Top NBA Picks and Predictions Today (Magic & Cavaliers Great Underdog Picks)
Prepare for a fun night in the NBA.
There’s 8 games on the schedule tonight, with some great matchups on the board. The Nuggets and Celtics face off in Boston to start the night, then the Cavaliers and Warriors end the night in the Bay.
The BetSided team is locked in for tonight’s slate, and we’re here to give you our favorite plays.
Here are our top picks for Friday’s games.
Suns vs. Magic Prediction and Pick
On the surface, we should easily back the Suns today. They are one game out of the top spot in the west, have the best net rating in the league and good against the spread. The Suns are 7-4 ATS this season, while the Magic are 4-6-1.
However, we’re backing the Magic tonight because their against the spread record is deceiving. Orlando has played in 10 “clutch” games this season. Those are games that are within five points with five minutes or less left. The Magic have consistently pushed the best teams in the league. Their problem is finishing games, leading to a 2-8 record in those situations.
Even though they haven’t been winning those games, I like the Magic to catch the Suns off-guard tonight – especially in Orlando. I'll back the Magic on the spread and sprinkle a little bit on the moneyline.
Nuggets vs. Celtics Prediction and Pick
If either of these teams ended up in the Finals, I don’t think anyone would be shocked. These are two of the better teams in the league, making this pick hard. It’s especially tough because the Celtics don’t have Robert Williams and the Nuggets are still getting Jamal Murray back into the swing of things.
With that being said, I’ll shift my focus to the total in this game. Both teams are top 5 in offensive rating on the season and top 3 over the last 5 games. They know how to score points. The offense hasn’t been the issue for either of them to start the year. It’s been the defense. Denver is 21st in defensive rating, while the Celtics are 22nd.
Boston is also the second-best OVER team in the league, and the Nuggets hit the over more often than the under. Everything is showing that we should expect points tonight, and that’s what I’m going to do.
Cavaliers vs. Warriors Prediction and Pick
I understand giving the Warriors their respect as the defending champions, but tonight is not the night to do it in the betting market. We get to back the Cavs as underdogs, and I’m extremely pleased with that.
The Warriors are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games. They needed 47 points from Steph Curry to beat the Kings by three. This is a team that is currently 27th in defensive rating. The only teams with worse defenses are the Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons.
Meanwhile, the Cavs are third in offensive and defensive rating, combining for the second-best net rating in the league. Cleveland is legitimately a contender in the Eastern Conference and should beat the Warriors outright tonight.
Golden State’s perimeter defense has been atrocious this season, so I’m expecting a big night from Mitchell and Darius Garland tonight as well.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.