We must never speak of last week’s article again. It’s like it never happened. The Article That Must Not Be Named. So we move on to Week 3 of NBA betting. We’ve learned not to trust overs and that I cannot predict the Nuggets because they are the weirdest team. We’ve got more stats and more trends at this point, so no excuses anymore!

*A formatting note: the “Half-court Shot” section will no longer count for or against our overall record because much like a half-court shot, it’s mostly done for fun. We will simply give it its own record.*

Layups: The bets I really like and feel the most confident in.
Two-Pointers: The bets I like a lot and feel fairly confident in.
Three-Pointers: The bets I like but don’t feel as confident in.
Half-Court Shot: A long underdog I like to win straight-up.

Record ATS This Season: 8-9

Layups

Raptors (+3) @ Celtics: I’ve lost my trust in the Celtics. They’ve simply been too erratic and seem to struggle with simple basketball fundamentals at times. Tonight, they welcome a Raptors team who, admittedly, has also been erratic, but they just got All-Star Pascal Siakam back. This is a team on its way back up the mountain and is, funnily enough, passing a Celtics team going down it after losing Jaylen Brown for a couple of weeks with a hamstring injury. And if you need extra motivation, Toronto is 4-0 ATS on the road this year while the Celtics are a dismal 0-3 ATS at home. Also, it’s a low total which signals a close game that the Raptors are more than capable of winning. So if you have the guts, I’d also recommend a Raptors ML bet at +110.

Two-Pointers

Bulls (-3.5) vs. Mavs: Two words: pinstripe jerseys. The Bulls are wearing their black throwback pinstripe jerseys so of course, we have to hammer their spread. It’s just on principle. I don’t know if the Bulls are a team of fate or if “The Last Dance” documentary put a spell on the United Center this season, but the team has been cruising at home. DeMar DeRozan is 5th in the NBA in scoring and the offense has been able to carry them in the 4th quarter, where they lead the league in point margin. Luka Doncic will always be a force, but the Bulls have Alex Caruso, so, you know, it evens out. Give me the pinstriped Bulls to cover at home.

Three-Pointers

Wizards (-3) at Cavs: Man, I love both of these teams. Both were counted out to start the year — the NBA’s forgotten teams. Yet, they’ve shown not just fight, but the actual ability to beat good teams and give themselves a bright-looking future. Unfortunately for the Cavs, their dream start has now hit a speed bump with the loss of PG Collin Sexton. They’ll have Ricky Rubio to take his spot which isn’t too much of a step down, but still depletes their team. I’m simply betting on the Cavs to take a few games to reconfigure their team without their star.

Thunder (+4) at Pelicans: This is a fade of just an awful Pelicans team. They’ve lost seven in a row, while the Thunder have been playing like a scrappy underdog who believe they have a shot at the playoffs. New Orleans is without Brandon Ingram, and they’re a team that just looks like they’d rather be anywhere else than on a basketball court. The Thunder will be well-rested coming into the game and I love backing a team that appears to believe in themselves.

Half-Court Shot (1-1)

No long underdog play this week.