Back rested Pelicans, Kings on Friday night
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With the trade deadline in the rearview, NBA rosters are (mostly) set for the remainder of the season. Let's head into the weekend on a good note with six matchups Friday night and three best bets.
Pelicans @ Lakers (+1.5, O/U 234)
The Pelicans have won four straight and are currently the sixth seed in the West. The big three of Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and CJ McCollum are finally healthy at the same time and meshing on both ends.
While the Pelicans are trending up, the Lakers are headed in the opposite direction. Although they've won three of their last five, they're still the ninth seed in the West. Los Angeles can't seem to find a consistent rhythm.
The Lakers competed against the Nuggets on Thursday night in an eventual loss, but that doesn't bode well for the Lakers' chances Friday night. Most of the Lakers' starters played at least 35 minutes, including LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Los Angeles is the NBA's worst team on the second leg of back-to-backs. The Lakers are 1-7 against the spread with no rest. Although the Pelicans are on the road, they played the Clippers on Wednesday, so travel fatigue won't be an issue.
Pick: Pelicans -1.5
Nuggets @ Kings (-1.5, O/U 233.5)
Similar to the Lakers, the Nuggets struggle with no rest. Denver is 3-6 against the spread in the second game of a back-to-back.
Denver had to travel from Los Angeles to Sacramento late last night. The Nuggets are also much worse away from home than in Denver. They're 10-16-1 against the spread in road games.
The Nuggets' net rating dips from plus-10 at home to minus-0.6 on the road.
The Kings' inconsistency has haunted them as they've lost two straight, including an inexcusable loss to the Pistons on Wednesday. Sacramento should come out energized at home after consecutive losses, while Denver will be sluggish.
Pick: Kings -1.5
Domantas Sabonis: Under 13.5 rebounds
Although I expect the Kings to win, Sabonis won't be the reason why. The Nuggets' size with Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon will pose problems for Sabonis.
He's typically a rebounding machine, but it'll be difficult to have similar levels of success against a tall and powerful frontcourt. He's grabbed fewer than 14 rebounds in 10 of the last 16 games and averages 13.1 boards this season.
The Nuggets allow the ninth-fewest rebounds per game to opposing centers.
Odds: -125 (playable to -140)
Sam Oshtry is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X @soshtry for more betting coverage.