Shane McNichol makes his NBA predictions for Friday night with four best bets.
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The NBA plans its schedule to peak with big-time games on Christmas day, but the excitement surrounding the league has bubbled well past those five games.
Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic are both regularly posting eye-popping, record-breaking stat lines, though neither can gain much traction in a deeply contested MVP race. The handful of the league’s best players jockeying for that award seem to outdo one another on a nightly basis.
The hunt for playoff spots is intensifying with the new year approaching, with notable big market teams like the Lakers, Nets, and Knicks generating tons of buzz.
Further down the standings, the shadow-race to the bottom to secure a highly coveted draft pick could result in some blockbuster trades that shake the balance of the league.
Friday is a perfect example of the state of the league, offering eight great matchups for fans and bettors to eat up.
Philadelphia 76ers to beat New Orleans Pelicans {ODDS:1058479996:2.00}
The Sixers have started to play the kind of basketball many expected to see from this roster before the season began.
Joel Embiid has rounded into playing shape and is again playing his way into the MVP debate. James Harden returned from an injury recently, helping cap off an eight-game winning streak.
Philadelphia’s upward trajectory is only expected to continue, with Tyrese Maxey’s injury absence set to end in New Orleans.
Maxey’s full-court energy and off-the-dribble creation has been sorely missed at times by the Sixers, especially with Embiid and Harden off the floor.
The Sixers may luck out with an injury the other way as well. Brandon Ingram is considered day-to-day with turf toe, though he missed the Pelicans’ game on Wednesday.
I like Philadelphia on the road, especially if news breaks that Ingram is sidelined.
Golden State Warriors (+2.5) vs Portland Trailblazers {ODDS:1058628066:1.95}
It’s becoming a theme in these weekly picks: take the Warriors at home. Golden State is having its troubles, but has done so mostly on the road. The Dubs are 15-2 in their home arena, good for 12-5 against the spread.
To see them getting points in the Bay Area feels jarring. There’s some key context needed – Steph Curry is sidelined with a shoulder injury. He may be joined on the sideline by a sick Andrew Wiggins, who missed Golden State’s last outing.
I’m not scared off this trend by Curry’s absence. Golden State has now played three home games since he suffered the injury (their last three games). Those were all outright wins, with the Warriors covering the spread twice and failing to do so by just a half-point in the third.
Portland comes to town haggard, playing its fifth roadie in a row. The Blazers spent the holiday week traveling through Denver, Oklahoma City, and Houston before stopping in the Bay Area. To see them giving points in this setting is wrong. Gladly jump on this spread.
Phoenix Suns (+2.5) at Toronto Raptors {ODDS:1058480190:1.90}
The Suns have seen some clear regression from last season, but the same could be said of Toronto.
The Raptors, despite a young core with plenty of promise, have fallen flat this season and find themselves middling amongst the back of the back in the Eastern Conference.
Toronto is just 3-7 in its last 10 games, yet for some reason is favoured here. That has been a bad omen so far this season, with the Raps posting an 8-11 record as favorites this season.
After the Suns laid an egg in the second night of a back-to-back in Washington, this trip to Canada is a chance to get right with a victory.
Giannis Antetokounmpo over 0.5 blocks vs Minnesota Timberwolves
I love betting the over on a prop listed at just 0.5. You’re alive the entire game, barring an injury or a benching in a blowout.
I especially like it given the chances of this one occurring. Giannis has a block in 16 of his 29 games this season. For a larger sample size, look to last season when he swatted at least one shot in 49 of his 67 games. In the year prior, it was 43 of 61 games.
There’s a little juice on the odds for this under, but it feels likely against a team that attacks the paint like Minnesota.
