We have NBA Cup action tonight. The in-season tournament has featured competitive games to date. Teams are buying in and want to win this tournament. Let’s feature two games that will have that big-game feel.
Friday’s Best NBA Picks
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Portland Trail Blazers at Houston Rockets (-12.5) | O/U 224 (-112/-108)
This might finally be the year Houston becomes a Western Conference contender. They are coming into Friday without losing back-to-back games and have won six of their last seven games. They had a hot start last season before struggling at the end, finishing with a 41-41 record. They’re hoping not to repeat that.
The Rockets were among the best defensive teams last year, ranking ninth in defensive efficiency. They are even better this season, ranking third. The offense has also been great recently, averaging 132.6 points in their last three wins.
The Trail Balzers know they’re in a rebuilding process, but they have won three of their last four games. I don’t know how much stock you can put into those wins with two coming against a whole new Timberwolves team and a Hawks squad that doesn’t play defense. The Trail Blazers are still one of the worst offenses in the league, ranking 29th in offensive efficiency (1.025).
Portland might have felt too confident playing against bad defenses, but they will get a large dose of reality against one of the best.
Pick: Rockets -12.5 (-112)
Indiana Pacers at Milwaukee Bucks (-5.5) | O/U 236 (-112/-108)
After making it to the Eastern Conference Finals, a big year was predicted for the Pacers. It’s still early, but they are struggling. They gave the Celtics their first loss of the season, but Indiana themselves have some terrible losses, including against the Raptors.
We knew they weren’t going to play defense. They are 25th in points allowed (118.4), but they allow more points than scoring, with 114.3 points allowed per game (13th).
Are we finally getting the Bucks we always expected? They started the season by losing eight of their first 10 games, but they’ve since won four out of five. The schedule hasn’t been too challenging, with all four wins coming from teams that didn’t make the playoffs last season. They want to depend on the offense, and it’s been better, with 120+ points in the four wins.
This will be an exciting shootout and we should see a lot of points.
Pick: Over 236 Points (-112)
