Grizzlies lose All-Star to ankle sprain amid run of tough-luck losses

The Memphis Grizzlies are standing under the tough-luck cloud at the moment, having lost three straight games inside the final five seconds. And things got even darker on Tuesday as the team announced that Jaren Jackson Jr. has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 left ankle sprain with no clear timetable for his return.

The Grizzlies say Jackson, who was injured during the first quarter of the loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night, is considered “week-to-week” and that “further updates will be provided as appropriate.”

Jackson, who was just selected to his second All-Star team, is having an outstanding season. With Victor Wembanyama out for the season, Jackson Jr. is a top candidate for Defensive Player of the Year (provided he meets the NBA’s 65-game requirement to be eligible), and he has been doing work on the offensive end as well.

Jackson leads the Grizzlies in points (career-high 22.7), steals (1.3) and blocks (1.6) per game. He’s been Memphis’ best player as Ja Morant has had a relatively down season, and this is a bad time to be losing your best player with less than six weeks to play and the Grizzlies fighting to stay in the West’s top four seeds. Memphis, 38-23, trails the No. 3 seed Denver Nuggets by one game and leads the No. 5 seed Houston Rockets by one game.

A week ago things looked better before the Grizzlies lost those aforementioned threes games in the final seconds. First it was the New York Knicks’ OG Anunoby burying the game-winning 3-pointer with five seconds left. Then De’Aaron Fox hit a jumper with two seconds left to lift the San Antonio Spurs. Caris LeVert finished a Euro-step layup at the buzzer off a Dyson Daniels steal for the Hawks to conclude the trio of buzzer bummers for Memphis.

Let’s hope Jackson Jr. can get back in relatively short order, and that the Grizzlies can hold the fort down until then.

It’s safe to assume that Jackson Jr. will be out at least a week, meaning he’ll miss games vs. Oklahoma City, Dallas and New Orleans. Following that, the Grizzlies play Phoenix, Utah and Cleveland.

 2025 NBA picks, March 4 best bets from proven model

The Los Angeles Clippers hit the road looking to snap a two-game losing streak when they take on the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday at the Footprint Center. Los Angeles is 32-28 overall and 13-18 on the road, while Phoenix is 28-33 overall and 17-13 at home. The Clippers lost back-to-back games to the Los Angeles Lakers, with the most recent being a 108-102 loss on Sunday. The Suns are also looking to bounce back from a 116-98 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 2. Norman Powell (hamstring), Ben Simmons (knee) and Derrick Jones Jr. (groin) are out for Los Angeles, while Bradley Beal (calf) is questionable for Phoenix.

Tipoff in Phoenix is at 10 p.m. ET. The Suns have won each of the last four meetings between the teams, including all three matchups this season. The Clippers are favored by 3 points in the latest Clippers vs. Suns odds via SportsLine consensus, and the over/under is 223 points. Before locking in any Suns vs. Clippers picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from the proven computer simulation model at SportsLine.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six-plus seasons. The model enters Week 20 of the 2024-25 NBA season on a sizzling 147-107 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning nearly $4,000. It’s also an outstanding 18-10 (64%) on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.

The model has set its sights on Suns vs. Clippers and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for the game:

Suns vs. Clippers spread: Clippers -3
Suns vs. Clippers over/under: 223 points
Suns vs. Clippers money line: Los Angeles -151, Phoenix +126
Suns vs. Clippers picks: See picks at SportsLine
Suns vs. Clippers streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)
Why the Suns can cover
The Suns have had a disappointing season, but they are still one of the most explosive offensive teams in the NBA. The Suns average 113.8 points and 14.2 3-pointers per game this season. Phoenix is also 3-0 against the Clippers this season.

Veteran Kevin Durant continues to produce at a high-level for the Suns. The 15-time NBA All-Star is averaging a team-high 26.7 points per game this season, to go with 6.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists. Devin Booker continues to be one of the top shooters in the NBA and enters this matchup averaging 26.0 points, 6.9 assists, and 4.0 rebounds per game. See which team to pick here.

