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NBA Best Bets Today | Expert Picks for Monday, March 18

Michael Crosson
Michael Crosson Sports Betting Expert
3 minute read

The NBA regular season continues with an excellent eight-game slate this Monday -- headlined by a nationally televised doubleheader on ESPN as Heat vs 76ers tips off the action at 7:30 p.m. ET, and then Knicks vs Warriors takes center stage at 10:00 p.m. ET.

Read on for our top three NBA best bets and expert picks for Monday, March 18.

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NBA Best Bets | Expert Picks for Monday, March 18

Heat vs 76ers

by Michael Crosson

The 76ers managed to snap a two-game skid in their latest outing, as they managed to escape with a 109-98 victory over the Hornets after leading by just four points with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter this past Saturday – but hey, they’ll take what they can get, because it has been tough sledding for Philly as of late without Joel Embiid.

Embiid has missed 23 of the Sixers’ last 24 contests – and in those contests, the Sixers have posted a miserable record of 8-16, while ranking 22nd in offensive rating and 28th in defensive rating during that span.

However, their 22nd-ranked offensive rating doesn’t quite fully express the magnitude of Philly’s recent struggles on offense. Even after their latest victory, the Sixers still own a record of 5-9 in their last 14 games, while scoring 105 points or less in nine of those contests, and 109 points or less in 12 of them.

To make matters worse, De’Anthony Melton will continue to miss time – and now, Tobias Harris has landed on the Sixers’ injury report with a questionable designation due to an ankle injury.

On the other side of that same coin, the Heat will be playing on the second half of a back to back tonight after escaping with a three-point win via Bam Adaebayo buzzer-beater in Detroit yesterday.

However, after playing 31+ minutes in nine straight games, Jimmy Butler sat out yesterday’s matchup against the Pistons with a minor foot injury. So I have to imagine that he’s just saving it all for the national tv audience in Philly tonight.

Tyler Herro will continue to miss time for Miami – and the Heat have posted a lackluster record of 6-5 during his latest absence. However, four of their five losses during that span have come against top tier opponents in the Thunder, Mavericks, and Nuggets (2).

Quite frankly, there’s very few teams the Sixers should be favored over right now – regardless of rest advantage, homecourt advantage, you name it – and I do not believe the Heat are one of those teams.

Pick: Heat ML (+115)

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Knicks vs Warriors

by Ray Monohan

Knicks @ Warriors Under 213 Total Points (-110)

Monday night at 10pm ET, the Knicks (39-28) take on the Warriors (35-31) at Chase Center.

The Warriors opened as 4.5 points with an over/under of 213. You can catch this one on ESPN. We're on the Under here as these two teams meet on Monday. They met Feb 29th and since then, the Knicks have won 5 of 7 overall and they're playing at such a high level defensively.

They've held the opposition to under 100 points in 6 of those 7 games and they continue to really lock down defensively both against shooters and in the paint. Overall this year, the Knicks are giving up just 107.8 ppg and they have been a nice under backing.

Golden State has been inconsistent this season for starters and they are going to struggle shooting against this defense. Everyone knows how the Warriors play and this is not a good matchup for them.

Expect both teams to struggle from the field offensively, while the Knicks set the pace of this game by playing very slow. There is good value in this spot for a slow tempo and for both teams to struggle finding quality shots. You know what to do. Hop ON!

For more daily expert predictions, check out our NBA Free Picks page and our NBA odds!

Hawks vs Lakers

VegasInsider NBA betting expert Will Rogers is on fire right now! Will is 11-4 in his last 15 NBA picks -- returning a profit of +661. Click here to purchase his top play for Hawks vs Lakers tonight.

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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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