It’s Opening Day in baseball and the Sweet 16 is here in March Madness. The NBA has also got you covered. Tonight’s arrangement is a quality over quantity set-up. 3 games comprise the slate, headlined by one of the favorites to win the East, the New York Knicks traveling to Charlotte to meet with the up-start Hornets. Tipoff is set for 7:00 pm ET. Tonight’s schedule is rounded off by New Orleans squaring off with Detroit and the Magic hosting the Kings in Orlando.
You can find our NBA picks for all of today’s matchups along with EVERY GAME this season. But for now, here are our expert NBA best bets for each of today’s 3 games on Thursday, March 26.
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Knicks vs Hornets NBA best bet: Hornets -1.5 (-110)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Charlotte is a different team at home, where their pace, confidence, and scoring efficiency all tick upward. The Knicks carry the reputation as one of the East’s elite, but that perception inflates their price in spots like this even when Charlotte is the chalk.
The Hornets have quietly developed into a balanced team that can defend physically and generate offense in bursts, which is key against New York’s half-court style. Charlotte can match the Knicks on the glass and in defensive intensity while offering plenty of scoring versatility. In the Queen City, where their role players elevate, the Hornets offer tremendous equity.
Pelicans vs Pistons NBA best bet: Pelicans +4.5 (-110)
Odds available at BetMGM Sportsbook at time of publishing.
This is more about matchup symmetry than team quality. Detroit is clearly the better team and a contender, but New Orleans plays a similar brand—physical, aggressive, and capable of pushing pace. That matters because mirror matchups often compress margins.
The Pistons may execute that style better, but they aren’t facing a team that will be overwhelmed by it. If the game turns into a grind, possessions become more valuable and that enables the Pels to hang around as they hope to. New Orleans doesn’t need to be try anything fancy to win here, it just needs to stay within the structure of the game, which suits their identity. Take the points.
Kings vs Magic NBA best bet: Kings +15.5 (-110)
Odds available at Novig at time of publishing.
Orlando’s style makes them a difficult team to trust laying big numbers. The Magic prefer slow, physical, defense-first games that naturally limit possessions and suppress scoring margins. That creates a poor environment for covering larger spreads.
Sacramento, despite its low stock, becomes more appealing in this context because they don’t need to be the better team, just competitive enough in a low-possession game. When totals and pace are suppressed, every possession carries more weight, which protects the underdog. With the Kings priced as the bottom-feeder of the NBA, the number becomes inflated, making the points the sharper side.
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