Trae Young of Atlanta Hawks
On this last Friday night of the regular season, we have a slate of nine NBA games.
The most interesting matchups on the schedule feature the Hornets vs the Bulls, the Cavaliers vs the Nets, and the Suns vs the Jazz. Let’s jump in.
All odds are accurate as of 3:00 PM EST on Fanduel Sportsbook.
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Best Bets of the Night
Game 1: Charlotte Hornets at Chicago Bulls -2.5
Heading into tonight, both the Chicago Bulls and the Charlotte Hornets are very healthy. The Hornets will only be without Gordon Hayward, who hasn’t played in months. Chicago has lost Lonzo Ball for the season, and currently has Zach Lavine listed as a game-time decision for tonight’s game. This is a tricky pick because the Chicago Bulls have lost their last three home games badly. Will they really lose a fourth and final home game of the regular season against the Charlotte Hornets? Even if Lavine doesn’t play, the Hornets are an easier matchup for the Bulls than the three teams they’ve hosted since Saturday (Bucks, Heat, and Celtics) without Lavine in the lineup. Even if LaVine doesn’t play tonight, I’d truly be shocked if the Bulls lost their fourth consecutive home game. The Hornets are one of the worst teams in the Association facing opposing guards allowing them to produce an average of 101 FPTS per game against them. The 10th seeded Hornets are just one game behind the Hawks in the Eastern Conference standings and will be competing hard tonight in the hopes of taking the higher seed away from Atlanta. Although Chicago has lost their last three consecutive games, all at home, I do not think they will allow the Hornets to embarrass them in their last home game of the season.
The Pick: Chicago Bulls - 2.5 (-110)
Game 2: Cleveland Cavaliers at Brooklyn Nets - 9
The Brooklyn Nets have a switch that they can turn on any time they want. They proved that in that last game after overcoming a 21-point deficit against the embarrassing New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. Especially now that Kyrie Irving is eligible to play in New York City, the Nets have been looking ferocious. Brooklyn should seal the deal at home tonight, but I think the Cavaliers have a good chance of keeping it somewhat interesting. If Cleveland loses by eight points or less, this bet hits. Jarett Allen remains out and likely will be inactive until the postseason begins. Evan Mobley is listed as a game-time decision for tonight’s game.
The Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers +9 (-112)
Game 3: Phoenix Suns at Utah Jazz - 2
Devin Booker, DeAndre Ayton, Chris Paul, and Jamison Crowder all did not play in a 109-113 road loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night. Tonight, it seems CP3 will be active against the Jazz as he missed the last game due to injury management. In fact, all the starters that were inactive Tuesday were not included in today’s injury report ahead of tonight’s game in Utah. While Booker, Paul, and Ayton could play fewer minutes than the 30+ they get each night, reports suggest they’ll be out on the floor. Utah finds itself two games behind the Dallas Mavericks, currently with the fifth seed in the West. Tonight’s matchup can be seen as a potential playoff series. Both teams will compete tonight. The Jazz’s roster is completely healthy and has a good chance to defend the home floor. The last time the two teams played was February 27, in Phoenix, where Utah sealed a thrilling 118-114 victory. I like the Suns to give the Jazz payback on the road tonight, after being served by Utah at home. Especially with all of Phoenix’s starters active tonight, this is the ML pick of the night.
The Pick: Phoenix Suns ML +118
NBA Player Props of the Night
Game: Atlanta Hawks at Miami Heat +2
Prop 1: Trae Young, Over 3.5 Rebounds (-102)
Trae Young is averaging 3.7 rebounds a game this season. He’s getting four or more rebounds a game approximately every other night. Although Miami is one of the best teams in the East, they are an average team shooting the ball from the field. This means that Atlanta might get more opportunities to catch rebounds than they otherwise might not. For that reason, Ice Trae has a better chance of hitting the over on rebounds tonight than the under.
Prop 2: Danillo Gallinari, Over 1.5 Three-Pointers Made (-200)
Danillo Gallinari is coming off of a huge 26-point (11-19 FG) in a dominant 118-103 victory over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday. In that game, he shot four-of-seven from beyond the arc. This season, the Italian veteran is shooting a respectable 37.5% from beyond the arc. He’s also attempted at least five three-pointers and knocked down at least two of them in four of his last six games. Gallinari will also have a good chance in his matchups tonight, likely against wings Markieff Morris and Duncan Robinson. The way I see things, Miami will be caught sleeping on Gallinari at least once or twice tonight, where he will get multiple open looks from beyond the arc. This to me suggests he will hit at least two three-pointers tonight against the Miami Heat.
