Friday’s slate in the NBA offers a full board of opportunities as the regular season hits its final stretch, with multiple matchups carrying playoff implications. With urgency rising across the league, expect tighter rotations and an increase in intensity across the league. 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: Clippers -8.5
Rundown: The Indiana Pacers (16-57) host the Los Angeles Clippers (37-36) in a Friday night cross-conference matchup at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Los Angeles comes into the matchup looking to make it four consecutive wins against an Indiana squad who resides at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings with just nine games remaining in the regular season. LA's offensive explosion has led to the recent success, averaging 128.6 points per game during the winning streak.
Meanwhile, Indiana is looking to run the clock out on a lost season after reaching the NBA finals less than a year ago, losing 17 of the last 18 games. Pascal Siakam leads the team in scoring, averaging 23.9 points per game. The absence of Tyrese Haliburton, who tore his right achilles tendon in Game 7 of last year's NBA Finals, has impacted the season in countless ways.
With Indiana eliminated and Los Angeles fully in the playoff picture, backing the Clippers against the spread in this spot is a beneficial play for bettors.
Second Pick: Nets Under 221.5 Points
Rundown: The Brooklyn Nets (17-56) continues its west coast trip as they head to Crypto.com Arena for a matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers (47-26).
Similar to Indiana, Brooklyn is eagerly awaiting for the regular season to come to a close, dropping 18 of its last 20 games. The Nets have struggled mightily on the road this season, winning just eight of 38 away from home. With just nine games to go, Brooklyn has a real chance to finish with the worst record in the NBA.
As for Los Angeles, Luka Doncic continues to play the best basketball of his career, leading the league in scoring. His 33.6 points per game and 47.4 field goal percentage has helped guide the Lakers to the third seed in the Western Conference.
With a one-sided matchup with injuries piling up, expect this one to fall under the projected point total.