Fresh off of a sweep on Friday night, yours truly is back with several NBA Best Bets for the massive slate on Sunday, Feb. 23.
Sunday’s action gets started early with the Boston Celtics hosting the New York Knicks at 1 p.m. EST, a matchup that is extremely concerning for New York. The Knicks are 0-6 against Boston, Cleveland and Oklahoma City this season, and it has been blown out on multiple occasions by those teams.
That matchup is the first of several nationally televised games including:
Dallas Mavericks vs. Golden State WarriorsMemphis Grizzlies vs. Cleveland CavaliersOklahoma City Thunder vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
In total, there are 10 games on Sunday, and plenty of props and sides to bet on.
Here’s a full breakdown of my favorite plays for Feb. 23.
NBA Best Bets Record to Date2024-25 season record: 153-150-4 (-1.22 units)OVERALL (since 2021-22 season): 1163-1095-26 (+36.87 units)
NBA Best Bets Today
Naz Reid OVER 27.5 Points and Rebounds (-105)Boston Celtics-Milwaukee Bucks ML Parlay (-114) – 0.5 unitZaccharie Risacher OVER 11.5 Points (-130) – 0.5 unitSan Antonio Spurs Moneyline (+100) vs. New Orleans Pelicans – 0.5 unitNaz Reid OVER 27.5 Points and Rebounds (-105)
Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle are out for the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night, and Naz Reid should be in line for a huge game in their place.
Before the All-Star break, Reid had 27 points and 14 rebounds in a win over the Thunder, and he’s picked up over 27.5 points and rebounds in six of nine games since entering the starting lineup with Randle out.
Over that nine-game stretch, Reid is averaging 19.9 points and 8.7 rebounds per game while shooting 15.9 shots per game. He has a terrific floor when it comes to this prop as the primary center for the Wolves on Sunday night.
Boston Celtics-Milwaukee Bucks ML Parlay (-114) – 0.5 unit
Boston Celtics Moneyline
This season, Boston has dominated the Knicks, winning by 23 and 27 points in their two meetings.
Now, the Knicks may be shorthanded on Sunday afternoon with Josh Hart and OG Anunoby listed as questionable for this matchup. Overall, the Knicks are 0-6 against the top three teams in the NBA and just 2-3 against the spread when set as road dogs.
I have a real hard time trusting this Knicks team if Anunoby sits after Jayson Tatum lit up the pick-and-roll defense of New York with Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns as the primary defenders in that action earlier this month. On top of that, Boston blew out the Knicks in that game without Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday.
Boston has struggled against the spread as a home favorite, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see it pick up another blowout win on Sunday. The C’s are fifth in the NBA in net rating over their last 10 games (+11.3) while New York is just 15th.
Milwaukee Bucks Moneyline
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been on a minutes limit since returning from a calf injury after the All-Star break, but the Bucks are on a three-game winning streak after knocking off the Los Angeles Clippers and Washington Wizards out of the break.
Giannis (probable) and Damian Lillard (probable) are both expected to play in this game against a Miami Heat team that is under .500 against the spread as a road underdog. Miami went to overtime against the Toronto Raptors on Friday night, and it’s been pretty terrible as of late, ranking 21st in the NBA in net rating over its last 10 games.
As a home favorite this season, the Bucks are 11-11-1 against the spread and 16-7 straight up. The Heat, meanwhile, are just 7-8-1 against the spread and 6-10 straight up as road dogs.
Even with Giannis on a minutes limit, the Bucks should be able to win this game, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see them cover given Miami’s recent struggles (4-6 in its last 10).
Zaccharie Risacher OVER 11.5 Points (-130) – 0.5 unit
Atlanta Hawks rookie wing Zaccharie Risacher has a huge role in the Atlanta offense now that Bogdan Bogdanovic and De’Andre Hunter are no longer on the roster, and he’s averaging 13.8 points on 10.8 shots per game since the trade deadline.
Risacher played just over 23 minutes in his last game but still took 15 shots (although he shot just 4-for-15 from the field).
There are going to be growing pains with the rookie, but he’s a nightly starter that is starting to see more and more looks on offense. Over this five-game stretch, Risacher is shooting 50.0 percent from the field and from 3. He may be undervalued at this number against Detroit.
San Antonio Spurs Moneyline (+100) vs. New Orleans Pelicans – 0.5 unit
Victor Wembanyama is out for the season, and the San Antonio Spurs aren’t getting much respect on Sunday against a New Orleans Pelicans team that has lost nine of its last 10 games and ranks 28th in net rating over that 10-game stretch.
The Spurs are one-point underdogs on the road against a New Orleans team that has just 13 wins all season long and is 4-4 against the spread as a home favorite.
With De’Aaron Fox, Jeremy Sochan, Devin Vassell, Stephon Castle and Keldon Johnson all expected to play for the Spurs on Sunday, I think they’ll be able to pick up a road win.
The Spurs still beat Phoenix without Wemby, and the Pelicans are one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA. Even with Zion Williamson in action, the Pels are just 9-28 straight up this season.
I’ll gladly take even money on the Spurs against one of the NBA’s worst teams.
