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NBA Tuesday best bets: Can Pistons carry momentum vs. Bulls?

Brian Sevald / National Basketball Association / Getty

We ripped off another 3-0 record against the spread on Monday, highlighted by the Pistons' outright win versus the Jazz and two blowout wins by the Knicks and 76ers against overmatched foes. Here are our best bets for Tuesday.

Warriors (-2, 220) @ Grizzlies, 8 p.m. ET

This is one of the more intriguing matchups of the season, pitting the NBA's leader in net rating (Warriors) against the hottest team in the league (Grizzlies). And there's a case to be made that the wrong team is favored.

Memphis has been simply spectacular since late November, ripping off a 17-6 ATS/21-4 SU run to go with the NBA's top defensive rating (101.8) and third-best mark on offense (114.9). The back half of that run has been aided by rising superstar Ja Morant, who is averaging 27.8 points on 52.8% shooting during his team's active eight-game win streak.

The Warriors showed signs of life in Klay Thompson's return Sunday, but they've dropped four of their last six ATS amid the worst shooting slump of Stephen Curry's career. With Draymond Green still sidelined, the Grizzlies are the safer bet to win this one outright, never mind cover the number.

Pick: Grizzlies +2

Pistons @ Bulls (-14, 219.5), 8 p.m.

This feels like a perfect buy-low, sell-high opportunity following the Pistons' outright win over the Jazz, which came a day after the Bulls were blown out by the Mavericks.

The problem? The number doesn't treat this like a buy-low spot at all. Chicago has only been a double-digit favorite twice this season (0-2 ATS) and never by more than 14 points. Meanwhile, Detroit is 10-6 ATS this year as a double-digit underdog and only caught more points than it does here in two games.

The Bulls' struggles aren't quite a blip, either - they've dropped four of their last five ATS, and they won four games by a combined 15 points before that 14-point loss Sunday. Even if Chicago wins outright, this one should be close.

Pick: Pistons +14

Nuggets (-3, 213.5) @ Clippers, 10:30 p.m.

Some teams rally after losing their best player for an extended period. Other teams crumble. The Clippers have been the latter type of club, dropping six of nine games since Paul George (elbow) began his lengthy stint on the injury list.

That losing spell began against the Nuggets, which sparked a 5-2 SU run for Denver that helped the team claw its way back up the Western Conference standings. It hasn't always been impressive, but Nikola Jokic (25.8 points, 14.2 rebounds, 7 assists) has been every bit as remarkable - if not more so - as he was during his MVP campaign.

The Clippers' defense has been mediocre since losing George, while their offense has been downright anemic without their leading scorer. Don't expect much of a change here as a short home 'dog.

Pick: Nuggets -3

C Jackson Cowart is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on Twitter (@CJacksonCowart) or email him at cjackson.cowart@thescore.com.

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