Best NBA Bets Today | NBA Picks March 8

The NBA has scheduled an exciting, seven-game Wednesday night with competitive matches!

In the Eastern Conference, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat will put on one of the league's most intense defensive matchups. The Boston Celtics will try to regain the winning trend when facing the Portland Trail Blazers. And the Chicago Bulls will try to overcome the Western Conference-leading Denver Nuggets!

Let's check out the bets!

Cleveland Cavaliers @ Miami Heat

When: 7:30 PM EST

Spread: Cleveland Cavaliers -2.0 (-110) @ Caesars Sportsbook

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat are two of the league's premiere defensive teams. The Miami Heat have fallen to seventh in the Eastern Conference with a 35-31 overall record and a 21-12 home record. The Cleveland Cavaliers are fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 41-26 overall record but a mediocre 13-19 road record.

The Cavaliers own one of the NBA's best interior defenses, holding teams to 106.6 points per game (1st in the NBA) and just 46.5% shooting from the field (5th in the NBA). Cleveland is coming from an impressive win over the Boston Celtics, where they held their opponents to 114 points on just 41.6% from the field and 33.3% from the three-point range. The Miami Heat are similarly menacing on defense, holding teams to 109.1 points per game (2nd in the NBA) while forcing 16.0 turnovers per game (3rd in the NBA). In a change of style, the Miami Heat won their last match 130-128 by shooting 53.2% from the field and hitting 16 three-pointers on 55.2% efficiency.

While the Miami Heat are coming off of a fantastic offensive game, their scoring doesn't project to be sustainable. Between two excellent teams, the scoring efficiency of the Cleveland Cavaliers should make the difference. Take the Cavs in this matchup, but don't expect it to be a high-scoring affair.

Portland Trail Blazers @ Boston Celtics

When: 7:30 PM EST

Spread: Boston Celtics -9.5 (-110) @ DraftKings Sportsbook

While the Portland Trail Blazers aim to secure their position in the playoff race, the Boston Celtics are comfortable near the top of their conference. The Boston Celtics are second in the Eastern Conference with a 45-21 overall record and a 25-9 home record. The Portland Trail Blazers have fallen to tenth in the Western Conference with a 31-34 overall record and a 14-19 road record.

The Trail Blazers get by on their three-point shooting, as they average 114.9 points per game (15th in the NBA) by hitting 13.2 threes per game (8th in the NBA) on 37.5% efficiency (8th in the NBA). Portland earned back-to-back wins by averaging 116.0 points per game on 47.8% from the field and 38.8% from the three-point range. The Celtics have been one of the NBA's best two-way teams, scoring 117.7 points per game (4th in the NBA) while holding their opponents to 112.5 points per game (9th in the NBA). Boston's defense has faltered throughout their three-game losing streak, allowing 121.3 points per game despite holding teams to 45.5% from the field and 34.5% from three-point range.

The Boston Celtics are missing some key contributors, but they'll be forced to rally against a Trail Blazers team that has shot the ball efficiently all season. The step up in competition for the Trail Blazers will be too much with key contributors like Jusuf Nurkic and Anfernee Simons unavailable. Take the Celtics to get back on track against a porous Trail Blazers defense.

Chicago Bulls @ Denver Nuggets

When: 9:00 PM EST

Spread: Denver Nuggets -8.0 (-110) @ PointsBet

The Denver Nuggets are secure at the top of the Western Conference, but they'll face a Chicago Bulls team that is scraping to get back in the Play-In race. The Nuggets are at the top of the Western Conference with a 46-19 overall record and a 30-4 home record. The Bulls have fallen to 11th in the East with a 29-36 overall record and an 11-21 road record.

The Chicago Bulls operate one of the league's more methodical offenses, averaging 113.0 points per game (20th in the NBA) on 49.0% shooting from the field (5th in the NBA) and 36.1% from the three-point range (15th in the NBA). The Bulls' defense has let them down in back-to-back games, as they've allowed 125.0 points on 50.6% shooting from the field and 39.6% from three on an average of 18.0 threes per game. The Denver Nuggets will challenge them with their top-tier offense, as they average 117.2 points per game (5th in the NBA) on 50.9% from the field (1st in the NBA) and 39.0% from the three-point line (1st in the NBA). In their four-game winning streak, the Nuggets have averaged 124.5 points per game on 51.2% shooting from the field.

The simple choice is to take the Denver Nuggets against a lowly Chicago Bulls team. Denver is in great form as of late, and their offensive versatility should overwhelm Chicago. With home-court advantage in their favor, the Nuggets should easily take this game.