Every night of the 2025-26 NBA season gives us a fresh set of games and numbers to pick apart. This daily column digs into the best sides and totals on the board, using in-depth basketball analysis, betting trends, and our VSiN NBA betting splits to spot value. We’ll also be tackling these slates relentlessly on our live VSiN programming, which is why basketball fans should really consider a VSiN Pro subscription. Below you’ll find some NBA picks and predictions for March 5.

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NBA Best Bets Today – Thursday, March 5

PARLAY: Magic ML vs. Mavericks, Heat ML vs. Nets, Rockets ML vs. Warriors, Suns ML vs. Bulls (+115)

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First game (DAL-ORL) tips at 7:00 pm ET

I’m taking my stab at the Gill Alexander “braindead parlay,” but I’m swapping out the Pelicans over the Kings for the Rockets over the Warriors. Fading the tanking teams in the NBA should be profitable moving forward, with the bottom-10 teams in the league having lost a collective 43 consecutive games. However, I can’t get on board with riding the Pelicans on the road. They might not be incentivized to lose, but they’re also not gaining anything from winning. Plus, the Kings still have some veteran players in the rotation, making them risky to fade in Sacramento. That said, I’m going with Houston to beat Golden State, as the Warriors are still without Stephen Curry and Kristaps Porzingis — as well as Jimmy Butler, who is out for the year.

PARLAY: Timberwolves ML vs. Raptors & Nuggets ML vs. Lakers (+113)

Raptors at Timberwolves – 8:00 pm ET
Lakers at Nuggets – 10:00 pm ET

Anthony Edwards is now listed as questionable for the Timberwolves, so I would suggest waiting to tail this. I already have it placed and talked about it on Hardwood Handicappers, so I’m stuck with it and letting it ride. However, if Edwards is out there, I expect Minnesota to beat Toronto. It might be a closer game than you’d like, but the Timberwolves are just as good as the Raptors defensively. But Minnesota is much easier to trust offensively, and the team is playing at home. If healthy, that should make a big enough difference for the Wolves to end in the win column — even if they seem like they can lose at any moment.

As far as the other game goes, the Lakers are just miserable when facing good opponents. This season, Los Angeles is 8-15 straight-up as an underdog, and the team is also 5-11 both SU and against the spread when taking on teams that outscore opponents by 3.0 or more points per game. On top of that, the Nuggets are coming off two full days of rest, and the Lakers don’t have a good answer for Nikola Jokic.

If Edwards ends up being out, I’ll probably end up looking for other teams to parlay with the Nuggets. I want a piece of Denver no matter what.

Added Plays (Late Picks, Parlays, Teasers, Futures)

Nothing yet.

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2025-26 NBA Record: 370-354 (+5.41 units)

Check out today’s episode of Hardwood Handicappers!

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