NBA Parlay Picks for Wednesday, March 8, 2023

We missed both legs of our NBA Parlay of the Week last week, so hopefully we even out and hit both sides of this week’s parlay. The NBA season is getting a little easier to figure out now that it’s March, and we are seeing which teams are coming together and which teams are falling apart. That’s something to constantly assess when considering NBA betting picks at this time of the year.

NBA Betting Odds at BetRivers Sportsbook

Portland Trail Blazers at Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics were in first place in the Eastern Conference for most of this season. However, the Celtics have started to slip up lately, losing two straight games as of Monday morning. Boston is missing Ime Udoka in a big way, as new head coach Joe Mazzula has had a rough go of it lately. The first-year head coach is playing suboptimal lineups, and that has been a cause for concern.

Now, things are about to get more difficult as Boston will be without two key players for at least another week. Former NBA Rookie of the Year and major offseason acquisition Malcolm Brogdon has not played since Wednesday night and is expected to miss time with an ankle injury, and Mazzula stated the Celtics will be without Robert Williams III for the next 7-10 days with a strained hamstring. Brogdon and Williams are part of the crunchtime eight-man rotation that Mazzula seems to prefer, so it will be interesting to see how their minutes are replaced by a coach that has had some issues in that regard.

Additionally, because Boston is at home, there will be a big number attached to the Celtics. Don’t be surprised if the NBA betting odds have Boston favored by 10 or more points. Portland isn’t a great team and looks set to fall out of the playoff picture after dropping five of its last games, but I’m backing the Blazers because they have proven to be frisky.

Damian Lillard has proven he can explode for 40+ points on any night, and there is talent around Dame Time. Anfernee Simons should be cleared to return for this game after dealing with an ankle injury over the last couple weeks, and rookie Shaedon Sharpe has looked solid in limited action. Jusuf Nurkic can do a lot with his big body when healthy, but that’s been a major issue over the last few years.

Oklahoma City Thunder at Phoenix Suns

Everyone is rallying around the Phoenix Suns now that they have won their first three games with Kevin Durant. Phoenix hammered Charlotte and Chicago in midweek action before the suns outdueled Dallas on Sunday. The Suns will now have two days off before they play the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night, and they are sure to be an enormous favorite per the NBA betting line against OKC.

There isn’t a more talented foursome in the league than Durant, Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, and Chris Paul. The addition of Durant is huge for all three players because he can help complement their games and take pressure off of all three of them in different ways. Booker is no longer going to get the same attention with the ball in his hands, Ayton will have another big man to play off, and CP3 now has three elite options to pass to when he drives.

We will see a lot of public action on Phoenix in this game too since this is the first home game with Durant in the lineup. The crowd will be intense, and this will be seen as a “can’t lose” situation, fueling more public money on Phoenix.

Oklahoma City has been extremely underrated all year long. Even though the Thunder have not had their No. 2 overall pick all season due to injury, they have played close to .500 basketball as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has taken the leap. SGA is averaging 31.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 5.7 APG, while making 50.8% of his field goals. OKC have a bevy of young talent too as players like Josh Giddey and Luguentz Dort have proven that they have a place in the NBA. That makes the Thunder a very nice play on Wednesday night.