Wednesday NBA Picks
Our team of writers and handicappers hand out their NBA picks and predictions for Wednesday, April 1.
Washington Wizards at Memphis Grizzlies, 8:05PM ET
Washington Wizards star Gilbert Arenas had a chance to make his season debut memorable with a winning shot in the closing seconds, but didn’t deliver.
He’ll have another chance to lead his club to victory Wednesday night when the Wizards visit the Memphis Grizzlies in a matchup of lottery-bound teams.
Arenas didn’t play in Washington’s loss at Indiana on Sunday night after making his season debut Saturday against Detroit. That was the first game in 11 months for the three-time All-Star, who had missed 156 of the Wizards’ previous 173 games and had three surgeries in an 18-month span – one that included two premature comeback attempts.
Arenas had 15 points and 10 assists in 30 minutes against the Pistons but was 3-for-12 from the field. His 3-point attempt was blocked out of bounds with two seconds remaining as the Wizards (17-58) fell 98-96.
Arenas admitted he didn’t make the right decision taking that shot, but he was mostly focused on his health after the game.
NBA Free Pick: Memphis – View Game Matchup | Best Line:
Miami Heat at Dallas Mavericks, 8:35PM ET
The Miami Heat beat the Dallas Mavericks in the 2006 NBA finals thanks to Dwyane Wade’s coming-out party, as he nearly single-handedly guided his team to the title and won MVP honors.
When they’ve met in the regular season, however, the results have been much different.
The Mavericks have topped the Heat in nine straight regular-season meetings, a streak that seems likely to continue Wednesday night in Dallas considering Miami hasn’t beaten a team with a winning record on the road in nearly four months.
Wade and Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki were the marquee names when the teams met in the 2006 finals – won by the Heat in six games behind 34.7 points per game from Wade – but the regular-season series in recent years has belonged to the Mavericks.
Dallas (44-30) hasn’t lost to the Heat (39-35) since Nov. 11, 2004, as Nowitzki has averaged 26.4 points.
Wade had 30 when the Mavericks visited Miami on Jan. 31, but Dallas shot a season-high 60.3 percent and Nowitzki matched him thanks to 12-of-14 shooting in a 111-95 win.
NBA Free Pick: Miami – View Game Matchup | Best Line:
Houston Rockets at Phoenix Suns, 10:05PM ET
The Houston Rockets’ playoff seeding depends heavily on how the team fares during a daunting stretch of schedule before the postseason.
There’s even more at stake for the Phoenix Suns in the regular season’s final two weeks.
The Rockets continue their battle for playoff position in the tightly packed Western Conference race Wednesday night when they visit the Suns, who are hoping to rebound from a winless road trip and improve their fading postseason chances.
Houston (48-26) has clinched a playoff spot but could finish anywhere from second to eighth place in the West. Its seed will be determined in large part by how the Rockets deal with a tough finish to the season. Of their final eight games, five are on the road and five are against teams currently in playoff position – not including the ninth-place Suns.
NBA Free Pick: Houston – View Game Matchup | Best Line:
Did you like this article? Subscribe to our Basketball news feed for the fastest updates delivered right to you – Click here to Subscribe
Posted: 4/1/09 12:01PM ET