Monday NBA Picks
Our team of writers and handicappers hand out their NBA picks and predictions for Monday, March 30.
Orlando Magic at Miami Heat, 7:35PM ET
Dwyane Wade has had some memorable performances against the Orlando Magic in his career. The only problem is it hasn’t led to many wins for the Miami Heat.
The Heat hope to avoid a 12th loss in 13 meetings with the Magic as they look for Wade to have another high-scoring effort Monday night in Miami.
Wade leads the league in scoring (29.8) and has helped the Heat (39-34) win 24 more games than a year ago to emerge as one of the top contenders for league MVP.
He scored 27 points in Saturday’s 102-95 win over Milwaukee to help Miami bounce back from back-to-back disappointing losses.
The Heat are in a tight race with Philadelphia for fifth place in the Eastern Conference – a critical spot because it would ensure not seeing Cleveland, Orlando or Boston until at least the second round of the playoffs. Miami, which still has a game left against the Celtics on April 10, is a combined 3-7 against those teams this season.
NBA Free Pick: Miami – View Game Matchup | Best Line:
Milwaukee Bucks at New Jersey Nets, 7:35PM ET
A few weeks ago, the New Jersey Nets and Milwaukee Bucks both looked like contenders to earn one of the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.
Now, they have something else in common.
Both teams are on losing streaks and quickly fading from postseason contention going into their meeting Monday night in New Jersey.
Even though the Bucks have struggled through an injury-riddled season and the Nets are in the midst of a rebuilding process, both still have a mathematical chance to earn the East’s eighth and final playoff spot.
But it looks more and more like neither will claim it. Still playing without Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut, the Bucks (31-43) have lost five straight and 10 of their last 12, while the Nets have dropped four in a row.
New Jersey (30-43) is 6-16 since Feb. 8, but perhaps the most disappointing of those losses was Sunday’s 108-99 defeat at Minnesota.
NBA Free Pick: Milwaukee – View Game Matchup | Best Line:
New York Knicks at Utah Jazz, 9:05PM ET
The Utah Jazz struggled with a fast-paced opponent last week, losing one game and barely avoiding their first home defeat in two months.
They’ll try to correct their mistakes against another up-tempo foe, as they put their 15-game home winning streak on the line and try to improve their positioning in the crowded Western Conference on Monday night against the fading New York Knicks.
Utah needs a strong performance in its final 10 games if it hopes to catch first-place Denver in the Northwest Division and potentially earn home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
But the Jazz (45-27) didn’t play well in a home-and-home set against Phoenix, losing 118-114 on the road Wednesday night and laboring to a 104-99 overtime victory in Salt Lake City on Saturday night.
They blew a 21-point third-quarter lead Saturday, needing a 9-2 run at the end of regulation to catch the Suns and continue their longest home winning streak of the season. Deron Williams hit an 18-footer to tie it with 13 seconds left, then scored seven points in overtime, finishing with 21 points and 13 assists for his fourth straight double-double.
NBA Free Pick: Utah – View Game Matchup | Best Line:
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Posted: 3/30/09 12:38PM ET