The NBA’s in-season tournament continues tonight. Each team has been randomly selected and placed in groups where they play each other in a tournament. The winners of these groups will play each other in a tournament in Vegas to crown the winner of the NBA Cup. Let’s look at the best bets for tonight.
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Friday’s NBA Best Bets
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook
Phoenix Suns (-5) vs. Utah Jazz | O/U 236.5 (-110/-110)
The return of Devin Booker is what the Sun needed as they smashed the Timberwolves with 133 points in the win. It doesn’t look like they’ll have Bradley Beal again, as he’s listed as doubtful, but it seems like as long as they have two of their top playmakers, they can stay afloat.
The Jazz could be in for a tough night as they’re just 29th in adjusted defensive rankings, and they’ve been playing a brutal schedule. They’ve only been able to grab four wins, all against under .500 teams.
The Suns have some solid defensive numbers, but their strength of schedule is much easier. Utah has been a much better team at home, and they’ll be able to stay competitive offensively, so the most confident bet is the over.
Pick: Over 236.5 (-110)
Denver Nuggets (-4) vs. New Orleans Pelicans | O/U 224.5 (-110/-110)
The Nuggets have been able to win in any situation. Recently, they’ve had a couple of blowout victories, but they’ve also had to grind it out for all 48 minutes at times, including their last game against the Clippers, where they trailed at times in the fourth quarter.
The Pelicans were able to get a win at home against Dallas, but they have still lost five of their last six. No C.J. McCollum in the lineup has proven to hurt this offense. He’s the guy that offense flows through and he gets the most touches on the team.
Jamal Murray is out for the Nuggets, but this roster is much deeper than New Orleans. The Pelicans are great at defending the perimiter but not as well inside the arc. Denver can score from anywhere and they will prove it tonight.
Pick: Nuggets -4 (-110)
Sacramento Kings (-6.5) vs. San Antonio Spurs | O/U 236.5 (-110/-110)
The Spurs were looking great to start the season at 3-2, but they have since lost six straight. The loss of Devin Vassell is hurting their perimeter shooting, but Victor Wembanyama has offensively gone cold by shooting less than 30% in three of his last five.
We’ve witnessed how much De’Aaron Fox’s presence impacts the Kings offensively. He’s come back in force, scoring 28 in both wins. All the metrics show that Sacramento needs Fox at the point to control the offense; their offensive rating is 121.6 when he’s on the court and only 105.5 when he isn’t.
The Spurs are abysmal on defense, and there isn’t anywhere on the floor where they defend well. With the full lineup, the Kings should put up a big number.
Pick: Kings -6.5 (-110)
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