NBA weekend best bets: Hornets, Trail Blazers set for Sunday shootout
We split our pair of NBA bets Thursday, but we're carrying a 14-10 season record ahead of Friday's slate. Here are our favorite bets over the weekend:
Kings (-1.5, 221) @ Pelicans
Oct. 29, 8 p.m. ET
We've been high on the Kings for most of the season, and it paid off in a big way with Wednesday's outright win over the Suns (-8), who shot just 27.3% from deep and tied a season low with 23 assists. The Suns' bigs did their damage inside, but star guards Chris Paul (1-for-10) and Devin Booker (12-for-28) combined to shoot just 34.2% against Sacramento's feisty backcourt.
That could be trouble for the Pelicans, whose offense has become overly reliant on inefficient perimeter scorers with Zion Williamson sidelined. New Orleans ranks 29th in offensive rating (100.2) and has just four players averaging more than 6.5 points per game. That won't cut it Friday.
Pick: Kings -1.5
Mavericks @ Nuggets (-1.5, 215.5)
Oct. 29, 10 p.m.
The Mavericks have done very little this season to justify being priced so competitively. Through four games, Dallas owns a 1-3 record against the spread thanks to one of the league's least efficient offenses. That was on full display Thursday when the Mavericks scored just 15 points in the first quarter before rallying against an inexperienced Spurs squad.
Dallas ranks dead last in first-quarter scoring (20 points per game) but has found ways to claw back against inferior competition. Don't expect that to fly against the Nuggets, who have allowed the fifth-fewest average points in the second half (47.8) and should be able to maintain a steady pace behind Nikola Jokic's stellar play.
Pick: Nuggets -1.5
Magic @ Pistons (TBD)
Oct. 30, 7 p.m.
Could this be Cade Cunningham's highly anticipated debut? The Pistons have sorely missed the No. 1 pick, ranking dead last in offensive rating (94.0) by a country mile in his absence. His presence should mean fewer minutes for struggling sophomore Killian Hayes and more efficient looks for Jerami Grant, whose shooting marks have cratered after a breakout 2020-21 campaign.
If he does play Saturday, it couldn't come in a better spot. The Magic own the NBA's worst defensive rating (115.9) and ATS record (1-4), and they'll be on the second night of a road back-to-back after Friday's tilt in Toronto. Even if Cunningham doesn't return, it's likely worth fading Orlando here, anyway.
Pick: Pistons (TBD)
Trail Blazers @ Hornets (TBD)
Oct. 31, 7 p.m.
Just as everyone expected before the season, the NBA's No. 1 offense belongs to ... the Hornets. Behind rising stars LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges, Charlotte leads the league in offensive rating (114.8) with top-six marks in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.96), turnover rate (13.1%), rebounding rate (51.9%), and true shooting percentage (57.3%).
The Trail Blazers certainly aren't short on offensive firepower, either, ranking third in TS% (57.9%) with three games over 115 points through their first four contests. Both teams are shaky defensively and rank in the top four in pace factor, which means plenty of possessions for these red-hot offenses to thrive on.
Pick: Over (TBD)
C Jackson Cowart is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on Twitter (@CJacksonCowart) or email him at cjackson.cowart@thescore.com.