After just 2 games on Thursday, the NBA season continues in full swing with 9 more games on Friday as we get ready for the weekend. I’ve gone in-depth with all 9 games and come up with my 3 favorite picks for a mega parlay, including an upset win for the Brooklyn Nets. Continue reading below to see tonight’s bet!
Visit our NBA predictions for all the picks on Friday’s action. Let’s dive into it now!
To start off this parlay I have the Nets pulling off a shocker in Boston against the Celtics, who have now lost 2 straight games. These teams played last weekend and were separated by just 3 points entering the 4th quarter. The Celtics pulled away and won by 10 points, but over their last 2 games against Philly and Minnesota we’ve seen they aren’t as invincible as initially thought. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for just 27 points on 10-for-27 shooting and the Celtics lost the rebounding battle by 13 against the Sixers.
The Nets are off to a solid start to the season, particularly in road games where they are 3-1 SU and looking for their fourth win in a row. Cam Thomas suffered a minor ankle injury which will keep him out for a while, but Lonnie Walker was able to step up and fill the void in the win over the Clippers. I know the huge odds might deter some people from backing Brooklyn, but they’ve been able to cover the spread in 7 of their last 8 and 4 of their last 5 on the road. They have nothing to lose, it’s still early in the season and big upsets are possible.
Read my Nets vs Celtics predictions
In the first 5 games of the season the most effective offensive trio in the NBA was Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. However, in the 2 games since acquiring James Harden, the Clippers offense has completely collapsed. Judging by those losses to the Knicks and Nets, having all of their stars in the lineup will not work and until they figure things out I am betting against them. They’ll continue to be without their backup big man Mason Plumlee, which leaves Ivica Zubac as their only option at center.
The Mavs, on the other hand, are off to their best start to a season in a while at 6-2 SU and 3-1 at home. And that’s with Kyrie Irving shooting just 43% from the field and 27% from deep. Luka Doncic is a nightly triple-double threat, and with lackluster defenders in Westbrook and Harden, there’s no way the Clippers should be able to contain him. Dallas is the best 3-point shooting team in the NBA at 39.7% efficiency, if the Nets and Knicks can beat the Clippers by 7 and 14 points, I’m confident the Mavs can do so by at least 3 points.
The Lakers haven’t had the start of the season they hoped for, to put it mildly. They have been slowed down by injuries, with several rotational players being in and out of the lineup, plus Anthony Davis struggling with a groin issue. In 8 games played they’ve been outscored by a total of 74 points in the 1st quarter, which is the worst mark through 8 games in NBA history. Their 3-point shooting has also been a disaster, as they became the first team in NBA history to have a lower percentage and fewer threes made than their opponents in each of their first 8 outings.
On top of all that they are way too dependent on the 38-year old LeBron James. In 116 non-LeBron minutes they are -87 on the +/-, while with him on the court they are +29. They beat Phoenix 100-95 earlier in the year, but that game was played at Crypto.com Arena. Kevin Durant and co. are coming back home from a 3-game road trip which ended with 2 wins. Devin Booker will likely sit this one out, but there’s a chance that Bradley Beal plays. The Lakers are just a hot mess right now and I really fancy the Suns’ chances.
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