Why the Clippers can cover
The Clippers are in the thick of the Western Conference playoff picture and currently trail the Golden State Warriors by 0.5 game in the race to avoid the Play-In games. The Clippers hold the No. 7 seed in the West entering this matchup. Los Angeles has also performed well against the number this year, going 31-28-1 ATS thus far.

The Clippers will be without leading scorer Norman Powell, but still have plenty of firepower. Veterans James Harden (21.6 points, 8.5 assists, 5.8 rebounds per game) and Kawhi Leonard (17.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game) continue to produce at a high level. Center Ivica Zubac is averaging a double-double at 15.4 points and 12.6 rebounds per game. See which team to pick here.

How to make Clippers vs. Suns picks
The model has simulated Suns vs. Clippers 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Over on the point total, projecting 227 combined points. It’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 60% of simulations. You can only see the model’s pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Clippers vs. Suns, and which side of the spread hits well over 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Suns vs. Clippers spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has returned well over $10,000 on top-rated NBA picks, and find out.

Where to bet on NBA games
Here are some of the sportsbooks to bet on NBA games today, along with the various NBA sportsbook promos they currently offer.

 2025 NBA picks, March 4 predictions from proven model

We’ve got another exciting Western Conference matchup on the NBA schedule as the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans are set to tip at 10:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena. Los Angeles is 38-21 overall and 23-7 at home, while New Orleans is 17-44 overall and 6-25 on the road. Both teams will enter tonight’s matchup full of confidence. The Pelicans are 4-1 in their last five games, while the Lakers have won six straight.

The Lakers are favored by 8.5 points in the latest Pelicans vs. Lakers odds via SportsLine consensus, and the over/under is 229 points. Los Angeles’ over/under for total team points is 118.5, while New Orleans’ is 109.5. Before entering any Lakers vs. Pelicans picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the advanced computer model at SportsLine.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six-plus seasons. The model enters Week 20 of the 2024-25 NBA season on a sizzling 147-107 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning nearly $4,000. It’s also an outstanding 18-10 (64%) on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.

The model has set its sights on New Orleans vs. Los Angeles. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for the game:

Lakers vs. Pelicans spread: Lakers -8.5
Lakers vs. Pelicans over/under: 229 points
Lakers vs. Pelicans money line: Lakers: -356, Pelicans: +282
Lakers vs. Pelicans picks: See picks here
Lakers vs. Pelicans streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)
Why the Lakers can cover
The Lakers extended their winning streak to six games with a 108-102 victory over the Clippers on Sunday. The Lakers’ success was spearheaded by the efforts of Luka Doncic, who almost dropped a double-double with 29 points and nine assists, and Dalton Knecht, who went 7-for-10 from the field to finish with 19 points.

LeBron James also had a productive performance in the win, racking up 17 points, nine assists, five rebounds, two steals and one block. James enters tonight’s matchup averaging 24.8 points, 8.6 assists and 8.0 rebounds per game. The Lakers are 5-1 against the spread in their last six games and 4-1 ATS in their past five games played in March. See which team to pick here.

Why the Pelicans can cover
The Pelicans walked away with a 128-121 win over the Jazz on Sunday. The victory continues a positive trend for New Orleans in their matchups with Utah as the Pelicans have now won five in a row. The Pelicans’ win came from a few key players the Lakers will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Kelly Olynyk, who almost dropped a double-double with 26 points and nine boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Zion Williamson, who finished with 24 points and nine assists.

The Pelicans have now won five of their last seven meetings against an opponent from the Western Conference. Offensively, the Pelicans are scoring 111.0 points per game on average. See which team to pick here.

How to make Lakers vs. Pelicans picks
The model has simulated Lakers vs. Pelicans 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Pelicans vs. Lakers, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that is on a 147-107 roll on top-rated NBA picks since last season, and find out.

Where to bet on NBA games
Here are some of the sportsbooks to bet on NBA games today, along with the various NBA sportsbook promos they currently offer.