Friday's Best NBA Bets
Oklahoma City Thunder at Portland Trail Blazers (-2.5, 190.5)
The Oklahoma City Thunder have picked a perfect time to peak in the regular season. They’re coming off their best single month in franchise history after going 14-2 straight up in March while covering 10 times during that stretch.
They have a good shot at starting April on the right foot too. Oklahoma City has won its first three meetings with Portland this season, including a 99-90 victory over the Blazers as a 4.5-point favorite last weekend. Russell Westbrook put up 28 points in that win and is averaging more than 30 points against the Blazers this season.
"After my first two seasons, we went from (23) wins to 50-win seasons, that is a big turnaround for us and something that can't be overlooked," Kevin Durant told reporters.
The Blazers are under the gun down the stretch, but it’s hard to pass up the Thunder at this number.
Pick: Thunder
Miami Heat at Minnesota Timberwolves (10.5, 208)
Whether it’s still a lack of chemistry or just a lack of focus, It seems like every now and then the Miami Heat need a serious wakeup call.
The Cleveland Cavaliers were the latest team to snap the Heat back to reality in LeBron James’ second visit to his former team earlier this week. Following that embarrassing loss, Miami rebounded to hammer Washington 123-107 on Wednesday, covering as a 12.5-point favorite.
“I take a loss hard, no matter who it's against," James told reporters before facing Washington. "I don't like to lose - especially when you know we could have done things better."
The Heat will have Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Juwan Howard in the lineup after they were involved in a bit of a dustup with John Wall and Miami still should be able to cover the number against the Timberwolves.
Pick: Heat
Indiana Pacers host Bucks in crucial NBA odds clash
By: Stephen Nover
The Milwaukee Bucks play their biggest game of the season Friday night when they travel to Indiana.
The Bucks trail the Pacers by three games for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They have eight games left.
“This is probably do or die for us,” Milwaukee center Andrew Bogut was quoted as saying about Friday night’s matchup, which tips off at 4:05 PT. “This game is everything for us and probably everything for them, too.”
The Pacers are 34-42 following a 111-101 home victory this past Wednesday versus Detroit. The Pacers covered as 6½-point favorites. The combined 212 points went ‘over’ the 201-point total.
The win kept Indiana one game ahead of Charlotte, which also is in the mix for the No. 8 seed in the East. Charlotte is 32-42. Milwaukee is 30-44.
Tabbed to battle the Chicago Bulls for first place in the Central Division before the season, the Bucks have had their season derailed by multiple injuries.
It’s taken nearly the entire season, but Milwaukee is at last healthy. Key reserves Drew Gooden and Michael Redd, an NBA All-Star in 2004, finally have returned.
Redd has played a combined 23 minutes during the past two games after missing the past 14 months recovering from two serious knee surgeries. Gooden had 22 points and 11 rebounds in the Bucks’ 104-98 road victory against Toronto this past Wednesday.
Gooden had been out since Jan. 21 because of plantar fasciitis in his left foot. Point guard Brandon Jennings helped the Bucks cover as 4½-point favorites with 25 points against the Raptors. Bogut chipped in with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
The combined 202 points went ‘over’ the 190½-point total. It was just the fourth time in their last 11 road games that the Bucks have gone ‘over.’ The Bucks rank third in defense holding foes to 92.7 points per game, but are last in points averaging 91.6 per contest and last in field goal percentage at 42.8 percent.
Indiana is 0-22 when failing to score more than 92 points in a game. The Pacers received 20 points from point guard Darren Collison and 17 from Danny Granger in beating the Pistons.
Josh McRoberts had a big game with 15 points and 13 rebounds playing 28 minutes in a reserve role. The big news, though, for the Pacers was the return of Mike Dunleavy. He had missed the previous 19 games with a broken thumb.
Dunleavy, the Pacers’ fourth-leading scorer at 11.1 points per game and maybe their best defender, put up nine points against Detroit. Dunleavy missed six of nine shots from the floor, however, as he was obviously rusty.
The Pacers have now covered in five of their last six games versus Eastern Conference foes. The Pacers are just 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games following a straight-up victory.
Milwaukee is 2-1 versus Indiana this season with both victories coming in 2010.
The Bucks nipped the Pacers, 94-90, as 2½-point road ‘dogs on Nov. 5. The combined 184 points went ‘under’ the 196½-point total. John Salmons led Milwaukee with 22 points with Jennings adding 18. Bogut missed that game due to a migraine headache.
Milwaukee defeated Indiana, 97-95, on Dec. 8 as two-point home favorites when the teams met a second time. The combined 192 points went ‘over’ the 189½-point total. The Bucks pulled the game out on a tip-in at the buzzer by Bogut, who finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
The Pacers got a measure of revenge downing the Bucks, 103-97, as 2½-point road ‘dogs on Feb. 12. The combined 200 points went ‘over’ the 191½-point total. Granger scored a game-high 30 points with Collision contributing 22 points.
NBA Betting: Trail Blazers battle Durant, Thunder
By: Adam Markowitz
The Portland Trail Blazers and Oklahoma City Thunder both made moves to try to improve their interior games at the NBA trade deadline. These two Northwest Division rivals meet for the final time in the regular season on Friday in NBA betting action from the Rose Garden (7:00 p.m. PT).
Oklahoma City knows that it is pretty much destined to be the No. 4 seed in the postseason. The Thunder already have 24 losses on the season, and there are just eight games in which they can either make up some ground on the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks for the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in the playoffs.
Odds are that's not enough time to either do that or to fall behind the Denver Nuggets, which will likely set up an Oklahoma City/Denver tussle in the first round of the playoffs.
The Thunder are now at full strength for legitimately just the first time since the trade deadline. Kendrick Perkins has only been in the lineup for nine games, and since he has gotten in the fold, the team is 8-1 SU and 5-3-1 against the NBA odds.
The former Boston Celtics big man has averaged 6.0 PPG and 7.7 RPG since coming over to OKC, but his 13 points scored in the team's most recent win might be a sign that things are changing for the big man.
Of course, there are always Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant to talk about when you're analyzing the NBA betting odds in Thunder games. These two just continue to light it up on a regular basis, as they're good for 22.0 and 27.8 PPG respectively. Durant is out to win another NBA scoring title this season, something that he should do with ease considering the fact that he is 1.2 PPG ahead of LeBron James of the Miami Heat.
Portland knows that it should be okay for a spot in the postseason, but nothing is for certain quite yet. There are only four games separating the Blazers and the surging Houston Rockets, who are ninth in the Western Conference standings. Three more wins really should be enough for the Blazers to make it into the second season.
Trail Blazers newcomer Gerald Wallace is getting into the fold with his new squad. The move to get Wallace gives this squad another wing player to help out LaMarcus Aldridge on the inside. Of course, the knee injuries to Brandon Roy really haven't helped this team out any. Wallace is now averaging 15.3 PPG and 7.8 RPG, but he is also contributing a pair of steals per night as well.
Portland is a well-rounded team with six players averaging at least 12 points per game. Don't forget about Rudy Fernandez either. Though he is only putting up 8.7 PPG, he can go off for 25 points if he catches fire from beyond the arc.
The Thunder are only 3-7 ATS over the course of the last 10 meetings in this series, but they are also 8-3-1 ATS in their last 12 overall. These teams have already met three times this season, and OKC has figured out how to win all three games outright. The Blazers only have one cover in a 110-108 loss to the Thunder on the road in November.