We've already seen some NBA preseason action today. The Rockets defeated the Mavericks 135-117 at the Venetian Arena in China. Tari Eason led Houston off the bench with 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting as seven Rockets scored in double digits. But there's still some NBA preseason action on the table, albeit one game. Let's dive right in with our top NBA picks.
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Friday's Best NBA Picks & Predictions
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Memphis Grizzlies (+120) at Chicago Bulls (-142) | O/U 239.5 (-110/-110)
Both teams have top-four picks from this year's NBA Draft, and both could use as much experience as they can get in NBA environments going into the regular season.
After both teams had losing records and missed the playoffs, the Grizzlies had the third selection in the draft and selected Cameron Boozer out of Duke. The Bulls, with the very next pick, took Caleb Wilson out of North Carolina.
And with them playing each other and both eager to prove they were the best players in the draft, I could see this one being an exciting preseason game.
The Bulls enjoyed a pretty strong start to the preseason, beating Phoenix 124-117. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies are 1-1 this preseason, with a 132-123 win in Atlanta and a 122-118 loss at home to Orlando.
With this game being in Chicago - the Bulls haven't had to travel yet this preseason - I like the Bulls to win and cover at home. And each team has scored enough in their three games to make me believe this will go over 239.5 points.
Because I expect this to be a high-scoring affair, and because I think Boozer and Wilson will want to put on a show, I think both rookies will score at least 20 points
Wilson put up 15 points in his preseason debut against the Suns, going 6-of-15 from the field but 0-for-4 from long distance. Considering Wilson is my Rookie of the Year pick, I anticipate he'll be better in this outing.
Boozer has been steadily improving this preseason. He scored 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting while missing all three of his three-pointers. But he increased that output to 16 points, going 4-of-7 from the field and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, against the Magic.
Both of them will prove they have great potential tonight.
Picks: Bulls -2.5 (-115), Over 239.5 Points (-110), Cameron Boozer 20+ Points (+117) & Caleb Wilson 20+ Points (+119)
