Things are tight in the Western Conference of the NBA, as five teams battling for the final four automatic playoff spots are separated by just 2.5 games. Three of those clubs are separated by just a half game in the race for third place, and the Denver Nuggets have an opportunity on Wednesday to make it a quartet.
The Nuggets (39-26) attempt to tighten things in the West even more when they host the third-place Houston Rockets (40-24) at Ball Arena at 10 p.m. ET. Denver is 1.5 games behind Houston, who is a half game in front of both the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves.
A Nuggets win and a Timberwolves loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday would mean a half game separates four teams in the battle for third in the conference. In addition, the Phoenix Suns – who are idle – would move within two games of the Rockets.
Houston has won six of its last nine contests while Denver has lost four of its last six. The Rockets ended their four-game losing streak in the all-time series with a 115-101 road triumph on Dec. 20.
The Timberwolves (40-25) have a chance to pass Houston for third place in the West when they visit the Intuit Dome to take on the Clippers (32-32) at 10:30 p.m. ET in one of five other games on Wednesday’s NBA schedule. Minnesota has lost back-to-back contests after having won eight of its previous nine while the Clippers, who are a half game ahead of the Golden State Warriors for eighth in the conference, have won five of their last six.
Only two games are on the NHL slate, with one being an Atlantic Division battle between the Montreal Canadiens (35-18-10) and Ottawa Senators (32-22-9) at 7:30 p.m. ET at Canadian Tire Centre. The Senators have earned points in seven straight (5-0-2) and 11 of their last 12 overall games (9-1-2), and also have done so in their first three meetings of the season (1-0-2) with the Canadiens, who have gone 7-1-3 over their last 11 contests.
There is an abundance of college basketball conference tournament games on Wednesday, including an SEC tournament first-round clash that pits Ole Miss (12-19) against Texas (18-13) at 7 p.m. ET at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The Rebels lost 12 of their final 13 regular-season contests, including a 79-68 setback against the Longhorns on Feb. 7.
The Nuggets are 6.5-point favorites against the Rockets in the latest consensus NBA odds, while the Clippers are 1.5-point favorites over the Timberwolves. The Senators are -192 on the money line against the Canadiens and Texas is a 6.5-point favorite against Ole Miss.
Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Wednesday, Mar. 11. All times Eastern
NBA best bets, where to watch
Rockets at Nuggets
Time: 10 p.m. | Location: Denver | TV: ESPN | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Rockets +6.5 (-105) | Expert: Jabari Smith Jr. Over 20.5 Points + Rebounds (-122, PropBetGuy)
These teams are meeting for the seventh time since the beginning of the 2024-25 season. The Rockets won only two of the previous six matchups, but three of their four losses were by fewer than six points. Houston is 1-2 against Denver this campaign, with both defeats being by three points. The SportsLine Projection Model believes this showdown also will be close, as the Rockets cover the spread in 61% of its simulations. Houston’s Jabari Smith Jr. is averaging 22.3 points plus rebounds this season and totaled at least 26 in each of his three meetings with Denver this season, prompting SportsLine props expert PropBetGuy (130-96, +1816 on his last 226 NBA player prop picks) to think he’ll combine for at least 21 on Wednesday.
Timberwolves at Clippers
Time: 10:30 p.m. | Location: Inglewood, Cal. | TV: NBA League Pass | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Over 227.5 (-110) | Expert: Darius Garland Over 23.5 Points + Assists (-117, PropBetGuy)
The Timberwolves and Clippers combined for fewer than 216 points in each of their first three meetings this season. Minnesota is sixth in the NBA in scoring with an average of 118.4 points but have failed to reach that number in six consecutive games. Meanwhile, the Clippers rank 24th at 112.8 points per contest but have eclipsed that amount in three of their last four outings and scored 112 in the other. Taking that into account, the SportsLine Projection Model’s simulations have the Over hitting well over 68% of the time. Clippers guard Darius Garland is averaging 26.5 points plus assists per 30 minutes over his first four games since being acquired from the Cleveland Cavaliers, and PropBetGuy likes him to total at least 24 against the Timberwolves.
NHL best bets, where to watch
Canadiens at Senators
Time: 7:30 p.m. | Location: Ottawa | TV: ESPN+ | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Canadiens +1.5 (-152) | Expert: Senators -137 (Matt Severance)
The Canadiens have won seven of their last 12 games, and three of their five losses during that stretch came in either overtime or a shootout. One of their two regulation defeats was by one goal, and the other was a two-goal setback due to an empty-netter with four seconds remaining in the third period. The SportsLine Projection Model sees another close decision as the Canadiens cover the spread in 80% of its simulations. SportsLine expert Matt Severance (35-18, +1307.5 on his last 53 NHL money line picks) likes Ottawa to extend its winning streak to four games, as Montreal played on Tuesday and likely will have Sam Montembeault (4.29 GAA against the Senators this season) in the crease.
CBB best bets, where to watch
Ole Miss vs. Texas
Time: 7 p.m. | Location: Nashville, Tenn. | TV: SEC Network | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Over 144.5 (-114) | Expert: Texas -5.5 (-115, Thomas Casale)
The Longhorns lost their final two regular-season games but scored 85 points in each, which is a touch better than their 84.4-point average. The Rebels were 15th in the 16-team SEC this campaign with an average of 75.3 points, but they produced 85 or more in three of their last four outings. The SportsLine Projection Model feels the teams will at least reach their averages as its simulations have the Over hitting almost 77% of the time. SportsLine expert Thomas Casale (30-19, +808 on his last 49 college basketball against-the-spread picks) expects Texas to cover in this matchup as he sees the Longhorns dominating on the boards and attempting a lot of free throws as Ole Miss fouls at the highest rate among SEC teams.
