The 2023-24 NBA regular season is coming to an end and we’re continuing to tackle it hard at VSiN. As always, Jonathan Von Tobel continues to provide you with his exceptional coverage of the greatest league in the world. Just click here for all of his content. However, all of my picks will be featured in this daily column, which will combine my NBA best bets and NBA player props. So, keep reading to find out how I’m playing the NBA slate on Saturday, April 6th. Also, check out our NBA Odds page for the latest line movement.
MORE: Check out our Pro Picks page for everything our experts have on April 6
2023 Record: 307-321-2 (-12.42 units)
NBA Best Bets Today – April 6
Cleveland Cavaliers at Los Angeles Lakers – 3:30 pm ET
The Cavaliers have been miserable lately, while the Lakers have been scorching hot. Cleveland has lost six of its last nine games coming into this one, while Los Angeles has won eight of its last nine. However, the Cavaliers are relatively healthy right now and I expect them to figure this thing out. And our VSiN estimated line for this one has the Cavaliers laying 0.5 points. So, it’s hard to pass up the value on Cleveland getting 5.5 here. And I’m also sprinkling the moneyline for the Cavaliers to win outright.
Cleveland is still a top-10 team in the league when it comes to defensive rating, and the team’s offense is right there with Los Angeles. And a pretty good argument can be made that Donovan Mitchell gives the Cavaliers perimeter firepower that the Lakers simply can’t match. So, if Mitchell is hitting some pull-up triples in this one, the Lakers will have a hard time answering. I also like that Cleveland has Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen to protect the rim here. The two of them will make life difficult on Anthony Davis.
Los Angeles has also been pretty lousy when trying to stay hot under Darvin Ham. The Lakers are 9-27 against the spread off a road win under Ham, and they’re also 17-31 ATS when coming off two or more consecutive wins.
Bet: Cavaliers +5.5 (-115 – 2 units) & Cavaliers ML (+175 – 0.5 units)
NBA Player Props Today – April 6
Atlanta Hawks at Denver Nuggets – 9:00 pm ET
The Nuggets are 10th in the league in adjusted defensive rating, and they’re sixth in the league in defensive rating over the last 10 games. So, this isn’t going to be an easy matchup for the Hawks. But I still like Jalen Johnson to fill up the stat sheet for Atlanta. Johnson is coming off a game in which he had six points, 16 rebounds and four assists against the Dallas Mavericks. That was a game in which Johnson shot 3 for 12 from the floor, which isn’t going to happen often. However, he still came close to reaching the 28 points, rebounds and assists I’m asking for tonight. And the game before that, Johnson had 28 points, 14 rebounds and 11 dimes against the Detroit Pistons, easily clearing the mark for tonight’s NBA player props.
Johnson is just a huge part of this Hawks team on both ends of the floor, and they’ll be counting on him to come up big tonight. And I like his ability to grab rebounds and then push the ball up the floor. It’s also somewhat big that Onyeka Okongwu remains out for the Hawks. That means that Johnson will continue to see huge minutes for Atlanta, especially with the team fighting with the Chicago Bulls for Play-In positioning.
Bet: Johnson Over 27.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (-115 – 1.5 units)
Added Plays
Malachi Flynn Over 12.5 Points (-110) vs. Brooklyn Nets
Atlanta Hawks +12 (-110 – 2 units) vs. Denver Nuggets
Atlanta Hawks Alt Spread +7.5 (+175 – 0.5 units) vs. Denver Nuggets
