The NBA goes to its last stretch with the second half of the season going forward. The injury of Kevin Durant changed the entire scenario for the Western Conference and the rest of the NBA. Without Durant in the lineup, the Golden State Warriors need to figure out their old habits, but that won’t be easy. They chanced the entire team to make room for Durant. Without their playmaker on the court they are vulnerable, especially when facing the Los Angeles Clippers, the Houston Rockets and the San Antonio Spurs.

Anyways, these are the NBA Weekend Predictions:

Los Angeles Clippers at Chicago Bulls

• Game Time: Saturday, March 4 | 8:30 PM ET
• Stadium: United Center, in Chicago, IL,
• TV: ABC

The Clippers had a horrible night against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. Houston beat them 122-103 in Los Angeles as the Rockets hit 20 three-pointers to steal one on the road. The Clippers were booed by their fans after the end of the game.

LA will be playing on back-to-back night when they meet Chicago. On Friday night they will have to deal with the Milwaukee Bucks. But more than just being exhausted, the Clippers need to find the flow back before the playoffs. The per head sportsbooks don’t trust them and they shouldn’t. Los Angeles can show many faces in a span of a week.

Chicago can’t be trusted either. They can’t stay above .500 in their season record, and their point differential is a lousy -0.5.  The Bulls haven’t been great against Western Conference opponents this year, posting a 10-14 record.  Los Angeles, instead, is 14-8 when they play against teams from the East.

The NBA betting trends say the Bulls are 6-14 ATS in their last 20 games as a favorite, 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home games, 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall, and 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.

The Clippers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 road games, 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a road underdog and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.

NBA Betting Picks: Clippers to cover.

Cleveland Cavaliers at Miami Heat

• Game Time: Saturday, March 4 | 8:00 PM ET
• Stadium: American Airlines Arena, in Miami, FL,

The Cavs will go to Miami on back-to-back night. For a team hurt by injuries it should be a big deal, but not for Cleveland. They are head and shoulders above their competition in the East; the Heat shouldn’t be a match.

Cleveland destroyed Miami 114-84 the only time they met this season, back on December 9th. The game was at Quicken Loans Arena, but even so was a complete domination by the Cavs.

Miami just doesn’t have the star power to stop or match Lebron James and company.  In the first meeting of the season in December, the Cavers were 12-point favorites and ended covering the spread against the online bookies by 30 points.

The Heat has won four of their last five games, including a dominant victory over the Philadelphia 76ers 125-98.  They are hot at the moment with wins against the Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets in this span.

The Heat is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 Saturday games, 9-1-1 ATS in their last 11 home games, and 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record. The Cavaliers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games playing on 0 days’ rest.

NBA Picks: Miami with the points.

Memphis Grizzlies at Houston Rockets

• Game Time: Saturday, March 4 | 9:00 PM ET
• Stadium: Toyota Center, in Houston, TX

The Rockets and the Grizzlies have met three times already this season. In the last two meetings, the visiting team came on top, not only winning the game but covering the spread at the same time.

Houston is in third place in the Western Conference, and they have won seven of their last ten games on the schedule. They blew the doors of the pay per head services by destroying the Clippers in Los Angeles on Wednesday night. The Rockets have been excellent against opponents from the West this season, posting a 26-9 record.

Memphis is 26-13 against the West, and they are 6-4 in their last ten games. Their defensive efforts need to go an extra mile when they face a team like the Rockets. Despite the Grizzlies allow 9.8 points per game; the third best mark in the NBA, Houston scores 115.1 points per game every night; the second best number in the league.

Keep in mind the last two games in the series ended with the game total. The Rockets are 4-14 ATS in their last 18 Saturday games and 2-5 ATS in their last 7 home games. The Grizzlies are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 Saturday games and 6-2 ATS in their last 8 road games.

NBA Betting Picks: Rockets to win but Memphis to cover.

Golden State Warriors at New York Knicks

• Game Time: Saturday, March 5 | 3:30 PM ET
• Stadium: Madison Square Garden, in New York, NY
• TV: ABC

So the Warriors lost Kevin Durant for the reminder of the regular season, and they need to adjust. Coach Steve Kerr is one of the smartest minds in the game, and he should be able to make a plan.  Of course, against good opponents, Durant’s absent will be obvious, but that’s not the case against a team like Knicks.

New York is an under .500 team overall and playing at home. Even when Carmelo Anthony is feeling it, they can’t match the scoring power of the Warriors. Even with Durant’s absent.

The Warriors are 19-3 against the Eastern Conference this season, posting the best record of any team against the other Conference. They are also 7-0 against Atlantic division opponents, and that includes a 103-90 win over the Knicks on December 15.

Golden State is 3-1 against the spread in their last four games against New York.  The UNDER has collected against the sports bookies in the three straight games in the series between these two.

NBA Betting Predictions: Warriors to win and cover the spread.