milwaukee as the Knicks do have something to play for but may not possess the urgency the team had in March, winning seven of eight games at one point.

New York has lost three of the past four but delivered a win over Sacramento at home last night. That result required a big second half run as the Knicks scored 68 points after falling behind by eight at the break.

Four starters played at least 38 minutes while the team is still playing without OG Anunoby who hasn't played since March 16. New York has struggled on the road with a 20-17 record including losses in three of the past four road games and the next four games will be on the road for the Knicks, including a high-profile game in Milwaukee this weekend.

New York won 116-100 hosting Chicago back in January in this season's only meeting as these teams are playing again next week but this is a daunting scheduling turnaround after a taxing contest last night and New York's underdog pricing is warranted.

New York has enjoyed a great season but has a suspect profile having played one of the weakest schedules in the NBA and producing only five top 10 wins all season, while playing 10 games below .500 vs. the top half of the league.

Chicago isn't in either of those categories for the season, but in recent weeks the Bulls have played above the full season numbers.

With the playoffs closing in, teams are starting to play defense and these two teams are ramping up their efforts and that end of the court. Since the All-Star break the Mavs are allowing 112.1PPG, the Warriors are giving up 109.5PPG which are both well below their season averages.

If we examine their last ten games, we find the Mavericks are allowing just 104.5PPG and have the 3rd best defensive Net rating in the NBA. Golden State is allowing just 107.7PPG over the course of their last ten games which is the 5th lowest number in the NBA.

The Warriors have the 6th best defensive Net rating in the league over a 10-game period and have held 3 of their last six foes to 97 or less points. In the first meeting this season between these two teams they combined for 254 total points.

In a recent clash in mid-March, they totaled just 208 points. They attempted 174 field goals in that game which is slightly lower than the league average of 177.

On April 2nd these same two teams met in Golden State and combined to finish with only 204 total points.

Granted, the oddsmaker have adjusted this number dramatically from the game the other day but there is still value with an Under wager given the circumstances.

With both teams fighting for better playoff positioning we expect a slower tempo and a much lower scoring game below the mid-220's.