NBA Best Bets Today | Expert Picks for Thursday, March 14

Michael Crosson Sports Betting Expert

2 minute read

The NBA regular season continues with a relatively light six-game slate this Thursday — however, the schedule features an excellent nationally televised doubleheader on TNT as Suns vs Celtics tips off the action with a non-conference showdown at 7:30 p.m. ET, and then Mavericks vs Thunder takes center stage for a heavyweight Western Conference clash at 10:00 p.m. ET.

Read on for our top three NBA best bets and expert picks for Thursday, March 14.

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NBA Best Bets | Expert Picks for Thursday, March 14

76ers vs Bucks

by Michael Crosson

When Joel Embiid is healthy and in the lineup, the 76ers are easily one of the best teams in the East. And that was the case for the first half of this season, highlighted by Philadelphia posting a solid record of 29-14 through 43 contests, while ranking 2nd in the entire NBA in net rating during that span, only behind Boston.

With that in mind, however, the Sixers are heavily dependent on Embiid at both ends of the floor – maybe even more dependent than we originally imagined, which has been on full display during the reigning MVP’s latest absence.

The Sixers have posted a miserable record of 7-16 since Embiid’s latest injury, while ranking 25th in offensive rating and 29th in defensive rating during that stretch, with 10 of those 16 losses coming by double digits – and they enter tonight having scored less than 100 points in six of their last 12 games, and less than 105 points in eight of their last 12.

Not only have the Sixers failed to protect the rim without Embiid, but they simply haven’t been able to score either – which sets the stage for disaster as they hit the road to face Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks tonight.

The Bucks stumbled out to a surprisingly slow start to the Doc Rivers Era. Milwaukee posted a miserable record of 3-7 in their first 10 matchups with Rivers at the helm – while ranking 25th in offensive rating and scoring 110 points or less in six of those contests.

However, Milwaukee has completely flipped the script since returning from the All-Star Break. The Bucks have posted a solid record of 7-3 in their last 10 games, while ranking 7th in the entire league in net rating during that span – despite entering tonight’s contest following losses in three of their last four games.

On February 25, the Bucks went to Philly and beat the Sixers by a score of 119-98 in the absence of Embiid. This time around, the game is in Milwaukee, where the Bucks own an impressive record of 25-7 on the season. The result of this matchup will likely turn out similar to the most recent meeting between these teams, possibly even worse for Philly.

Pick: Bucks -7.5 (-110)

Suns vs Celtics

by Nick Parsons

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Mavericks vs Thunder

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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