The Friday night slate in the NBA may be small, but it is action-packed with some good matchups. Those matchups have some intriguing edges to them for our top NBA picks & predictions. Let's take a look at a couple to fill out our card for Friday night.
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Friday’s Best NBA Picks & Predictions
(Odds courtesy of Fanduel Sportsbook)
Atlanta Hawks at Houston Rockets
Perhaps the best matchup of the night involves the red-hot Atlanta Hawks taking on the Houston Rockets. The Hawks are winners of 11 straight, dating back to mid-February, with a 10-1 against the spread (ATS) record. Their offense, led by trade deadline additions Jonathan Kuminga and CJ McCollum, has been phenomenal in this stretch. They've averaged 124 points per game (PPG) over this stretch while playing at one of the fastest paces in the league.
A closer look at their opponents gives some insight as to why they're underdogs in this game. They've played Washington, Dallas, Milwaukee and Brooklyn all twice. Throw in Philadelphia, Portland and Orlando at home, and it's been one of the easier stretches of schedule any team has faced this season. Not a single one of those teams is in the top half of the league in offensive or defensive rating.
Houston will provide a threat that they haven't seen since their last loss to Miami. Houston is a strong defensive team, and they play at one of the slowest paces in the league. The Rockets have often dictated the pace of games, especially at home, which is why they're 22-11 to the under at the Toyota Center this season. This should be a game where the Rockets impose their will and snap the Hawks’ hot streak.
Picks: Rockets -4 (-110) & Under 227.5 Points (-110)
Toronto Raptors at Denver Nuggets
As the postseason starts to take shape in the NBA, an intriguing team that seems to keep staying in this is the Toronto Raptors. They've got quite a bit of talent, especially on the defensive end, where they rank fifth in defensive rating. On Friday, they'll head to Denver to take on the best offense in the NBA. Something has to give in this matchup.
Denver is an elite shooting team. Their 57.2% effective field-goal rate (eFG%) is second-best in the league, and they're top four in the NBA in both offensive rebounds and free-throw rate. Sure, Toronto is one of the best defensive rebounding teams, and they're in the top 10 in eFG% defense, but they're in the bottom third of the league in allowing free-throw attempts. If they can't keep the Nuggets off the free-throw line, they're going to have a hard time stopping them from scoring.
On the offensive end, the Raptors have actually played really well recently. On their current win streak, they managed to score 126.7 PPG. That has resulted in three consecutive overs. With a defense that will have its hands full defending a strong Denver offense, I like this one to be a high-scoring affair. I'll be taking the over to round out my Friday card.
Pick: Over 234.5 Points (-114)
