3 Team Parlay to Bet on for NBA Wednesday
Wednesday night offers a large slate of games in the NBA. That means that there are plenty of options for your parlay, especially now after seeing most of these teams in action for 20 games or more.
Here are three teams to bet on for Wednesday.
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Washington Wizards (+8) at Miami Heat
Yes, the first team to bet on is the team with the worst record in the NBA. At 4-13, it has not been the season the Wizards expected, especially with the acquisition of star point guard Russell Westbrook pairing with the sharp-shooting of Bradley Beal. So why are they a team you should like to cover?
For starters, Beal and Westbrook can keep them in any game. Beal is averaging 35 points per game, over four more than second-place Kevin Durant in the scoring race. Meanwhile, Westbrook is second to James Harden with 9.5 assists and has put up five triple-doubles this season.
To compete, the Wizards would also need some assistance from some role players like power forwards Rui Hachimura and Davis Bertans, but Beal and Westbrook are near-locks to perform.
Second, the Heat are also struggling, particularly in their most recent handful of games. The defending Eastern Conference champions have fallen to 7-13 on the season, having gone 1-6 in their last seven games.
A huge part of that is not having the whole team together throughout the year, with Jimmy Butler only playing eight games and shooting guard Tyler Herro making just 13 starts. The good news is that those two should be ready to go, joining Bam Adebayo and role players like small forward Duncan Robinson in Miami's rotation.
However, much like their records, these teams aren't far apart from each other as it stands. Washington actually owns a slightly better point differential than Miami and owns a net rating one spot higher than the Heat.
Washington's offensive rating is 12th in the NBA, and it'll be going up against a Miami team whose defensive rating is just 21st. Additionally, the Heat offense may not be able to pull away from the Wizards and their second-to-last defensive rating since their own offensive rating is in the bottom five of the league.
The Heat still have plenty of time to find their groove again as the season goes on, but right now, you can expect Beal and Westbrook to keep the Wizards close against a division foe.
LA Clippers at Cleveland Cavaliers (+8.5)
It's a good day to bet the underdogs. And unlike the Wizards, the Cleveland Cavaliers are in the mix for the postseason as one of the more surprising teams in the NBA thus far.
At 10-11, Cleveland currently owns the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference and trails consistent playoff teams like the Celtics and Pacers by just a pair of games. But can the Cavaliers keep it going against one of the league's best teams in the Clippers?
Cleveland's young core is finally taking the strides needed to get itself out of the top spots in the lottery. Point guard Collin Sexton is at the forefront of the movement, averaging 24 points per game on nearly 50 percent shooting and 43.5 percent shooting from deep.
Second-year guard Darius Garland has also taken serious strides, averaging close to 16 points while also hitting about 42 percent of his threes. The Cavaliers also have a pair of great big men in Andre Drummond and Jarrett Allen, who, in his first start on Monday since being traded from Brooklyn, had 23 points, 18 rebounds and five blocks.
Of course, there needs to be some respect given to the Clippers. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George have each been effective, two-way players who also average over 23 points per game.
Three other players also average in double-figures, including newcomers Serge Ibaka and Nicolas Batum, as Los Angeles has the league's third-best offensive rating. The Clippers had also won three in a row and 10 of their last 11 before a close loss Tuesday night against the Nets.
But there is plenty of reason to think Cleveland makes this a close game. For starters, while Los Angeles has a top-three offensive rating, Cleveland has a defensive rating that ranks seventh in the NBA.
While the Clippers are the league's top three-point shooting team in terms of percentage, the Cavaliers can also hang depending on how Garland and Sexton perform. Finally, the schedule works in Cleveland's favor, where its last game was Monday against the lowly Timberwolves at home, while the Clippers had to battle and duke it out on the road in Brooklyn on Tuesday night.
With the Clippers not only on the second half of a back-to-back but also on their sixth straight road game, perhaps the Cavaliers can take advantage of a tired team that may not play Leonard or George as much and make things very interesting.
Phoenix Suns (-3.5) at New Orleans Pelicans
After betting two underdogs to cover, the final team on this parlay is a favorite in the second-to-last game of the night. The Suns have lived up to expectations after a big offseason trade for Chris Paul, sitting at 11-8 after winning their last three games.
Paul joins the elite scorer Devin Booker and the former first overall pick Deandre Ayton to form a formidable big three as Phoenix tries to rise in the Western Conference standings. So how will the Suns fare against the Pelicans?
For starters, a reason to like Phoenix is its depth. While their new big three get the buzz, the Suns have seven players averaging in double-figures.
A huge reason for that is Paul and his play-making, as he has elevated the games of role players like Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson and Jae Crowder. But Booker still leads in scoring with nearly 23 points per game, while Ayton is pulling down 13 boards to go along with 14 points per game.
Now, although New Orleans is just 7-12, Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram are each players who could go off any given night. Both are averaging about 23.5 points per game, with Williamson shooting 58 percent from the field and Ingram about 46 percent.
You then see a steep drop-off after those two, with guards Eric Bledsoe and Lonzo Ball also having solid albeit unspectacular seasons. But this talented core has failed to really get going consistently, as it squandered a 4-2 start to the season by going just 3-10 afterward, including back-to-back losses headed into Wednesday.
For the game, it's not just a difference in records that makes the Suns a good bet. Phoenix has turned things around in a big way, particularly on the defensive side of things, where their defensive rating is now fifth in the NBA.
And although their offensive rating is just 16th, both are higher than the Pelicans, who sit 18th in offensive rating and 23rd in defensive rating.
You could see how the Suns presented a mismatch for New Orleans earlier this season back in December when Phoenix held the Pelicans to just 86 points and 3-for-24 shooting from deep in a 111-86 win in the desert.
Although this game is in New Orleans, look for the Suns, a top 10 team in the NBA based on net rating, to handle the Pelicans and win their fourth straight game.
Derek Hudson
Derek is a long time sports bettor who grew up in Providence, RI. Derek is data driven and believes the key to betting the sportsbooks is finding an edge in analytics. Derek is happily married and has two young boys. Derek will bet on anything if you let him.
