The NBA does this every year. Three games on Super Bowl Sunday, all tipped before kickoff, all designed to give degenerates something to sweat during the pregame window when you've already watched six hours of coverage and are losing your mind. Tomorrow is the biggest betting day of the year, but there's still money to be made before the coin flip.

The Quick Hit

• What happened: Three NBA games scheduled for Super Bowl Sunday, all early tips before kickoff
• The damage: Celtics-Knicks 12:30 PM, Raptors-Pacers 3:00 PM, Heat-Wizards 3:00 PM
• Why you should care: Celtics-Knicks is a legitimate game worth betting. The other two are filler.
• The move: Celtics at home are the play. Knicks have been inconsistent on the road this season.

Celtics vs Knicks — 12:30 PM ET at TD Garden

This is the only game on the slate that matters. Boston hosting New York is an Eastern Conference rivalry with playoff implications, and it's tipping at 12:30 PM, which gives you a full five hours of sweating before the Super Bowl starts.

The Celtics at TD Garden have been a problem for everyone this season. Boston's home court advantage is real—the crowd, the shooting splits, the fact that visiting teams always seem to play tight there. The Knicks have talent, but their road record hasn't been anything to write home about.

If you caught last night's NBA action, you know the league is in a weird spot right now where home teams are covering at an elevated rate. That trend should continue here. Boston's defense has been suffocating at home, and the Knicks' offense goes through stretches where it looks brilliant and stretches where it looks like five guys playing pickup at the Y.

Take the Celtics and move on to your Super Bowl prep.

Raptors vs Pacers — 3:00 PM ET

Toronto (31-22) hosting Indiana (13-39). The Raptors are laying 9 points, which is a massive spread that tells you everything about where the Pacers are as a franchise right now. Indiana has been one of the worst teams in the league, and Toronto has been quietly solid at home.

This is a game for completists only. If you need action during the 3 PM window and you've already placed all your Super Bowl bets, sure, take the Raptors -9 and pray for a blowout. But there's no real value here. Bad teams cover big spreads more often than you'd think, and the Pacers have nothing to lose, which makes them dangerous in a "they might accidentally play hard" kind of way.

The smarter play is to skip this entirely and save your bankroll for the game everyone is actually watching tonight.

Heat vs Wizards — 3:00 PM ET

Miami (27-26) at Washington (14-37). The Heat are heavy favorites, and this is exactly the kind of trap game that bites bettors every time. Miami has been .500 all season, which means they're capable of losing to anyone on any given night. But Washington is so bad that even a mediocre Miami team should handle them.

Should. That word again. The Heat play to their competition level more than almost any team in the league. If they come out flat in a Super Bowl Sunday matinee, the Wizards could hang around.

That said, Miami is the right side if you're betting it. Just don't be surprised if it's ugly.

The Championship Picture

While we're talking NBA, the championship futures market has been interesting lately. The Thunder are the betting favorites, and the trade deadline shakeup reshaped the contender landscape. The Nuggets have been surging, the Celtics are still dangerous, and the Pistons at 36-12 remain the most interesting story in the East.

Detroit has been printing money for bettors who got on early. If you still haven't added the Pistons to your championship futures portfolio, you're leaving value on the table. That team is for real, and the market is only starting to catch up.

The Bottom Line

Three games, one worth your attention, and all of them done before kickoff. Celtics-Knicks is the appetizer before the main course. Bet it, sweat it, cash it (hopefully), and then settle in for the biggest gambling night of the year. Tomorrow's NBA slate exists for one reason: to keep us occupied while we wait for the Super Bowl. And honestly? That's enough.