ESPN Fantasy Basketball and Basketball Betting Tips is your pre-game destination for basketball betting predictions and our best information and data, including ESPN’s own Basketball Power Index (BPI), to help you make smart decisions for fantasy and betting. Tuesday’s NBA game odds are provided by Caesars Sportsbook.
What you need to know about Tuesday
If Monday was defined by the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat taking commanding positions, the narrative for the NBA on Tuesday seems to be about two truly competitive matchups. The Phoenix Suns hit home court over the weekend to even their series with the Denver Nuggets, while the Philadelphia 76ers enjoyed some vintage performances from James Harden to even things up with the rival Boston Celtics. Both Denver and Boston are favorites tonight, while our experts below aim to help you find which sides to play.
Looking at the lineup for these games, Jamal Murray stands out as the top value in my DFS model thanks to reasonable prices on DraftKings ($8,100) and a steady hitting diet that includes at least 24 floor attempts in three of the four games in this series so far. Teammate Michael Porter Jr. proves attractive given back-to-back double-double performances and the potential to ascend as a scoring force given his affinity for lofting from deep. “MPJ’s” shooting even looks interesting considering he’s taken 19 shots from beyond the arc in the last two games.
In what is a key matchup in Boston, Joel Embiid has the second-best floor and ceiling combination at the plate behind only fellow MVP talent Nikola Jokic. In terms of value, Embiid is significantly less expensive and thus a reasonable building block in lineups. Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum has a viable path to a third straight double-double, opening up some avenues to play.
— Jim McCormick
Smashing the scoreboard on Tuesday
Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics
Game 5: 7:30 PM ET, Series tied 2-2
Records (vs. distribution)
76ers: 54-28 (46-35-1)
Celtics: 57-25 (45-36-1)
row: Celtics (-7.5) Total: 213
BPI Projection: Celtics with 3.3
Money line: 76ers (+250), Celtics (-320)
Injury Report:
76ers: Joel Embiid, (GTD – knee)
Celtics: Danilo Gallinari, (OUT – knee)
Note: BPI numbers factor players who are excluded, but assume GTD players will play
Best bet: 76ers (+7.5) James Harden rediscovered his retro form at just the right time for the 76ers. He single-handedly led them to a Game 1 win in Boston and got the game-winning bucket in Game 4. I’m not sure he’ll score 40 points in Game 5, but I think the 76ers can and will keep this game much tighter. than the prevalence suggests. Philadelphia will not fear the environment. They had the second-best road record in the NBA during the regular season. I think it’s a lower-scoring environment, a highly contested Game 5, and betting seven points with Boston is too rich in that scenario. — Tyler Fulgham
Phoenix Suns at Denver Nuggets
Game 5: 10 p.m. ET, Series tied 2-2
Records (vs. distribution)
Suns: 45-37 (42-38-2)
Nuggets: 53-29 (44-37-1)
row: Nuggets (-5.5) Total: 227.5
BPI Projection: Nuggets with 6.6
Money line: Suns (+185), Nuggets (-225)
Injury Report:
Suns: Chris Paul, (EXCLUSIVE – Groin)
Nuggets: None reported
Note: BPI numbers factor players who are excluded, but assume GTD players will play
0:27
Why Joe Fortenbaugh beats the Suns over the Nuggets in Game 5
Joe Fortenbaugh says the Suns’ bench will be the deciding factor in beating the Nuggets in Game 5.
Best bet: Nuggets (-5.5), Over 228. Denver played valiantly in Game 4, but in the end, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant were too much. I know they are arguably the best scoring duo in the game today, but the Suns demand a lot from them every game. If they’re having a bit of an off night, there’s just not enough depth around them to slack off. Back in Denver, I expect the Suns role players to revert to average and Denver to play better around Nikola Jokic. Denver has been a dominant home team all season, including the playoffs. I think we get another high-scoring offensive environment, but the Nuggets eventually pull away and take a 3-2 series lead. — Fulgham