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The Thunder lost in overtime last night, preventing me from getting a clean sweep on the first slate back from the break. They led for large stretches of that game and blew a lead late in the fourth before losing by just one point in the extra frame, too. These things happen, but I was glad to see our other bets hit and I think the process was still right with OKC, too.
It's a lighter slate than usual for a Friday with just eight games, but we have a lot of close spreads tonight and I'm very much interested in betting on some of these close matchups. Let's see if we can keep things going after a decent start last night.
I'm only picking sides and totals in this article three days a week, so consider subscribing to my sports betting substack here as I put out some DFS stuff and props on most evenings from Monday through Friday, too. In this article, I'll be providing my favorite picks against the spread, game totals, parlays, and teasers for NBA games that tip-off at 7:00 PM EST on Friday, February 24th.
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Thunder Dan's NBA Best Bets
- 2022-2023 Overall Record: 113-119-1
- Against the Spread: 54-59-1
- Game/Team Totals: 12-27
- Moneyline Parlay: 16-22
- Teasers: 28-11
NBA Betting Picks: Against the Spread
New York Knicks (-1.5) @ Washington Wizards (225 total)
The Knicks come into this game with the best record ATS in the league this year as a road team (19-10) and playing some solid basketball, having won five of their last six games heading into the break.
The Wizards are playing better, too, but could be without Bradley Beal tonight and that would be a big blow to this offense as Beal adds some perimeter shooting and play-making that Washington can't really replace.
These teams have split the season series 1-1 so far, but New York won in Washington already proving that they can do it. I think the Knicks are deserving favorites here and I don't mind laying the 1.5 points, though if you want to really play it safe you can bet the ML at -125 instead.
The Pick: Knicks -1.5 (-110)
Cleveland Cavaliers (+1) @ Atlanta Hawks (227.5 total)
You know I usually have a thing where I don't allow myself to pick the Cavs because I firmly believe that I can jinx them. However, I didn't pick them yesterday, despite a lot of other cappers being on them, and they went out and lost anyway.
And of course, they stand out like a sore thumb as the best value in my model today. They're road underdogs in Atlanta? Cleveland is a top-four team in their conference and this is a great bounce-back spot for them against the Hawks. Ricky Rubio will be back in uniform tonight to give them a boost off the bench and their big men are going to be a problem for the Hawks who are down one of theirs as John Collins continues to be out.
The Cavs are clearly a better team than Atlanta this year and already own a 1-0 record against them. They are winning this game tonight and I promise you this isn't just a homer pick, the numbers all back Cleveland as well.
The Pick: CLE ML (-105)
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Sacramento Kings (+6.5) @ LA Clippers (226 total)
The Kings came out a little flat in the first quarter last night against the Portland backups, but quickly took control of that game and cruised to an easy win. Now they'll have a much tougher task tonight in LA as they get a Clippers team that continues to improve and get healthier as the season goes along.
These teams have split the season series 1-1 so far, but to be fair the Kings' 30-point win came against Clippers' backups as neither Kawhi Leonard nor Paul George played in that game.
The Clippers won't have Russell Westbrook available for this game yet, as he hasn't finalized his contract with them yet and they'll be without Ivica Zubac their starting center, too.
I can't help but like the Kings here as they've been a team that has been kind to bettors all season. This spread seems far too wide based on how well Sacto has played and the Clippers have a middling 10-9 ATS mark as home favorites. Even in their loss to LA early in the season, the Kings battled and only ended up losing by two points.
I think Sacto can cover and the fact they are on a back-to-back doesn't bother me too much since they just had a week off for the break and have been pretty solid ATS this season in games with no rest (5-4).
The Pick: SAC +6.5 (-110)
Favorite Money Line Parlay: GSW + MIN + PHO = (+133 DK)
Underdog Super-TEASER (buying 10 points)
MIA +11.5, OKC +17, SAC +16.5, BKN +12 = (-120 DK)
The Super Teaser is usually the safest bet we can make, even safer than parlaying a bunch of -300 to -500 favorites. You can always go down to +5 if you're looking for plus odds.
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