NBA best bets, spread picks & top odds – Wednesday, February 5

Looking for some inspiration for Wednesday’s NBA games? Check out our best bets from the basketball lines on offer at Bovada.

Atlanta Hawks -5 at Orlando Magic

The Hawks were one of the surprises last season as they rode Trae Young all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. With their high hopes heading into this season, they have disappointed. They are currently the 10 seed in the East and have a 27-30 record. Trae Young is still an elite scorer but outside of him, they haven’t had anyone elevate to that next level. However, the Hawks have played better basketball in recent games and are 10-5 against the spread in their last 15 games. While they may be hard to trust, they are underachieving this year and I expect them to make a good playoff push in the coming weeks.

The Magic stink. That’s not a surprise to anyone. They have shipped off all their stars in order to start a rebuild and that has resulted in a hapless 13-46 record thus far. They will be without their starting point guard tonight which adds even more to the Hawks’ case. Trae Young should dominate. The Magic are currently just going through the motions of playing basketball and will want this season to end as quickly as possible. Take the Hawks -5 as they should win this game relatively easily.

Detroit Pistons at Boston Celtics -12.5

I have talked extensively about the Pistons’ struggles and it has only continued. They are now 1-9 in their last 10 games and have lost their last eight. Despite good play from rookie Cade Cunningham, they are well on their way to another first overall pick and yet another wasted season. In away games they are 4-25 this season and heading to Boston will prove to be a tad difficult.

The Celtics are the hottest team in the NBA and have won their last nine games. They just beat a good Philadelphia team by 48 points and have been playing stifling defense as of late. While there is the potential for a let down game off a big win, the upcoming all star break will give them a rest and should keep their motivation intact for this last game. Although the Pistons are 5-0 against the spread versus the Celtics in their last five, these are two teams on completely different levels and the Pistons shouldn’t be able to keep it within single digits

Denver Nuggets +5.5 at Golden State Warriors

The Warriors are firmly one of the better teams in the league and will expect to be competing for a title this season. They have a 42-16 record and have been dominant at home. That being said, they have struggled in recent weeks and will come into this game 1-3 in their last four games. That has coincided with the absence of Draymond Green who could very well be the best defender in the league. Without him, the Warriors are very beatable and the Nuggets have just the guy to exploit that.


Reigning MVP winner Nikola Jokic is a top 3 player in the league and can do everything. With Draymond out, the Warriors will not have an answer for him. Despite the Nuggets playing pedestrian basketball, Jokic brings it every night. This is a big game for the standings of the West and Jokic will be looking to head into the all star game fresh off a big win. There is a lot of value in taking the Nuggets +5.5 in a game they could sneak away with a win in. This should be an entertaining game where Jokic will make it worth the price of admission by himself.