Happy Friday! With so much going on in the college basketball ranks, it’s easy to forget we’ve got a great 10-game slate in the NBA with some good teams in action. With so much to pick from, let’s survey DraftKings Sportsbook for some player props, totals and sides to bet. You can follow me on Twitter (@KennyDucey) for any late adds.
Here’s what jumps out to me on DraftKings Sportsbook.
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Boston’s covered just once in the past five games, but here at home this team has been much, much better. The Celtics are 11-7 ATS at home, and 8-5 ATS as the home favorite. They come into this game with an offense that’s caught fire of late, ranking fourth in the NBA with a 118.1 efficiency rating over the past 10 games. The Kings, meanwhile, are still dead last in the NBA in defensive rating, and have allowed more than 120 points per 100 possessions over the past 10 games. Boston’s coming off back-to-back single-digit losses against good defenses, and I think the offense is ready to explode against a unit this bad.
Yeah, we’re going with another favorite. The Bulls’ interior defense all season long has been suspect, allowing 54.6% of shots to fall inside the arc, which will be an issue against someone as strong as Nikola Jokic in the paint. The other thing I’m looking at here is the massive difference in pace — the Bulls rank seventh with a 101.48 rating, while the Nuggets are down in 27th at 97.90. Denver’s been able to slow down some of the fastest teams in the league in an effort to get Jokic paint touches and wear down the opposition to death, and I think that will be the case here. The Bulls would also be nothing if not for their transition offense.
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Portland has covered in just one of its last six games, and that came on Thursday in a game against the Pelicans that didn’t need to be as close as it was. Now, the Blazers face the red-hot Mavericks on the second night of a back-to-back, where they have not really enjoyed life too much. Portland is 4-4 ATS in these spots, and somehow is even worse at home, with an 8-12 ATS record at home.
Portland’s defense has wilted all season long, but it hasn’t been an issue because of its ability to shoot the three. The Blazers, though, have been under 33% in two of the last four games, and with some tired legs I don’t know if this is the best spot for their shooting to get back to the mean.
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All betting odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
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