It’s hump day, with the weekend quickly approaching. The NBA has a full slate of games tonight, which means plenty of options for sports bettors. While everyone waits to see what comes of the Ben Simmons, debacle, some teams are ready to continue their push for a spot in the postseason.

Hornets Wrap Up Road Trip

The Charlotte Hornets (5-7) close their five-game West Coast road trip against the Memphis Grizzlies (6-4). Charlotte has lost five consecutive games, including four on the Western road swing. The Hornets are ranked 22nd in net rating at -3.6, with a record of 5-7 ATS and 9-3 OVER/UNDER.

Memphis has won three of its four previous games, with the most recent being a 125–118 overtime victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves as 4.5 point home favorites. The Grizzlies are 7-3 ATS and 5-5 OVER/UNDER, with the 24th-ranked net ratings (-4.2).

Since Ja Morant was drafted in 2019, the Grizzlies won four of their four games against the Hornets (4-0 ATS). That is likely to continue tonight. The Grizzlies are getting the money, and are so far ahead that a moneyline bet doesn’t make much sense. Backing the Over is a good target.

Mavs on the Move

The Dallas Mavericks (7-3) will visit the “Windy City” to take on the Chicago Bulls (7-3) at United Center. Dallas has won four out of their last five games, including three consecutive against the San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics. The Mavs are currently 3-7 ATS and 1-81 OVER/UNDER, with a net rating of 21st (minus-2.3).

Chicago was defeated by the Philadelphia 76ers in a back-to-back home-and-away before beating the Brooklyn Nets 118 to 95 as 1-point home underdogs on Monday. Bulls are currently 7-3 ATS, 4-6 OVER/UNDER and have the fourth-best net rating (+6.9).

Three consecutive meetings have seen the Bulls defeat the Mavericks (3-0 ATS). Chicago guard Zach LaVine put up 24.5 points per game and 7.5 assists per contest with a plus-20 net rating during the two Mavericks/Bulls games. This is going to be a close game, but the Bulls come out ahead. The Under 215.5 is likely.

Cavs Host the Wiz

The Washington Wizards (7-3) will be visiting Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse Wednesday to face the Cleveland Cavaliers (7-4). Red hot, the Cavaliers have won four straight and are now ready to go. The Cavaliers defeated Knicks (17-17) in their last outing, with potential All-Star and Player of the week C Jarrett Allen hard at work in the paint.

For five games consecutively, they have held their opponent below 110 points. However, it will be hard to do so against the G Bradley Beal-led Wizards. Beal is a prolific scorer in the NBA. In Sunday’s last win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, he had 30 for the Wizards. They have reached 110 in the last two of their four previous outings making this a matchup that is sure to be a favorite for both.

Back the Wiz as favorites, but take the Over, which is low at 208.5. Both teams may be experiencing injuries, but there is a lot of talent left, and many reasons to push up the score.

Portland Meets Arizona

The Portland Trail Blazers (5-6), continue on their road trip with a trip in Arizona. The Phoenix Suns (3-3) will host them tonight. Tuesday night was the opening game of the four-game Trail Blazers road trip. They lost 117 to 109 to the LA Clippers, with F Norman Powell was 23 and PG Damian Lillard 27.

Five straight wins by the Suns. They defeated the Sacramento Kings on Monday and won 109 to 104. PG Cameron Payne was the Suns’ leading scorer with 24 points. This one has the Suns written all over it, having four straight wins at home and five wins out of five games. The Blazers beat them on October 23, but that won’t happen again. The Suns will run away with it and the Over 220.5 will hit.