Category: Basketball

It’s Sunday, March 23, and the San Antonio Spurs (30-39) and Toronto Raptors (24-46) are all set to square off from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

The Spurs are currently 10-22 on the road with a point differential of -2, while the Raptors have a 4-6 record in their last ten games at home. This is the first of two meetings between the Spurs and Raptors.

Toronto lost three straight games but is 3-3 in the past six and 6-4 over the previous 10 games. San Antonio is 4-2 in the last six games and is 7-8 since the All-Star break.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Listen to the Rotoworld Basketball Show for the latest fantasy player news, waiver claims, roster advice and more from our experts all season long. Click here or download it wherever you get your podcasts.

Game details & how to watch Spurs vs. Raptors live today

• Date: Sunday, March 23, 2025
• Time: 6:00PM EST
• Site: Scotiabank Arena
• City: Toronto, ON
• Network/Streaming:

Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day NBA schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game.

Game odds for Spurs vs. Raptors

The latest odds as of Sunday:

• Odds: Spurs (-108), Raptors (-111)
• Spread:  Raptors -1
• Over/Under: 234 points

That gives the Spurs an implied team point total of 116.74, and the Raptors 117.26.

Want to know which sportsbook is offering the best lines for every game on the NBA calendar? Check out the NBC Sports’ Live Odds tool to get all the latest updated info from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM & more!

Expert picks & predictions for Sunday’s Spurs vs. Raptors game

NBC Sports Bet Best Bet

Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) would look toward the Raptors ML before the Spurs:

"Toronto has dropped three straight games but this isn't the worst spot to back the Raptors. The Spurs are starting a three-game road trip with Detroit and Boston up next, while the Raptors had two days off after returning from their four-game West Coast trip. It's Raptors ML or pass for me."

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Spurs & Raptors game:

• Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the San Antonio Spurs on the Moneyline.
• Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the San Antonio Spurs at +1.
• Total: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the under on the Game Total of 234.

Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions pagefrom NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!

Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Spurs vs. Raptors on Sunday

• The Spurs have lost 3 straight road games
• The Spurs' last 4 road games have gone over the Total
• The Spurs have covered the spread in 4 of their last 5 games against teams with losing records
• The Spurs have won 4 of their last 5 matchups against Eastern Conference Atlantic Division teams

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

- Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)

- Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)

- Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)

- Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)

It’s Sunday, March 23, and the Charlotte Hornets (18-52) and Miami Heat (29-41) are all set to square off from Kaseya Center in Miami.

The Hornets are currently 7-27 on the road with a point differential of -8, while the Heat have a 2-8 record in their last ten games at home. Miami is 2-1 against Charlotte this season, but lost the previous outing on March 10, 105-102).

Miami has lost 10 straight games, including one to the Hornets in their worst stretch of the season. Charlotte is 1-3 over the last four games and 4-4 in the previous eight games.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Listen to the Rotoworld Basketball Show for the latest fantasy player news, waiver claims, roster advice and more from our experts all season long. Click here or download it wherever you get your podcasts.

Game details & how to watch Hornets vs. Heat live today

• Date: Sunday, March 23, 2025
• Time: 6:00PM EST
• Site: Kaseya Center
• City: Miami, FL
• Network/Streaming:

Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day NBA schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game.

Game odds for Hornets vs. Heat

The latest odds as of Sunday:

• Odds: Hornets (+131), Heat (-155)
• Spread:  Heat -3.5
• Over/Under: 212 points

That gives the Hornets an implied team point total of 105.24, and the Heat 107.06.

Want to know which sportsbook is offering the best lines for every game on the NBA calendar? Check out the NBC Sports’ Live Odds tool to get all the latest updated info from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM & more!

Expert picks & predictions for Sunday’s Hornets vs. Heat game

NBC Sports Bet Best Bet

Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) leans the Heat to cover against the Hornets:

"While Miami has lost 10 straight games and playing its worst basketball, you'd have to expect this is a spot they have circled for a win after playing postseason competition over the past few games. Splitting with Charlotte would be a rough outcome in any season for Miami. It's Miami or pass as Charlotte continues the tank for the worst record."

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Hornets & Heat game:

• Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Miami Heat on the Moneyline.
• Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Charlotte Hornets at +3.
• Total: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 212.

Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions pagefrom NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!

Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Hornets vs. Heat on Sunday

• The Heat are on a 7-game losing streak at home
• The Over is 20-14 in the Heat's home games this season
• The Heat have failed to cover the Spread in 4 of their last 5 matchups against Eastern Conference teams
• The Hornets have a losing record (1-13) in divisional matchups this season

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

- Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)

- Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)

- Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)

- Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)

It’s Sunday, March 23, and the Philadelphia 76ers (23-47) and Atlanta Hawks (34-36) are all set to square off from State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

The 76ers are currently 11-25 on the road with a point differential of -5, while the Hawks have a 6-4 record in their last ten games at home. Atlanta won the only meeting of the season 132-123 on March 10. This is the second of three matchups.

Atlanta has won two straight games and four of the past six, including last night's win over the Warriors. Philadelphia lost three straight and six of the previous seven games entering this meeting.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Listen to the Rotoworld Basketball Show for the latest fantasy player news, waiver claims, roster advice and more from our experts all season long. Click here or download it wherever you get your podcasts.

