Wednesday Best Bets: One NBA Side, Two NBA Props

Tuesday’s Best Bets went 2-2 overall, leaving us down a couple of pennies on the night. As three-time Grammy winner Lizzo so eloquently put it: “You can blame it on the juice.”

Still, there were several positive takeaways from an otherwise mediocre night of best bets:

• NBA Props improved to 13-4 on the season.
• The Bostonian vs. The Book won their fourth straight best bet.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but both Pistons-related wagers cashed on Tuesday. Can we petition to change the name to Detroit “Cover” City?

While we work on that, go ahead and check out our Best Bets for Wednesday!

Best Bets Track Record

Tuesday: 2-2
Year-To-Date: 36-30-1

Bostonian vs. The Book: 11-9-1
BetPrep Prop of the Day: 8-13
NBA Props: 13-4
NHL Props: 4-4

NBA Side: Boston Celtics Vs. Miami Heat

The bet: Boston -5 (vs. Miami)
The odds: -110
Where to bet: FanDuel Sportsbook
From: Matt Perrault via The Bostonian Vs. The Book Podcast

On Tuesday, The Bostonian vs. The Book crew cashed its fourth straight best bet when the Pistons (+14) kept things reasonably close in a 123-130 loss at Brooklyn. Welcome to Detroit Cover City (we are making it a thing whether we get approval or not).

Podcast host Matt Perrault is looking to his hometown team to keep the streak alive on Wednesday. He’s betting Boston -5 vs. Miami, which represents a clash atop the Eastern Conference standings.

For his rationale, Perrault noted how the Celtics are 11-2 SU since the beginning of March. All but one of those victories were decided by more than nine points. In fact, Boston has an average winning margin of 15.6 points over that span.

Dave Sharapan, co-host of the podcast, called this a de facto playoff game for the Celtics, believing Boston will bring playoff-level energy to this matchup.

“[The Celtics] have a good shot at making a run at the one seed,” Sharapan said. “This is a statement game. Double-digit win Celtics.”

In addition to that, the Celtics’ stars should be rested and ready to roll for this game. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum did not play in Monday’s matchup at Toronto, but they are both active without restrictions for Wednesday’s crucial draw against Miami.

If you like them apples, then you can find Boston -5 at -110 juice on FanDuel Sportsbook.

Perrault listed two other bets he likes during Wednesday’s Bostonian vs. The Book podcast — both NBA favorites. You can listen to the replay on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.

NBA Prop: SG Marcus Smart (Boston Celtics)

The bet: Over 6.5 assists (vs. Miami)
The odds: Even money
Where to bet: FanDuel Sportsbook
From: Jim Barnes via Wednesday NBA Props

Smart poured in 28 points in Monday’s overtime loss to Toronto, but that was with Boston stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown out of the lineup with knee injuries. Center Al Horford (personal reasons) also didn’t play. All three are expected back for Wednesday’s showdown against Miami, and that should return Smart to his normal secondary role in the offense.

While shouldering more of the scoring load against Toronto, Smart had only four assists. However, the 28-year-old from Oklahoma State had at least seven assists in each of his five previous games. During that stretch, he averaged 9.4 dimes while scoring a total of 48 points, or 9.6 per outing. (See the correlation?)

Look for Smart to play facilitator all night in a very important game for Boston. Playing the Over at a plus-price.

NBA Prop: PG LaMelo Ball (Charlotte Hornets)

The bet: Over 6.5 assists (at NY Knicks)
The odds: -138
Where to bet: FanDuel Sportsbook
From: BetPrep Prop of the Day via BetPrep.com

After winning four in a row, the BetPrep Prop of the Day has missed on two straight occasions. The BetPrep crew looks to get back on track by taking Hornets guard LaMelo Ball Over 6.5 assists at the Knicks.

Here’s the rationale for this BetPrep Best Bet:

• Ball has recorded 7-plus assists in 8 of his last 9 (88.89%) games when his team is the favorite. (avg. 8.2 per gm)
• Ball has racked up 7-plus assists in 7 of his last 9 (77.78%) games overall. (avg. 8.1 per gm)
• Finally, Ball has recorded 7-plus assists in 9 of his last 12 (75%) games on the road. (avg. 8.0 per gm)

We shopped around and found the best price for Ball Over 6.5 assists (-138 juice) at FanDuel Sportsbook.