Get set for the weekend with another exciting night of NBA hoops coming your way. A total of 9 games is being played on Friday, including an ESPN doubleheader beginning at 7:30 pm ET between the Raptors and Magic. Following that game at 10:00 pm ET, we have the Detroit Pistons and Golden State Warriors squaring off in what should be an intriguing matchup. To celebrate the start of the weekend, I’ve put together a 3-leg NBA parlay priced at +617 odds, hoping to make it a Friday night to remember. Let’s break down each pick, while you can also check out our NBA picks for expert analysis on each of tonight’s 9 games.
Raptors ML (+102)
Pelicans -2.5 (-112)
Cavaliers -4.5 (-114)
NBA parlay odds: +617
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NBA parlay pick: Toronto Raptors ML over Orlando Magic (+102)
Toronto’s 4-game win streak came to an abrupt end on Wednesday at home against the Knicks — a matchup that just hasn’t been a good fit for the Raptors. Friday sees them return on the road where they’ve won 4 games in a row, so they’ll enter the duel with the Magic with a lot of optimism. This team has overperformed when it comes to away games, winning 16 of 25, which is actually better than their home record of 13-11. Against the Magic, they’ve gone 4-1 ATS/SU in their last 5 meetings as well.
Orlando has largely been a disappointment this season. After the signing of Desmond Bane, everyone expected them to make the next big step in their development, but that just hasn’t happened due to a variety of reasons. One of the biggest reasons is their defense, or lack thereof. After being a top-3 team on that end for most of last year, they are now only 16th in defensive efficiency, allowing 112.5 points per 100 possessions. Franz Wagner continues being out, while Paolo Banchero isn’t having the best of shooting seasons from three-point land. Overall, I just feel like Toronto is the more stable team at the moment. They edged out the Magic in the first meeting by a point in Toronto, and I have them going up 2-0 in the regular season series.
NBA parlay pick: New Orleans Pelicans -2.5 over Memphis Grizzlies (-112)
This past week or so has been a struggle for Memphis with 4 consecutive defeats. Apart from the Houston game, they’ve lost to pretty mediocre teams during this stretch, including one game against the Pelicans at home a week ago. Injuries have derailed an already struggling team. Ja Morant, Scotty Pippen Jr., Zach Edey and Santi Aldama are all out, while Ty Jerome is questionable with a calf issue. Meanwhile, the Pels put up decent resistance in their last game against the Thunder, losing only by 9 points and covering as double-digit underdogs.
Despite all the losing and negativity around this team, they’ve been able to stay afloat when it comes to their ATS record, covering in 26 of the 49 games they’ve played so far. They’ll be favored for only the 5th time this season on Friday, which is notable because they’ve won all 4 of those previous games in which they were favored. Neither team is doing well at the moment, but as bad as the Pelicans have been, at least they are in a much healthier situation here. They’ve covered in 4 of 5 games overall and are 6-0 ATS in 6 games vs Southwest Division opponents. I’ll go with the home team to cover and even the regular season series here.
Find out our expert’s 5-star Grizzlies vs Pelicans best bet for tonight
NBA parlay pick: Cleveland Cavaliers -4.5 over Phoenix Suns (-114)
After being the feelgood story of the regular season last year, the Cavaliers just haven’t been able to replicate that same energy this campaign. However, things are moving in the right direction as they head into Friday’s game riding a 5-game win streak. Not only that, but they also just recorded their 2nd biggest win of the season by beating the Lakers by 30 points at home to spoil LeBron’s homecoming. Friday sees them heading to Phoenix for a date with the Suns, who they beat 129-113 back in late December at home.
These Suns won’t have much time to prepare for tonight’s game as they just beat the Detroit Pistons at home on Thursday. It was a somewhat unexpected performance by the Suns, who are shorthanded at the moment and missing their best player in Devin Booker. However, Dillon Brooks stepped up and delivered a career high 40-points, and he will be the focal point of the offense against the Cavaliers as well. It’s worth mentioning, despite Brooks’ performance, Phoenix has a losing record without Booker in the line-up, and they’re also 3-4 SU in 7 games without rest. Cleveland is in great mood right now with 6 wins in 7 road games, and they’ve also covered in 6 of 9 meetings with the Suns. I’ll go with Mitchell and the Cavaliers to sweep the regular season series here.
Now check out our expert’s NBA best bets for ALL 9 games on Friday night!
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