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NBA Daily Tip Sheet Picks and Predictions – Wednesday’s Triple Threat

Michael Crosson
Michael Crosson Sports Betting Expert
5 minute read

There's several ways to bet on the NBA, and some of the most popular ones include taking a side, a full-game total, or a player prop. So, this is what we like to call our Daily Triple Threat. Our three best bets in the aforementioned categories for NBA matchups on Wednesday, February 15th. Best of luck!

NBA Best Bets for Wednesday, February 15

  • Philadelphia 76ers -2.5 (-110) vs. CLE
  • Knicks-Hawks Over 234 (-110)
  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) Over 5.5 Assists (-130) vs. HOU
Updated on 04/25/2024
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Philadelphia 76ers -2.5 (-110) vs. CLE

Cleveland had a bumpy month of January, however, it seems like everything is finally back in order heading into this one, considering the Cavs enter Wednesday having won seven straight games, with five of those victories coming by a double-digit margin. Which is a huge sigh of relief after dropping 7-of-12 matchups prior to their latest run.

Let’s pump the brakes on all of the Cleveland chatter, though, especially heading into a road matchup against a top shelf contender like Philly. The Cavaliers are very talented from top-to-bottom, and there’s no doubt that they’ll continue to win their fair share of regular season games, but for some reason, something still seems a little bit off with the current iteration of this Cleveland’ team.

The Cavs rank 1st in the league in both defensive rating and points allowed. So, it’s really no surprise that their preferred style of play is to slow things down and lean on their defense in a halfcourt set, ranked dead-last in pace and 26th in scoring (112 PPG, 95.6 PACE).

Make no mistake, though, Cleveland is pretty good at the offensive end of the floor. Quite frankly, the Cavs actually rank 10th in offensive rating, which is nothing to scoff at. However, being the 10th-best in any given facet of the game typically doesn’t cut it against a Sixers squad that ranks 8th in offensive rating and 6th in defensive rating (116.1 ORtg, 112.2 DRtg).

The Sixers are 22-8 SU and 20-10 ATS at home this season, which is tied for the third-best home ATS mark in the league heading into this one, and there’s a good chance we’ll see that trend continue for Philly in tonight’s matchup against a Cavs squad that’s 13-16 SU and 13-15-1 ATS on the road this season.

Take Philly!
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The Sixers are 17-3 in their last 20 home games. (Getty)

Knicks-Hawks Over 233 (-110)

It’s hard to believe how much time has passed since Atlanta faced Milwaukee in the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals, but at this point, those days are long gone. The Hawks have hovered around the .500 mark all year, currently stationed 8th in the conference standings with a record of 29-29, and when this team gets hot, they still wield more than enough offensive firepower to capture lightning in a bottle and go on a run.

However, the problem is, Atlanta is fully reliant on its offensive attack. At the other end, the Hawks rank Bottom 10 in the league in both defensive rating and points allowed per game (117 PPG., 114.5 DRtg), which is a tall order for them to overcome on a nightly basis with pure scoring ability.

Fortunately, though, they run into the Knicks tonight, who also play little-to-no defense, especially as of late. The Knicks are 7-8 in their last 15 games, which primarily stems from their defense ranking 26th in defensive rating during that timeframe. But similar to Atlanta, the Knicks usually still generate enough offense to keep things competitive in the majority of their matchups, highlighted by the fact that they continued to rank 9th in offensive rating across their most recent skid.

So, I’ll take the ‘over’ in tonight’s Eastern Conference clash between a pair of teams that have combined with their opponents for a lofty average of 247 PPG across their latest two-game stretch.

Take the Over!
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) Over 5.5 Assists

The Thunder have been stockpiling draft picks for years. So, it was only a matter of time before this team slowly began to flip the script, and this season, that process has certainly begun. Oklahoma City currently owns a modest record of 27-29 on the year, stationed just two games out of the final Play-In spot in the West, but make no mistake about it, they’d be nowhere without the superstar level of production by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

SGA leads the team in scoring  by a comfortable margin, averaging over 30 PPG on 51% FG and 35% 3FG. However, taking a dive into some deeper numbers, the real value appears to lie with his assist line. In his most recent outing, SGA fell just short of his assist total by tallying five in a loss to New Orleans. Prior to that affair, though, SGA had recorded 6+ assists in 10 of OKC’s last 14 contests, with six of those performances ringing in at 7+ dimes.

So, I’ll back SGA to clear his assist number for the Thunder in tonight’s matchup against a Houston squad that ranks 28th in defensive rating and 25th in points allowed per game (118 PPG, 118.2 DRtg).

Bet On SGA!
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Michael's Triple Threat Tracker: 43-30-2 (+856)

  • Philadelphia 76ers -2.5 (-110) vs. CLE
  • Knicks-Hawks Over 234 (-110)
  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) Over 5.5 Assists (-130) vs. HOU

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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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