Handicapping the NBA: Wednesday Best Bets

With the Bucks in town, can the Hawks cover as double-digit underdogs?
Handicapping the NBA: Wednesday Best Bets
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Bucks at Hawks +11 (-110) -- FanDuel, 1:21 PM CT

If you're looking for an opportunity to both buy low and sell high, this game presents an opportunity. A double-digit home underdog catches the eye right away. It's not coming out of nowhere, though. The Hawks have struggled recently, losing the past three games by a combined 86 points. But Atlanta hasn't played a home game since Nov. 8. Running out of gas at the end of a long road trip makes sense. After two days of rest, they might be recharged at home. Thus, the opportunity to buy low. Atlanta is also a solid 3-3 ATS at State Farm Arena.

Speaking of a road trip, Wednesday marks the third game away from Milwaukee for the Bucks. They did stay in the midwest the first two games -- Chicago and Indiana -- but have made the significant trip all the way south to Atlanta and are on just one day of rest. They've won each of their first three games without Khris Middleton (quad), but haven't faced any real competition. That doesn't exactly change while playing the Hawks, but the spread feels somewhat inflated by the two teams' recent performances, which might not be indicative of their real potential. The Bucks are 5-4 ATS on the road, which doesn't inspire a ton of confidence. Also, if you're a believer in trap games, this might also fall under that category. The Bucks play tomorrow, at home, against the Blazers. Will they be locked in to trying to beat the Hawks today?

Pistons +1 (-110) at Bulls -- FanDuel, 12:51 PM CT

In a neutral situation, nobody should have faith in any of these teams. The Pistons are 1-5-1 against the spread on the road. The Bulls are 3-4 ATS at home. Detroit hasn't won a game since Nov. 6, and that was against the Knicks. In terms of Simple Rating System, these teams are separated by less than a tenth of a point.

However, this situation isn't exactly neutral. Chicago is at a significant disadvantage in terms of injuries and, primarily, rest. They'll be down Otto Porter (foot), Chandler Hutchison (lower leg) and Luke Kornet (nose). Detroit will be down Reggie Jackson (back) and Tony Snell (hip), but the Pistons have added a healthy Blake Griffin, who cracked 30 minutes in his most recent appearance. Plus, in maybe the most important factor, the Pistons have had four days of rest, while the Bulls have had just one. That kind of advantage is hard to ignore.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alex is RotoWire's Chief NBA Editor. He writes articles about daily fantasy, year-long fantasy and sports betting. You can hear him on the RotoWire NBA Podcast, Sirius XM, VSiN and other platforms. He firmly believes Robert Covington is the most underrated fantasy player of the past decade.
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