Filip Tomic
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The Emirates NBA Cup continues tonight with 12 more games, including an ESPN doubleheader tipping off at 7:30 pm ET. I’ve analyzed every matchup and have come up with my 3 best bets for Friday’s action, compiled below in a 3-game NBA parlay. Let’s dive in, while you can also assess our NBA picks for all the big matchups on Friday, November 15.
Clippers ML (+156)
Nuggets -6 (-110)
Grizzlies +8 (-110)
NBA parlay odds: +840
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LA Clippers ML over Houston Rockets (+156)
We start off our NBA parlay in Houston where the Rockets host the LA Clippers, a team they just beat 2 days ago in the same building. So why back the Clippers here? Well, more often than not, teams usually split these home-and-home series when they happen. Not much separated the 2 teams on Wednesday, but Houston dominated the rebounding battle and that’s why they were able to get the victory.
I’m expecting a much better effort by the Clippers in that department in tonight’s game, plus a bounce-back performance from leading scorer Norman Powell who went just 5-for-18 on Wednesday. LA is 9-2 SU in their last 11 meetings with the Rockets and 4-1 SU in their last 5 visits to Houston. In those 11 meetings, they’re averaging 5.4 points per game more, so you could say Wednesday’s game was an outlier of sorts. I’ll take my chances by backing the Clippers to come out on top here at plus-money odds.
Denver Nuggets -6 over New Orleans Pelicans (-110)
Nikola Jokic is having one heck of a start to a season, even by his standards. The Serbian center is averaging 29.7 points, 13.7 rebounds and 11.7 assists per game, and those are better numbers than what he averaged in his MVP seasons. Only once in November so far has he failed to record a triple-double, and that trend will likely continue against a Pelicans team that has very little inside presence right now. New Orleans allows 54.3 points per game inside the paint and only 2 other teams are worse than them at the moment.
Jose Alvarado, Zion Williamson, Jordan Hawkins, Herbert Jones and C.J. McCollum are all out for the Pels here. Anything other than a clear Nuggets victory would be a surprise. Denver is 9-4 SU in 13 meetings and they’ve also covered the spread in 4 of 6 games lately. New Orleans is 0-6 ATS/SU in their last 6 and they haven’t covered the spread in any of their last 9 games against Western Conference opponents. Until they get at least a couple of players off that injury report, I wouldn’t touch the Pels.
Check out our full Denver Nuggets vs New Orleans Pelicans predictions
Memphis Grizzlies +8 over Golden State Warriors (-110)
Injuries have also derailed the Memphis Grizzlies this season, hence why they are such big underdogs here. But I don’t believe there is that big of a difference in talent. As we saw in the loss to the Lakers, Memphis was able to stay around until the very end when the Lakers sealed the deal in the clutch. The Grizz have sped things up significantly on offense in the 3 games Ja Morant hasn’t played, averaging 128.3 points. Golden State is also in a groove, especially with Stephen Curry aging like fine wine. He just ruined Klay’s homecoming with 37 points, carrying the Warriors to their 9th win in 11 games.
What is particularly impressive this season is the fact that Curry is doing all this while averaging less than 30 minutes per game. Golden State is taking a chance on the younger players and so far the results have paid off. However, the Grizzlies have been a tough nut to crack. They’ve covered the spread in 6 of 7 games, posting the highest Net Rating in the NBA at +15.6 points during that stretch. With them also covering in 12 of the last 18 meetings against the Warriors, I think backing them as 8-point underdogs is a really solid bet here to wrap up our NBA parlay picks for today.
