There are a few critical first-round Game 6 matchups on the schedule tonight in the NBA. Let's take a look at some of these games for our best NBA picks.
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Friday’s Best NBA Picks & Predictions
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Detroit Pistons at Orlando Magic
The Pistons led nearly wire-to-wire in Game 5 as they secured a much-needed victory to stave off elimination and send this series back to Orlando.
It took a heroic effort by Cade Cunningham to score a franchise playoff record 45 points while going blow-for-blow with Orlando's Paolo Banchero, who matched the feat. For the first time in this series, this was a game that was defined by offensive success.
Both teams woke up as far as three-point shooting. They combined to shoot 40.9% on 66 attempts from deep. And when they weren't trading long jumpers, they were spending time at the free-throw line, combining for 65 free-throw attempts. Although the surge of offense was a nice change of pace in this game, there is reason to believe it won't continue.
As stated, the three-point shooting was phenomenal in Game 5. Through the first four games, the teams combined for just a 29.5% three-point rate.
Although both teams took care of the ball a bit better in Game 5, they still combined for 33 turnovers, including six more from Cunningham, who has turned the ball over 33 times this series (6.6 turnovers per game).
Detroit needed a big performance in Game 5, and they got their best one yet. Cunningham was phenomenal, Jalen Duren was engaged early, and Detroit shot the ball better. However, this was just enough to produce a 116-109 win, an Orlando cover.
Orlando is going to look to turn things into a slugfest in Game 6, where they've dominated Detroit at their own game. It'll be tough for the Pistons to match that energy in back-to-back games, which gives Orlando the advantage.
Picks: Magic +3.5 (-110) & Under 210.5 Points (-110)
Los Angeles Lakers at Houston Rockets
With Game 6 looming, the Lakers are looking to avoid sending this series back to Los Angeles for a Game 7. However, if they want to finish the Rockets off on Friday night, they'll need to find that shooting stroke they showcased in the first three games of the series.
Headed into Game 4, the Lakers were shooting 46.1% from deep, but the last two games have seen that rate plummet to 24.5%, which has led to consecutive games of fewer than 100 points.
The Lakers, despite being a little bit better than average on the season shooting the ball from deep, are nowhere near as dreadful shooting as they showed the last two games.
Los Angeles will hope to get a little more out of Austin Reaves, who is still working his way back to game shape after missing time with a hamstring injury. Reaves had an inefficient 22 points on 16 shots but did record six assists.
Even though the Lakers shot the ball poorly on Wednesday night, the Rockets were really never able to pull away by more than two or three possessions for much of the fourth quarter.
We can expect a better performance shooting from not only Reaves but also LeBron James and Luke Kennard, who were ice cold from outside the paint.
Houston is a young team looking to really make a stamp on the playoffs. They fought valiantly to force this series to a Game 6, but the experience of Los Angeles will show itself on Friday. Expect the Lakers to turn their shooting luck around and pull out a crucial series-clinching performance on Friday night.
Pick: Lakers +3.5 (-104)
