NBA weekend betting preview: Back the Warriors in Curry's homecoming
Thursday's short schedule was a dud for our picks, which went 0-2 against the spread thanks to a lousy first half by the Bucks and a quiet fourth quarter from the Nets and Lakers. No matter - there's plenty to get excited about in this weekend's slate.
Hawks @ Celtics (-3.5, 226.5)
Feb. 19, 7:30 p.m. ET
Things are starting to fall apart for the Celtics, who are now 2-5 ATS / straight up in their last seven games and own the NBA's eighth-worst defense in that stretch. All seven contests came without top defender Marcus Smart, who's missed all of February with a calf injury and whose team simply doesn't have a suitable replacement.
They certainly couldn't find one Wednesday when Trae Young dropped 40 points in the Hawks' eight-point win in Boston. The C's should get Kemba Walker and Daniel Theis back Friday, though emerging star Jaylen Brown is questionable and would be a major blow to an offense that's looked rudderless for much of this past month. Don't expect a new result in the rematch.
Pick: Hawks +3.5
Suns (-3, 230) @ Pelicans
Feb. 19, 8 p.m.
When will oddsmakers learn not to hang this low of a number on a Pelicans game? New Orleans has gone 19-3-1 to the over since Jan. 2, flying past the total by an average of 10.74 points per game.
It doesn't particularly matter how high the number is, either. The Pelicans are 5-1 to the over with a total of at least 230, while the league is 58-29 to the over (66.7%) on such games this season and hitting 56.9% of the time in that spot since 2015.
The Suns' defense has been a pleasant surprise this year, but they're riding a 4-1 over run after allowing 128 points to the Nets Tuesday. Prepare for another high-scoring affair.
Pick: Over 230
Jazz (-3.5, 225.5) @ Clippers
Feb. 19, 10 p.m.
This line is truly baffling to me. Didn't we see this exact same matchup play out Wednesday when the Jazz blew out the shorthanded Clippers with Paul George and Kawhi Leonard on the bench?
Both players are questionable to return Friday, but does it even matter if they suit up? Utah has covered 19 of its last 21 contests - outscoring its opponents by 14 points per game - and should be favored by a couple of points even if both stars were fully healthy.
Pick: Jazz -2.5
Warriors @ Hornets (N/A)
Feb. 20, 8 p.m.
It's almost always worth the price of admission when the Warriors visit the Hornets. Stephen Curry - who attended high school and college in the Charlotte area - has averaged 27.2 points on 49.7% shooting from deep in 16 career games against the Hornets, which ranks fourth and second against all opponents, respectively.
Golden State has covered three straight road games against Charlotte, winning all three by at least 10 points. If Curry puts up his usual homecoming performance, this could get ugly.
Pick: Warriors (-4 or better)
Timberwolves @ Knicks (N/A)
Feb. 21, 7 p.m.
The Tom Thibodeau reunion game couldn't have come at a better time for the Knicks, who are 6-2 ATS in their last eight matchups and get three days of rest ahead of Sunday's tilt with the struggling Timberwolves.
Right when Minnesota welcomed back star Karl-Anthony Towns, it lost D'Angelo Russell to a knee injury that will likely sideline him for at least a month. The T-Wolves have been outscored by 5.4 points per game in Russell's nine missed contests and will enter Sunday's game coming off one day of rest. New York is 5-2 ATS this year when more rested than its opponent.
Pick: Knicks (-3 or better)
(Odds source: theScore Bet)
C Jackson Cowart is a betting writer for theScore. He's an award-winning journalist with stops at The Charlotte Observer, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Times Herald-Record, and BetChicago. He's also a proud graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, and his love of sweet tea is rivaled only by that of a juicy prop bet. Find him on Twitter @CJacksonCowart.