Game details & how to watch 76ers vs. Hawks live today

• Date: Sunday, March 23, 2025
• Time: 6:00PM EST
• Site: State Farm Arena
• City: Atlanta, GA
• Network/Streaming:

Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day NBA schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game.

Game odds for 76ers vs. Hawks

The latest odds as of Sunday:

• Odds: 76ers (+370), Hawks (-488)
• Spread:  Hawks -10.5
• Over/Under: 236 points

That gives the 76ers an implied team point total of 116.88, and the Hawks 122.36.

Want to know which sportsbook is offering the best lines for every game on the NBA calendar? Check out the NBC Sports’ Live Odds tool to get all the latest updated info from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM & more!

Expert picks & predictions for Sunday’s 76ers vs. Hawks game

NBC Sports Bet Best Bet

Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) leans the Hawks to cover against the 76ers:

"Atlanta played last night and beat the Warriors, and while I don't like backing teams on no rest, the 76ers aren't a team worth backing at all. The Hawks continue their push to climb the eastern standings, while the 76ers continue to look forward to the end of the season. It's Hawks or pass."

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s 76ers & Hawks game:

• Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Philadelphia 76ers on the Moneyline.
• Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Philadelphia 76ers at +10.
• Total: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the under on the Game Total of 236.

Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!

Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of 76ers vs. Hawks on Sunday

• The 76ers have lost 3 straight road games
• The Hawks' last 6 games versus the 76ers have gone over the Total
• Eastern Conference Atlantic Division teams have won 4 of their last 5 matchups against Eastern Conference Southeast Division sides

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

- Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)

- Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)

- Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)

- Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)

Wyc Grousbeck and his family may have just sold the Boston Celtics to Bill Chisholm and his investors for a record $6.1 billion. Grousbeck will remain as team governor and work with the new owners through 2028.

That has raised one big question: The Boston Celtics are about to get historically expensive, are Chisholm and his team going to pay up to keep a championship team together? Next season, the Celtics' payroll is expected to be around $230 million — they have $225 million on the books without re-signing Al Horford or Luke Kornet, both free agents — and that would bring a luxury tax bill of around $270 million, or a total of $500 million to keep this contending roster together? Will the new owners pay that?

The question isn't the money, it's the second apron basketball penalties that will keep Boston from living above the tax line, Grousbeck said during a recent WEEI appearance.

"It's not the luxury tax bill, it's the basketball penalties. The new CBA was designed by the league to stop teams from going crazy. They decided that it's not good enough to go after the wallets because the fans can be like, 'Hey find someone who can afford to spend $500 million dollars a year or whatever it is, like the English Premier League...

"The basketball penalties mean that it's even more of a premium now to have your basketball general manager be brilliant and lucky. Because you have to navigate because you can't stay in the second apron, nobody will, I predict, for the next 40 years of the CBA, no one is going to stay in the second apron more than two years."

Grousbeck speaks the truth. What are those restrictions? Second apron teams cannot:

• Aggregate salaries in trades, they can only send out one player (plus picks)
• Take back more salary than they send out in a trade,
• Send cash in trades
• Use the midlevel exception
• Make a sign-and-trade deal
• Cannot sign anyone on the buyout market who made more than the mid-level exception
• Cannot trade its ts first-round draft pick seven years into the future (2032 for Boston this summer). If a team is over the second apron for two of the following four years after that (or three of five), then said pick drops to the end of the first round (regardless of where the team falls in the standings).

The second apron restrictions make team building nearly impossible, and it's one of the reasons the Clippers and Warriors — two teams with ownership more than willing to spend to win — dropped below that apron this season.

Grousbeck went out of his way in the interview to praise Brad Stevens, but how the Celtics executive is going to get this team below that tax line is not easy to envision. Next season Jayson Tatum will make $54.1 million as his new max deal kicks in, Jaylen Brown will make $53.1 million, Jrue Holiday is at $32.4 million, Kristaps Porzingis at $30.7 million and Derrick White at $28.1 million. There will be no easy cuts.

Just don't expect the Celtics to spend that freely. The second apron is not a hard cap, but for the foreseeable future, it's going to act like one.

Memphis Grizzlies backup center Brandon Clarke is out for the season due to a "high-grade PCL sprain in his right knee," the team announced.

The injury happened against Portland last Wednesday as Clarke defended Scoot Henderson on a drive to the basket.

This is a tough blow for Clarke and the Grizzlies.

This was another unfortunate fluke injury for Clarke, who had missed almost all of last season with a torn Achilles. It ended a solid bounce-back season in which he averaged 8.5 points and 5.1 rebounds a game while playing quality defense.

For the Grizzlies, they lose a key part of their frontcourt rotation. Clarke was rock solid off the bench and an anchor anchor Memphis' second unit. Clarke also started 14 games this season when Jaren Jackson Jr. was out. Memphis feels much thinner up front now heading into the playoffs.

The Grizzlies have dropped three straight and slid back to fifth in the West but are still within a game of the Denver Nuggets at No. 3 (with the now-healthy Lakers in fourth). Memphis is just three games back of No. 2 seed Houston. However, the Grizzlies need to look over their shoulders because a hot Warriors team is now just two games behind them with 11 games left to play.