Ricky Dimon
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After only 2 NBA games took place on Thursday, we are heading into the weekend with a huge 10-game slate on Friday night. It is headlined by a doubleheader on NBA TV, which begins with Memphis hosting New York before the Lakers entertain Washington. The Celtics, Heat, Mavericks, Jazz, and Suns are also in action.
Let’s take a look at today’s three-team mega parlay.
Clippers ML (+215)
Heat -6.5 (-110)
Lakers -4 (-110)
Parlay odds: +1048
For this parlay we are going with two favorites against the spread and one underdog straight up. Let’s break down each of the three legs one by one.
Clippers ML over Hawks (+215)
Atlanta returns home following a 3-game road trip and will try to keep its 3-game home winning streak alive. In their last 3 home games the Hawks beat potential Eastern Conference playoff teams in Chicago, Toronto, and Cleveland. However, the Clippers won’t be pushovers. They have won 7 of their last 10 games and have covered 8 of their last 11. The Clippers are 34-34 against the spread this season and 13-10 against the number as road underdogs. The Hawks are 18-14 ATS at home so far on the season, but just 9-14 against the Western Conference. This game will likely be decided by Trae Young’s scoring output. Young has averaged nearly 40 points per game in his last 3 home games, but all of those games were without John Collins in the lineup. In the 3 games since Collins’ return to the floor, Young has averaged 22 ppg. It has been an extremely disappointing season for Atlanta so far and it could continue on Friday.
Check out our Clippers vs Hawks preview
Heat -6.5 over Cavaliers (-110)
Cleveland is 3 games behind Miami for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Since the all-star break, these teams have trended in opposite directions with the Cavaliers ranking 21st in net rating and the Heat ranking 6th. Cleveland’s struggles could continue tonight considering that Jarrett Allen, Caris LeVert, and Collin Sexton remain out of the lineup. Per Cleaning the Glass, when the Cavaliers have been without Allen, LeVert, Sexton, and Ricky Rubio this season, they rank in the 63rd percentile in offensive efficiency and the 54th percentile in defensive efficiency. Since the all-star break, Miami has been 9.6 points per 100 possessions better than Cleveland. The Heat are well-equipped to slow down the short-handed Cavaliers, with Kyle Lowry able to take Darius Garland, Bam Adebayo on Evan Mobley, and Jimmy Butler or PJ Tucker on Lauri Markkanen. This may not be competitive.
Check out our Cavaliers vs Heat preview
Lakers -4 over Wizards (-110)
Consistency has been a real issue for the Wizards lately; they haven’t been able to connect 2 wins since mid-January and they find themselves 1.5 games back from the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference as a result. Getting Kristaps Porzingis to finally make his debut has been a plus for them, but even he couldn’t stop them from losing against the Clippers earlier this week. With just 6 wins in their last 20 games, it’s no wonder the Wiz are +4 underdogs even against the Lakers. Washington has also failed to cover the spread in 9 straight games against Western Conference opponents. Meanwhile, time is also running out for the Lakers. This is pretty much a must-win game for the home team because its schedule gets more difficult down the stretch, so look for LeBron James and Russell Westbrook to play some inspired basketball.
Check out all our NBA previews and picks for Friday
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