Filip Tomic
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The weekend is almost here and the NBA has an 8-game slate coming our way this Friday. We can enjoy an ESPN double-header starting at 7:30 pm ET between the Timberwolves and Cavaliers followed by the Bucks and Lakers at 10:00 pm ET.
Both of those games feature in tonight’s NBA mega parlay, while you can also see our NBA picks for the rest of the day’s big matchups.
Cavaliers +1 (-112)
Heat ML (+285)
Lakers ML (-102)
NBA parlay odds: +1343
Cleveland Cavaliers +1 over Minnesota Timberwolves (-112)
Don’t expect to see a aesthetically pleasing game; both the Cavs and Timberwolves play a defensively oriented style of play, plus each team is down a star player in Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns and Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell. With all of that out the way, I’m giving the Cavaliers the edge here for a couple of different reasons. They have been tough to beat at home this year; earlier this week they ended the Boston Celtics’ 11-game winning streak, overturning a 22-point deficit in a 105-104 victory.
They are one of the more consistent teams with a 21-11 record at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, plus in their last 20 games overall they have recorded 14 wins. Minnesota, on the other hand, will be playing on a 2nd night of a back-to-back following a tough win at Indiana yesterday. Anthony Edwards rolled an ankle in that game but still managed to lead his team to a win. It will be interesting to see if the Timberwolves decide to rest him. Minnesota has covered the spread only once in 6 games. Backing Cleveland is the way to go here.
Start the weekend with a bang by checking out our Bucks vs Lakers Same Game Parlay at +429 odds
Miami Heat ML over Oklahoma City Thunder (+285)
The Thunder return home following a 4-game road trip which they ended 2-2 SU. I’m never a fan of backing a team in their first home game back after a long road trip; this is exactly why I have the Heat pulling off the upset. Although they lost at Dallas last night, Miami is still one of the better teams after the all-star break with 7 wins in 9 games. The Heat have a favorable matchup against the Thunder, whom they have beaten 8 times in the last 10 meetings — including 5 of the last 6 games played in OKC.
For the most part OKC has been very consistent this season, but there are some question marks over its last 4 games. During this stretch the Thunder rank only 23rd in defensive efficiency — which is very unusual for a team that’s spent the majority of the season in the top 5. We also have the revenge factor for the Heat, as OKC won the first meeting of the season 128-120 in South Beach. If Jimmy Butler can lock up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander then I feel like the Heat are capable of winning this game. Bam Adebayo also has the experience edge over Chet Holmgren down low; keep an eye on that matchup, as well. Miami has been one of the best bets against the spread on the road this season, covering in 18 of 32 games.
Los Angeles Lakers ML over Milwaukee Bucks (-102)
The Lakers disappointed a lot of bettors in their last game, as they let a 19-point lead slip away in a home loss to the Kings. Tonight’s game is good bounce back opportunity against the potentially shorthanded Bucks. I say potentially because we don’t even know if Giannis Antetokounmpo will play; he has been bothered by an Achilles’ injury that kept him out of the Bucks game against the Clippers earlier this week. He returned on Wednesday night but clearly wasn’t himself as the Bucks suffered a 35-point blowout loss at Golden State.
I’m hoping the Lakers can take advantage of him not being at 100%. A win would definitely be welcomed here as they battle the Warriors for the 9th spot in the West. Los Angeles is 10-5 SU over its last 15 games and ranking 2nd in offensive rating only to the Celtics during this stretch. The Lakers also no pushover in home games this season, with a 23-11 SU record — plus their last 5 games vs Eastern Conference opponents all ended in wins. Anthony Davis is averaging 33.5 points and 13 rebounds in the last 2 meetings; I’m expecting a response from him after a sub-par performance in the loss to the Kings. Let’s back the Lakers to win a tight one.
Read our full Milwaukee Bucks vs Los Angeles Lakers predictions
