Friday’s 10-game NBA slate is just what we needed to take us into the weekend. Tonight’s national-TV doubleheader will be handled by ESPN, featuring the Boston Celtics at Chicago Bulls & Los Angeles Lakers at Portland Trail Blazers. Neither game will be in today’s writing, but I’ve still got plenty of other angles to look at.
Last night, I went 1-2 to bring my season-long record to 115-82-2 ATS (58.4%). Here are three more free NBA picks to get things back on track.
Table of contents
- New Orleans Pelicans at Philadelphia 76ers (-9) – Total: 227.5
- Minnesota Timberwolves at Miami Heat (-6.5) – Total: 224.5
- San Antonio Spurs (-5) at Sacramento Kings – Total: 225
New Orleans Pelicans at Philadelphia 76ers (-9) – Total: 227.5
NOR: 2 days rest
PHI: 4 games in 6 days, front-end b2b (vs DET tomorrow)
I’m rolling with the underdog Pelicans in this one, considering they had a full two days off before this matchup. And there’s a little bit of history here with New Orleans being a pesky matchup for Philly. While the 76ers have won four of their last five meetings against the Pels, they’re only 1-3-1 ATS in those contests. Perhaps, the 76ers come down to Earth a bit tonight. After all, they are 6-0 SU/5-1 ATS over the last six games.
Betting Pick: Pelicans (+9)
Minnesota Timberwolves at Miami Heat (-6.5) – Total: 224.5
MIN: normal rest
MIA: 2 days rest
The Timberwolves are playing some inspired basketball down the stretch, going 6-4 SU/7-2-1 ATS over the last 10 games. Tonight, they’ll hit the road for a matchup against a Heat they have surprisingly dominated in recent memory. Minnesota has won the last five meetings against Miami somehow; I triple checked and quadruple checked- it’s legit. I should also let you know that those five T-Wolves’ wins against the Heat went over the total. The Heat have had some issues at home this season, going 13-19-2 ATS there and 10-14-2 ATS as a home favorite.
Betting Pick: Timberwolves (+6.5)
San Antonio Spurs (-5) at Sacramento Kings – Total: 225
SA: 4 games in 6 days, front-end b2b (@POR tomorrow)
SAC: 3 games in 4 days, 4 in 6
This is going to be one of the more surprisingly entertaining games of the evening. Both teams have some type of appeal in this matchup, as the Kings have been playing much better recently and the Spurs have great trends in this spot. Sacramento is on a four-game winning streak, which completely came out of nowhere. Meanwhile, the Spurs are a very impressive 21-10-1 ATS on the road this season. And that number took two dings this week with two big losses in Utah, where pretty much everyone loses.
All those factors should lead to some competitive basketball. It’s worth noting that three of the last four meetings between the Kings and Spurs have gone over the total.
Betting Pick: Over 225 points
