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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, March 8th. Best of luck!

NBA Best Bets for Wednesday, March 8

  • Miami Heat +2 (-110) vs. CLE
  • Bulls-Nuggets Under 226 (-110)
  • Josh Giddey (OKC) Over 17.5 Points (-120) @ PHX
Updated on 04/23/2024
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Miami Heat +2 (-110) vs. CLE

The Cavaliers and Heat are two of the weirdest bunches in the league. Both squads are widely regarded as legitimate mid-level contenders in the East, however, in most cases neither team makes winning look easy, highlighted by Cleveland ranking 25th in scoring at 112 PPG, and Miami ranking 30th at 109 PPG.

Both of these teams prefer to slow things down and lean on their defense within a halfcourt set, which is rather uncommon in this day and age. The Heat currently rank 28th in the league in pace, while the Cavs rank dead last in that department, and that style of play typically bodes much better for squads at home as opposed to on the road.

The Heat have posted an impressive record of 21-12 on their home floor this season, despite managing to cover the spread in just 11 of those contests, however, the notion of Miami bolstering the worst home ATS record in the league hardly strikes me as a deterrent in this particular instance.

The Cavaliers are currently positioned 4th in the Eastern Conference standings with a record of 41-26, and they enter Wednesday riding high following wins in three of their last four games, but make note, all three of those victories came at home, and they won’t have that same luxury in this one. 

So, I’ll back Miami to handle business at home in tonight’s matchup against a Cavs’ squad that’s 13-19 SU and 14-18 ATS on the road this season, and now, 0-3 in their last three road games.

Bulls-Nuggets Under 226 (-110)

Aside from Nikola Jokic, Denver might not have the flashiest roster hovering near the top of the league totem pole, however, this Nuggets’ team is incredibly versatile, and they’re capable of outlasting opponents in pretty much any given facet of the game, which is reflected in their conference-best record of 46-19 on the year.

If their opponent prefers to get out in front and run in transition, the Nuggets are more than capable of standing toe-to-toe in a shootout, currently ranked 5th in scoring and 2nd in offensive rating (117 PPG, 118.4 ORtg). Or, if teams prefer to slow things down and work within a halfcourt set, Denver has an answer for that too, also ranked 10th in points allowed and 19th in pace (113 PPG, 113.8 DRtg).

By no means is this Denver‘ squad perfect. It may seem a bit odd, but the best way to beat the Nuggets is by applying pressure at the defensive end. Jokic is a once-in-a-generation type of talent, and he’s rightfully on his way to securing a third straight MVP award. However, Jokic isn’t a world-class defender like other comparable candidates such as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid.

In most cases, when teams are anchored by an elite frontcourt player, lesser teams will try to turn the contest into a trackmeet, and simply wager their fate on their success from long range, but when it comes to Denver, there’s no need to reach those measures, and quite frankly, the Bulls had no intentions of doing so in this matchup anyway.

Chicago currently ranks 16th in the league in pace, however, that number seems like quite a far cry from their level of production as of late, considering the Bulls own a miserable record of 3-9 in their last 12 games, while ranking 26th in pace and dead-last in scoring during that stretch (105 PPG, 96.4 PACE).

Long story short, the Nuggets tend to mirror the pace of their opponents, as opposed to actively influencing the pace of each individual contest. So, in this one, I’ll take the ‘under’ in Wednesday’s matchup against a Bulls’ squad that’s scored 105 points or less in eight of their last 12 contests.

Josh Giddey (OKC) Over 17.5 Points

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed a handful of games due to injury following the All-Star Break, however, in his return to action this week, he was back and better than ever, racking up 33+ points in consecutive victories over the Jazz and Warriors.

However, the Thunder are playing on the second half of a back-to-back tonight. So, they’re electing to play it safe with their superstar coming off an injury by resting him in tonight’s affair against Phoenix.

Prior to his return, though, Josh Giddey did an excellent job of absorbing some of the extra volume left behind by the absence of SGA. He enters Wednesday having scored 17+ points in 12 of his last 16 outings, with five of those performances ringing in at 20+ points.

So, I’ll back Giddey to have a solid night in the scoring department in Wednesday’s matchup against a Suns’ squad that’s scored 125+ points in two-of-three contests since the debut of Kevin Durant.

Michael's Triple Threat Tracker: 62-38-2 (+1,776)

  • Miami Heat +2 (-110) vs. CLE
  • Bulls-Nuggets Under 226 (-110)
  • Josh Giddey (OKC) Over 17.5 Points (-120) @ PHX

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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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