NBA Free Picks Againts the Spread – March 2, 2020

Welcome back to SportsIntel.com, I am Matt DeSaro and today we are kicking off another week of free NBA picks for March 2.

First up today we will be taking a look at the Milwaukee Bucks vs Miami Heat game, tipping off a 7:30 Eastern at the American Airlines Arena.  The opening NBA odds had Milwaukee as 2.5 point favorites, that line has since been bet up to 4 points, with a full game total of 225.5.The Bucks are in first place in the Central Division and will be looking for their seventh straight win and 5th straight on the road.

Their team has been firing on all cylinders at both ends of the court, ranking third in the NBA in overall offensive rating at 113 and first in the league in defense at 101.6.  They also keep the tempo way up, in fact, they lead the NBA with 105 possessions per 48 minutes, a pace which their opponents can rarely hang with.  Coming into this game, the Bucks have averaged 120 points while shooting almost 50% from the field.  When healthy, this might just

 be the best team in the league.  Speaking of health, Khris Middleton is still questionable at the time of publishing, perhaps set to miss his 3rd straight game with a neck issue.  Middleton is averaging 21 points and 6.3 rebounds per game and I’m sure the Bucks would like to have im suit up for this important eastern conference match.

The Heat, meanwhile, will be all hands on deck with no new injuries to report.   Miami will need all the help they can get after an average stretch of play recently, splitting their last 8 games overall.  Worth noting that the Heat has won four of their last five at home.  So their troubles have really been exacerbated by being on the road. When looking at their starts in fact, they really are just a slightly above average team with some big weapons and a few soft spots in the lineup.

Obviously, Jimmy Butler will be on his game and looking to throw down against his former team.  Alas, I just don’t think that Butler has enough pieces around him to get it done tonight.  Goran Dragic has been playing trending upward, as has Bam Adebayo, but this Bucks team is just too deep to trust Miami here.

Truth is, Milwaukee has been the most consistent team in the league and has been playing with a hot hand of late.  While the Heat has been a strong play at home, they have been on a but of a side recently and hove covered just 3 of their last 10 games.  Meanwhile, the Bucks have the best overall record on the road at 25-4 and have covered 8 of their last 10.  Let’s roll with the Bucks tonight to further entrench themselves as the best team in the Eastern Conference.

Next on our betting card, today will be the Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs, at the AT&T Center with tipoff at 8:30 PM Eastern.

The Pacers are looking to keep their winning ways alive after losing just one of their last six games.  They are coming off a 113-104 win over the Cavaliers on Saturday and seem to have Adjusted to Victor Oladipo’s return to the lineup.  Oladipo had easily his best game since his injury, scoring 19 points in 29 minutes of play.  His minutes have been on the rise and we might see him play close to a full game tonight after his performance on Saturday.

TJ Warren and Malcolm Brogdon have seen their roles shift slightly with Oladipo’s return, but both seem to have taken to then rather quickly.  It took almost ¾ of the season, but the Pacers are finally healthy and have their full roster to harness.  Their ideal starting five, Damantas Sabonis and the four mentioned prior, have only played a total of about 100 minutes together this year.  This makes the Pacers a strong bet on the candidate down the stretch.  This is also a game the Pacers need to win, they are currently 6th in the east but could tie the Sixers with a win and a Philly loss.

San Antonio is also coming off a Saturday night win after beating Orlando at home.  The Spurs are still 3 games back from the Grizzlies for the last playoff seed in the west and will be making every game count with the roster they have available to them.  Unfortunately, that isn’t a whole lot these days.  Long gone are the Spurs legends who led this team for what seemed like more than a decade, contending each year for the Conference Championship.  Now, this is a team contending for the worst team in the playoffs.

To make matters worse, LaMarcus Aldrige is expected to be on the bench tonight, which leaves DeMar Derozan with the Spurts only real threat on offense.  DeRozan is also a rather weak defender which could lead to Oladipo having a true breakout game.

With the season nearing an end, every team is playing as hard as they can with their eyes on the postseason.  When everyone is playing to make it count, the better teams usually win.  With the spread at just 1.5 at some books, this is a clear choice and just about a pick em’.  I’m taking the Pacers to continue to gel with their new lineup and exploit a depleted Spurs team in their own building.

Well, that’s it for our NBA picks for March 2 folks, be sure to check back again tomorrow for more free picks against the spread, right here at Sports Intel.