Kyle Lupas
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All 30 teams have gotten their first game of the season out of the way, and 22 teams are in action tonight on this jam-packed Friday night. For this 3-leg NBA mega parlay, I have a favorite against the spread, an underdog against the spread, and an underdog to win their game outright. So, keep reading below as I break down 3 of my favorite picks in the NBA tonight that can be parlayed at +635 odds on FanDuel Sportsbook. Also, be sure to check out our NBA predictions for every game.
Nuggets -5.5 (-110)
Heat +8.5 (-108)
Knicks ML (+100)
NBA Parlay Odds: +635
Denver Nuggets -5.5 over Memphis Grizzlies (-110)
The defending champs showed no signs of rust in their season debut after defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 119-107 on Tuesday night. All five Denver starters finished the game in double figures and Nikola Jokic finished with 29 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists. They’ll head to Memphis tonight to take on a shorthanded Grizzlies squad that’s without Ja Morant as he serves his 25-game suspension and Steven Adams, who’ll undergo season-ending knee surgery.
Memphis dropped their season debut to the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday, and I think they’ll drop to 0-2 after hosting the Nuggets tonight. Marcus Smart filled in at the point and contributed 17 points and 3 assists, but he is unlikely to produce at the same level as Morant on the offensive front. Desmond Bane is the main scoring threat for Memphis until Morant returns, but it won’t be enough against a well-balanced Denver team. Memphis needs way more from their bench, as Bane, Smart and Xavier Tillman scored 65 of their team’s 104 points in their debut. I think it’ll take some time for this team to find their rhythm and that won’t come tonight against the champs.
Read our full Denver Nuggets vs Memphis Grizzlies predictions
Miami Heat +8.5 over Boston Celtics (-108)
In what I expect to be a competitive, low-scoring affair, getting 8.5 points with the Heat seems like a generous proposition. The Boston Celtics squeaked by with a 108-104 win in their season opener against the New York Knicks, but Miami is a much better defensive team than New York. The Heat held the Detroit Pistons to just 102 points in their opener and finished last season 9th in defensive rating.
Historically, this head-to-head matchup has been extremely close, as 4 of their last 5 regular-season meetings have been decided by 8 points or less. I also don’t expect Kristaps Porzingis to follow up with another 30-point performance like he had in New York and Jimmy Butler should at least make Jayson Tatum’s life a little more difficult than the Knicks did. Offensively, while the Heat scored just 103 points, 48 came in the paint, which I think they could exploit when Boston plays their smaller lineup.
Check out our Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics Same Game Parlay at +1252 odds
New York Knicks ML over Atlanta Hawks (+100)
The New York Knicks were just a few plays away from stealing a game against the Celtics on opening night at Madison Square as they held a 101-95 lead with just 3:39 remaining in the fourth quarter. However, Kristaps Porzingis had a revenge game against his former team by dropping 30 points, 9 of which came in the last 2:34 seconds of the game. That being said, there were a lot of positives to take away from the way New York played, including their 3-point shooting efficiency (43.9%), and their aggressiveness on the offensive glass (17 offensive boards to Boston’s 7).
I was much more impressed by the Knicks’ performance as opposed to the Hawks who lost to the Hornets as 4-point favorites. While the Knicks crashed the glass and had good defensive sets throughout their game against Boston, Atlanta’s defense was non-existent in the fourth quarter against the Hornets, allowing 38 points to close out the game. Most concerning for Atlanta was the fact they shot just 17.2% from beyond the arc and had a -11 plus/minus with Trae Young on the floor. Look for New York to grab their first win of the season as the Hawks drop to 0-2.
Read our full New York Knicks vs Atlanta Hawks predictions
