NBA predictions, picks today: Hawks vs. Wizards, Jazz vs. Spurs Feb. 28

You can’t do much better than we did on Monday, cashing outright and against the spread with a pair of easy victories for the Knicks (+2.5) and Magic (+3.5) as home underdogs.

We don’t see as much plus-odds value in Tuesday’s NBA slate, which features 10 games and seven home favorites – two of which look like strong plays against teams that don’t exactly inspire confidence as overmatched road underdogs.

Here’s how we’re attacking Tuesday’s betting menu at BetMGM:

• Hawks -7.5 vs. Wizards
• Jazz -9.5 vs. Spurs

Hawks vs. Wizards prediction and analysis

7:40 p.m. ET

Switching coaches midseason hasn’t been the panacea that most teams hope it’ll be in recent years, and it’s unlikely that Quin Snyder will solve all of the Hawks’ issues, either. But he should enjoy a cushy start to the job in a winnable home spot on Tuesday.

Atlanta clearly has the talent to keep pace in the East: we saw that on display in this team’s two wins since the All-Star break, with Trae Young (68 points) and Dejounte Murray (53) leading the way in those two victories. It’ll be up to Snyder to fix this team’s leaky defense, which has surrendered at least 119 points in four straight games.

That shouldn’t be a huge issue against the Wizards, who scored 82 points during Sunday’s 20-point loss in Chicago and will be without leading scorer Kristaps Porzingis (22.8 PPG) and top passer Monte Morris (5.3 APG) for Tuesday’s tilt. That should spell an easy victory for Atlanta to kick off the Snyder era.

Hawks vs. Wizards pick

• Hawks -7.5 (BetMGM)

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Jazz vs. Spurs prediction and analysis

9:10 p.m. ET

I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: I don’t love laying a big number on a team that hasn’t earned it. And it seems like anytime I break that vow, it’s against the Spurs, who render just about any number obsolete with how poorly they’re playing.

San Antonio has been spectacularly bad since the start of the calendar year, losing 21 of 23 games (8-17 ATS) with the league’s worst net rating (-13.2). Those numbers have somehow been even worse over this team’s 16-game losing streak, during which it’s posted a 2-14 ATS record with 12 double-digit losses and an abhorrent -15.3 net rating.

It’s no coincidence that the Spurs’ ineptitude has coincided with the absence of rising star Devin Vassell (knee), who hasn’t played since Jan. 2. He won’t suit up on Tuesday, either, in a rematch of Saturday’s 16-point loss at Utah – which serves as a preview for how this one will likely turn out, too.