It’s a loaded Friday night in sports, featuring tipoffs around the NBA and faceoffs across the NHL to open the weekend. Here are tonight’s best bets brought to you by BetOnline.ag. Click here to join. All new players get a 50% welcome bonus and up to $250 in free bets.
First Pick: Over 225 Points
Rundown: The Los Angeles Lakers (16-5) continue their three-game road trip Friday night with a marquee matchup against the Boston Celtics (13-9) at TD Garden.
Los Angeles enters the rivalry showdown fresh off a thrilling 123-120 win over the Toronto Raptors, capped by Rui Hachimura’s buzzer-beater that stunned the home crowd. The victory wasn’t without historical significance. LeBron James’ streak of 1,297 consecutive games with at least 10 points came to an end after nearly 19 years. The win lifted Los Angeles to its ninth win in the last 10 games.
Boston, meanwhile, has been scorching hot. After a 3-5 start, the Celtics have ripped off 10 wins in their last 14 behind the surge of Jaylen Brown, who has been virtually unstoppable, averaging 30.8 points over his last 10 outings.
Tonight’s key matchup lies between Boston’s third-ranked defense and Los Angeles’ seventh-ranked offense, an offense that will once again be missing top scorer Luka Doncic. The teams have combined to average 235.9 points per game, outpacing tonight’s projected total by nearly 11 points. The Lakers have cleared the 225 mark in 16 of their 21 contests; the Celtics have done so in 14 of 22. Expect both offenses to find a rhythm early in a high-stakes meeting between two storied rivals.
Second Pick: Clippers -1.5
Rundown: The Los Angeles Clippers (6-16) travel to FedExForum to face off with the Memphis Grizzlies (9-13) in a battle of two teams looking to turn their season around.
Los Angeles has struggled to cover the spread this season, posting a 6-16 record ATS in 22 games. The Clippers have performed slightly better on the road with a 5-7 mark ATS away from home. The spread presents issues for both teams. Los Angeles is 3-9 ATS when favored by 1.5 points or more, while Memphis is 2-11 ATS when listed as an underdog by at least that margin. The Clippers have also come away with more wins as moneyline favorites in road environments. Memphis has not taken advantage of home court, covering the spread in only four of ten home games.
Memphis continues to play without its best playmaker in Ja Morant, who has missed eight straight games with a right calf strain. Generating consistent offense without him remains a significant challenge.
With Morant sidelined and both teams searching for rhythm, look for Los Angeles to even the season series and leave Memphis with a road victory.
Third Pick: Devils Moneyline
Rundown: The New Jersey Devils (16-10-1) host the Vegas Golden Knights (12-6-8) in a matchup from the Prudential Center.
New Jersey enters tonight’s game looking to get back on track after dropping three straight. The Devils opened the season 9-0-1 at home, establishing themselves as a tough out in front of their fans. Through 27 games, they sit near the league median in both scoring offense (17th) and scoring defense (16th). A key factor in their early-season home success has been their efficiency with the extra skater, owning the NHL’s sixth-best conversion rate on the man advantage (24.29%).
Vegas, meanwhile, has struggled to find consistency away from home, losing six of 11 road games. With New Jersey returning to the building where it has been strongest, the value tilts toward the Devils snapping their three-game slide tonight against the Golden Knights.