Saddiq Bey’s knee bent the wrong way two nights ago, and the Atlanta Hawks forward is now out for the season with a torn ACL. That’s not good news for a team that has already lost Trae Young for the remainder of March.

Suddenly, Atlanta’s hold on the No. 10 position in the NBA Eastern Conference standings looks precarious, even though the Brooklyn Nets are 3½ games behind the Hawks.

Bey and Young are two of Atlanta’s three best players, and although Young could be back by April after having surgery to repair a dislocated finger, the team’s cupboard is getting bare. The Hawks play on Wednesday night at Portland, while the Nets will be in Orlando to face the Magic, who are fifth in the East but coming off lopsided losses to the Knicks and Pacers.

Could the Nets become the NBA’s Lazarus team?

Brooklyn won its season series against Atlanta 3-1 and thus would own the tiebreaker if these teams finish with identical records. That would give the Nets the No. 10 seed and a likely Play-In Tournament game against the Chicago Bulls. Let’s not forget, of course, that the Miami Heat went from being a play-in team to an NBA finalist last season.

Not that we would predict something like that for the Nets, who are simply not a very good team. Be that as it may, Brooklyn has a chance to accomplish something behind the three keepers on its roster -- Mikal Bridges, Cam Thomas, and Nic Claxton -- and we shall see tonight if the Nets show the same urgency they displayed in taking out the Cleveland Cavaliers by 19 points on the road Sunday night.

Brooklyn lost by 27 the last time it played Orlando, and the team is revenge-minded tonight.

“Last game we kind of got punked,” Claxton said Tuesday afternoon after practice.

Coming back from being “punked” is the operative thought as we put together a four-leg parlay that could get us into the latter part of this week with some happiness and profit.

Best NBA Parlays Today – March 13, 2024. 4 Leg Parlay Picks (+186900)

Nets vs. Magic Prediction and Pick

The Nets center who used the word “punked” is going to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, and Nic Claxton wants to build a reputation as a player who brought the Nets back from the dead. It could be worth tens of millions of dollars, which we call a massive inspiration quotient.

Leg-1 Parlay Pick: Nicolas Claxton to have 35 combined points, rebounds and assists +900

Nuggets vs. Heat Prediction and Pick

Denver’s Nikola Jokic scored 35 points the last time his Nuggets played, as he reached that number for the ninth time this season. On Wednesday night, Denver visits Miami for a nationally-televised game. It’s the first half of an ESPN doubleheader, and national exposure usually brings out the best in the very best players, including the leading MVP candidate.

Leg-2 Parlay Pick: Nikola Jokic to score at least 35 points (+700)

Cavaliers vs. Pelicans Prediction and Pick

The Pelicans use a short rotation, and it can sometimes be a guessing game as to who will get hot on any given night. We have been very impressed with Trey Murphy III lately, but he is off the board for New Orleans’ home game against Cleveland on Wednesday night. So, we are going with point guard CJ McCollum, who has scored 20 or more points in four of his last eight games.

Leg-3 Parlay Pick: C.J. McCollum to score 20 or more points (+180)

Hawks vs. Trail Blazers Prediction and Pick

Certain players are going to put points on the board when the Atlanta Hawks visit Portland on Wednesday night. This is a matchup of two teams that will be watching the first round of the playoffs on television. If there were a four-leg 20-plus points line that included Portland’s DeAndre Ayton, we would include that, too. But there isn’t.

Leg-4 Parlay Pick: Anfernee Simons, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Dejounte Murray to all score 25+ points (+750)

Odds are subject to change*

WELCOME OFFER: Bet $50 Get $200 if your first bet wins. Download Betway Sportsbook today!

Bet on NBA Odds

Find season-long NBA odds on Betway sportsbook. You'll find all the latest spreads, totals, money lines, and parlays. Missed tip-off? No problem, Betway also offers live betting. All your NBA betting needs are covered in our online sportsbook.