Sports Handicapper Jimmy Boyd's Picks & Predictions

1* Free Pick on Kings +11½

The Warriors have absolutely nothing to gain tonight and everything to lose.
Golden State is officially locked into the 10th seed in the Western Conference standings.

Steve Kerr is prioritizing health for the Play-In tournament rather than chasing a meaningless blowout win in Sacramento.
The Warriors are also playing the second half of a back-to-back after losing a high-intensity game to the Lakers last night.

Stephen Curry is expected to suit up after resting on Thursday, but do not expect him to log heavy minutes.
Kerr has been strictly managing the rotation of his veterans to ensure they are fresh for next week’s do-or-die scenario.

The Kings are admittedly a skeleton crew right now with Domantas Sabonis out for the year and DeMar DeRozan sidelined.
However, double-digit spreads in the final week of the season are a massive red flag for favorite bettors.

Teams with locked-in seeds rarely keep their foot on the gas once they build a comfortable lead.
Golden State has struggled in this exact role, going just 3-8 against the spread this season when favored by 10 points or more.

Sacramento’s young rotation players are fighting for future contracts and will play with much more energy than a bored Warriors squad.
The Warriors’ defensive rating consistently drops in road back-to-back situations, often leading to a lack of focus on the perimeter.

This has the classic feel of a game where the Warriors lead by 15 in the third and allow a backdoor cover in the fourth.
Grab the double digits with the home underdog while the public overvalues a team that is already looking toward the postseason.

Bet Kings +11.5 (-115).

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5* NO BRAINER on Clippers +110

The Clippers are in a massive motivation spot tonight to secure the eighth seed and a favorable play-in path.

A win locks up the tiebreaker over Portland, but a loss drops Los Angeles into the ninth spot with much higher postseason stakes.

Kawhi Leonard is the clear-cut best player on the floor and is well-rested after playing limited minutes in his last three games.

The Blazers are short-handed with Jerami Grant already ruled out and Shaedon Sharpe likely sidelined with a calf injury.

Portland lacks the scoring punch to keep up without Damian Lillard, especially against a veteran Clippers defense that ranks in the top ten in points allowed.

Statistically, this is a major efficiency mismatch as the Clippers rank fourth in the NBA in effective field goal percentage.

Portland is one of the worst shooting teams in the league and currently ranks dead last in turnover percentage.

The Clippers' perimeter pressure should overwhelm the Blazers' young guards and lead to easy transition buckets.

Even with limited depth at center, Brook Lopez provides enough rim protection to neutralize Portland's interior scoring and challenge Donovan Clingan.

Getting a plus-money price on the more talented team with everything to play for is a gift at this stage of the season.

Trust the veteran experience of Leonard and the Clippers to handle business against a depleted Blazers roster that is prone to mistakes.

I like the Clippers ML (+110)

5* NO BRAINER on Rangers/Dodgers: under 9½

Tyler Glasnow is a massive advantage tonight against a Rangers lineup that is currently sleepwalking at the plate.

Texas is averaging just 3.6 runs per game this season and they have struggled to find any consistency on the road.

Glasnow enters this start with 15 strikeouts in 12 innings and a dominant 0.92 WHIP that shows his stuff is already in mid-season form.

The Rangers are hitting a collective .234 and they lack the power right now to punish a pitcher with Glasnow's elite velocity and movement.

Los Angeles is also playing at a disadvantage offensively with superstar Mookie Betts currently on the 10-day injured list with an oblique strain.

Taking the most dangerous bat out of the Dodgers’ lineup significantly lowers their ability to hang a crooked number on the scoreboard.

Kumar Rocker takes the hill for Texas and he proved he belongs by allowing only two runs in his big-league debut earlier this month.

Rocker has the raw power and strikeout potential to keep this thinned-out Dodgers order off balance and avoid the big inning that usually kills an Under.

Night games at Dodger Stadium are notorious for the heavy air keeping fly balls in the park and suppressing overall run production.

A total of 9.5 is a gift in a game featuring an ace like Glasnow and a Rangers offense that is stuck in a deep early-season rut.

Neither team is in a position to turn this into a slugfest given the current injury reports and recent offensive metrics.

I like the Under 9.5 (-120).