Top NBA Betting Picks of the Week – March 11th, 2024

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic made history over the weekend in Detroit with his sixth straight 30-point triple-double, eclipsing Russell Westbrook’s NBA record of five. Doncic also extended his own record with a fifth straight 35-point triple-double. He and the Mavs are in action again Monday in Chicago. Here are two other intriguing early-week matchups.

Top NBA Betting Picks of the Week (March 11th, 2024)

On today’s NBA Pulse @SarahKustok and @JohnSchuhmann break down his latest Power Rankings, plus discuss how the Pelicans and Lakers are both on the rise.

– https://t.co/mHVNn1BAeb pic.twitter.com/n582deyezs

— NBA (@NBA) March 11, 2024

Golden State Warriors vs. San Antonio Spurs

• When: Monday, March 11th, 2024, 8:00 PM ET
• Where: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, TX
• TV: Bally Sports SW-SA, NBC Sports Bay Area
• Radio: 95.7 The Game FM (Warriors) // 1200 WOAI AM (Spurs)
• Stream: NBA League Pass
• NBA Odds: Warriors (-4.5) // Spurs (+4.5)

First game of an NBA TV doubleheader Monday. The Warriors were stunned at home by the Spurs on Saturday, 126-113, Golden State’s second straight loss and third in four games. Both Warriors star Steph Curry and San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama, the sure-fire NBA Rookie of the Year, were out injured. The Spurs were also without starting forward Devin Vassell.

Dominick Barlow rarely plays for the Spurs but saw 30 minutes with those two out and had a season-high 19 points. Wembanyama has missed the Spurs’ last two games with a right ankle sprain but is likely to play Monday. Not clear on Vassell. Malaki Branham started for him Saturday and had 20 points, his third straight game with at least 20.

Keldon Johnson had 22 points and 11 rebounds in the win. Jeremy Sochan and Malaki Branham each scored 20 points for San Antonio, which had dropped seven of nine. Julian Champagnie had 17 points and seven rebounds. Champagnie made five 3s and Johnson hit four as the Spurs shot 17 for 33 from deep. They came into the game ranked 29th in the NBA in 3-point shooting at 34.8%.

Curry will sit again for Golden State on Monday. Chris Paul started in his spot Saturday and probably will again. He had 10 points, nine assists and four rebounds. Young big man Trayce Jackson-Davis recorded 11 points, six rebounds and three blocks. He moved into the starting lineup, resulting in Andrew Wiggins shifting to the bench.

Klay Thompson came off the bench to score 27 points for Golden State, which has dropped consecutive games for the first time since Jan. 25 and 27 to the Kings and Lakers — also at home in Chase Center. Jonathan Kuminga had 26 points for his fifth 20-point game in the last seven. But he didn’t have enough help as the Warriors dearly missed Curry’s 26.9 points per game. He has a right ankle sprain, but an MRI was negative. Golden State is 0-4 this season without Curry and 64-105 in regular-season games all-time since he entered the league.

“It was tough. We just never had any traction in the game,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I didn’t feel like we had confidence or energy. I thought their pace and their movement bothered us, and we had some breakdowns. It just felt like we were never really in the game.”

Kerr played for the Spurs for four seasons (1998-99 — 2000-01 and 2002-03) and was a member of two championship teams (1999 and 2003) under Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. Kerr was an assistant coach on Popovich’s coaching staff for the gold medal-winning USA Men’s Basketball National Team in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Since January 30, the Warriors lead the NBA in wins (14) and rebounding (48.8 rpg), second in assists (30.7 apg), seventh in scoring (118.9 ppg), and second in 3-pointers made (14.8).

Even with Saturday’s loss, the Warriors have won five of the last six meetings against the Spurs, including the last four at San Antonio. Prior to the four-game winning streak at San Antonio, the Warriors had lost the previous five meetings. The Spurs have won 39 of the last 46 meetings against the Warriors in San Antonio.

NBA Betting Pick: Spurs

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Sacramento Kings

• When: Tuesday, March 12th, 2024, 10:00 PM ET
• Where: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
• TV: NBCSCA, Bally Sports WI
• Radio: WTMJ 620 AM (Bucks) // Sactown Sports 1140 AM (Kings)
• Stream: NBA League Pass
• NBA Odds: TBA

The Bucks might be a bit out of gas as this is the finale of a four-game West Coast trip with Milwaukee 2-1 on it. Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo has been sharp since the All-Star break, as he’s averaging 30.6 points, 11.4 rebounds and 6.3 assists in 34.7 minutes per game. He’s dealing with a minor knee issue but should play. Giannis is on pace to become the first player in NBA history to average at least 30 points on 60% shooting from the field. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar currently owns the best field-goal percentage in a 30-point season when he averaged 31.7 points on 57.7% shooting with Milwaukee in 1970-71.

Former All-Star Khris Middleton hasn’t played since Feb. 6 with an ankle injury. Coach Doc Rivers said Middleton logged a “great workout” Saturday and is “getting closer” to a return as the 32-year-old continues to ramp up. Jae Crowder has been starting in Middleton’s stead, but it has been Bobby Portis filling the production void, as the latter is averaging 20.7 points and 10.0 rebounds across his last three games.

Since Rivers took over as head coach on Jan. 29, the Bucks have been way better defensively. They are ninth in the NBA in that span in allowing 109.4 points per game. Before Rivers, the team was allowing 120.1 points, which was 24th in the league.

Meanwhile, since the All-Star break Kings star De’Aaron Fox is averaging 30.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 2.3 steals per game. During that time, Fox ranks third in scoring, tied for fourth in steals and 17th in assists per game. He scored a career-high tying 44 points in a win at the Lakers on Mar. 6 and is one of 10 players with a 40-point performance following the All-Star break. Since Jan. 1, Fox is averaging a league-leading 2.1 steals per game.

Domantas Sabonis leads the NBA in triple-doubles overall and has three 20-rebound triple-doubles on the season, the most such triple-doubles in a season since Abdul-Jabbar had four during the 1975-76 campaign. Sabonis is tied with Abdul-Jabbar for the seventh-most career 20-rebound triple-doubles with six.

Sabonis ranks third in franchise history in triple-doubles with 20+ rebounds in a season, trailing Maurice Stokes (1957-58: 4) and Oscar Robertson (1961-62: 4) as he has four such games during his time with Sacramento. Since Dec. 1, Sabonis is averaging 20.5 points (61.7 FG%), 14.2 rebounds and 9.0 assists per outing. He leads the NBA in rebounds per game and total rebounds.

These teams played one of the wildest games of the season on Jan. 14 in Milwaukee with the Bucks winning 143-142 in OT. The Kings led by four late in overtime, but Brook Lopez made a 3-pointer from the corner to pull the Bucks to 141-140 with 11.5 seconds remaining. Fox made one of two free throws. Damian Lillard then inbounded the ball to Lopez, who passed it back to Lillard, who then dribbled across half court and sank a shot from about 30 feet that gave the Bucks their 15th consecutive win over the Kings.

Lillard led the Bucks with 29 points. Antetokounmpo had a triple-double with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Fox finished with 32 points to lead the Kings, and Sabonis had a triple-double of 21 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds.

Sacramento hasn’t won in the series since Feb. 1, 2016, but it’s a bad spot at the end of a trip for Milwaukee.

NBA Betting Pick: Kings

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READ MORE: Top NBA Betting Picks of the Week – March 18th, 2024