This article is part of our NBA Picks series.
Three RotoWire employees took valuable time out of their day to participate in Wednesday's roundtable:
Alex Barutha: Jazz at Thunder (-152) -- FanDuel, 12:21 PM
Rudy Gobert is questionable for Wednesday's action due to an illness, and I feel like there's a less-than-usual chance he plays with The Pandemic in the ether. Either way, the Jazz haven't exactly been "a good basketball team" lately, even with Gobert. Since the All-Star break, they've gone 5-5 with a -1.9 net rating. That includes the 10th-worst defense -- one that forces the third-fewest turnovers.
Meanwhile the Thunder have gone 7-2 with a +1.2 net rating, ranking 11th on offense and 14th on defense. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chris Paul are both shooting over 50 FG% since the break and are combining for 11.1 assists to just 4.5 turnovers per game. Steven Adams also cancels out Gobert more than Gobert cancels out Adams, if that makes sense. Since they first met in 2013, Adams and the Thunder have a 15-5 advantage over Gobert and the Jazz.
Nick Whalen: Miles Bridges OVER 13.5 points (-110) at Miami -- DraftKings Sportsbook, 11:30AM CT
Took a bit of a bath last night on Coby White, who finished with 30 points+rebounds+assists -- one shy of the 31 he needed to hit the over. I don't love the spreads on tonight's slate, so I'll roll with another player prop. I like Bridges to go over 13.5 points, and I'd be tempted to play Devonte' Graham over 16.5 points, as well. Miami could very well be without its best two-way guy in Jimmy Butler, who did not practice Tuesday. And while the Heat have other options to throw at Bridges -- Jae Crowder, Derrick Jones, Andre Iguodala -- I like him to bounce back from what's been a rough start to March. He's averaging under nine points per game this month, but that comes after a February in which he averaged 18.0 points per game and scored at least 14 points in nine of 11 games. I know the more-recent sample isn't pretty, but for a player who typically sees 30-to-35 minutes, I think Bridges can get to at least 14 points tonight.
Joe Bartel: De'Aaron Fox under 11.5 rebounds and assists (-128) - FanDuel Sportsbook 12:54 PM CT
This number is so off that I'm a little concerned Vegas knows something we don't. Since the All-Star break, Fox is averaging just 5.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds, in large part because he's more involved offensively, especially since the start of the new year. The third-year guard has certainly had his moments recently, particularly in games against teams like the Trail Blazers or Bucks in which he "should" be more pass-heavy. But he's still surpassed Wednesday's R/A assist total just four times since February, and faces a Pelicans defense that allows the sixth-fewest rebounds to point guards (5.5 over the last 10 games) and ninth-fewest assists (7.7 over the last 10 games). The tempo might give Fox a few more potential rebound opportunities than normal, but considering both Lonzo Ball and Jrue Holiday have put together excellent seasons on the glass, I have a hard time thinking Fox sees "that" many more opportunities to offset his recent averages.
