NBA weekend betting preview: Can Knicks extend win streak vs. Raptors?
We went 0-for-2 on our NBA picks against the spread on Thursday, thanks in part to a lackluster performance from Anthony Davis in his return from injury. Can we pick up the pace heading into the weekend?
Celtics @ Nets (-5.5, 226)
April 23, 7:30 p.m. ET
Will Kevin Durant return tonight for the Nets? That's the question hanging over this game, which opened at Brooklyn -4.5 and has been bet to this number in anticipation of the superstar's potential return from a two-game hiatus.
Does his return make the Nets worth betting, though? This season, Brooklyn is 4-7 ATS when Durant and Kyrie Irving play without James Harden, who will miss yet another game with a hamstring injury. There's also a good chance Durant is on a minutes restriction - he played just 18 minutes in his last return from a multi-game absence and hasn't played more than 30 minutes in a game since Feb. 13.
The Celtics weathered the storm without Jaylen Brown in Thursday's win over the Suns. They should be able to stay within the number here.
Pick: Celtics +5.5
Wizards (-10, 230.5) @ Thunder
April 23, 8 p.m.
Don't look now, but the Wizards are surging down the stretch as they fight to stay alive in the playoff race. Washington is 8-1-1 ATS over its last 10 games, and while most of those wins came against teams below .500, four of them came by at least double digits.
That includes Monday's 12-point win over the Thunder, who are a miserable 3-11-2 ATS since March 24 with 11 double-digit losses in those 16 games. The stretch coincides perfectly with the absence of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who missed the 16 games and won't play on Friday, either.
Pick: Wizards -10
Raptors @ Knicks (N/A)
April 24, 1 p.m.
Are the Knicks for real? They've won eight consecutive games and have covered 11 straight dating back to April 3. Many of those wins have come against likely non-playoff teams, though that will again be the case on Saturday.
Even if the competition is suspect, the results aren't. New York has the NBA's highest net rating (+10.7) over that span with a top-four offense and defense. Julius Randle has been key to this run, scoring at least 32 points in five of the last six games after Wednesday's 40-point outburst.
The Raptors simply don't have an answer for Randle inside, and they may not have an answer offensively, either, if they continue to rest their top players on a whim. Even a Toronto squad at full strength could struggle to keep up with the red-hot Knicks.
Pick: Knicks (TBD)
Kings @ Warriors (N/A)
April 25, 10 p.m.
The NBA season doesn't end for another few weeks, but the Kings' year looks like it ended long ago. Sacramento has gone 2-10 straight up / 3-9 ATS over its last 12 games and has posted the league's fourth-worst net rating (-8.2) over that stretch.
Meanwhile, the Warriors have covered five of seven behind Stephen Curry's MVP-level heroics, which were halted in Wednesday's loss to the Wizards. Expect a better performance this time around against one of the NBA's worst defenses.
Pick: Warriors (TBD)
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.