The All-Star break is over and normality resumes in the NBA with a nine-game slate on this Friday. As always, we preview some of the key matchups of the day and bring you our best betting tips. Good luck to everyone following!
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NBA Betting Tips: Friday February 24th 2023
Denver Nuggets at Cleveland Cavaliers
Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, 11am AEDT
A couple of 2023 All-Stars will face each other in this contest with Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets travelling to Cleveland to take on Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers.
The Nuggets have been the best team in the West all season and are currently five games clear at the top with a 41-18 record. However, they’ve done most of their damage at home this campaign and are merely a 500 team on the road with a 14-14 record to date.
The Cavaliers have also had a fruitful season and are currently fourth in the East. Likewise, they’ve been far better at home (25-6) compared to on the road (13-17).
Both teams are at virtually at full strength for what will be their second meeting of the year. The Nuggets defended homecourt 121-108 on January 7th, on the back of a 28/15/10 triple-double from Jokic.
The Cavaliers have homecourt advantage this time around and all the stats will tell you that they’re highly likely to get their revenge. They should be a lot shorter in the market and as such, I’m keen to drop three units on them to cover the small spread.
Cleveland Cavaliers -2.5
$1.90 (3 Units)
Memphis Grizzlies at Philadelphia 76ers
Wells Fargo Center, 11:30am AEDT
Two of the chirpiest teams in the NBA will lock horns on Friday morning in what should be an entertaining battle. The Grizzlies will head to Philadelphia in search of a much-needed road win, but will have to overcome a powerful 76ers outfit.
The Grizzlies will be looking to recapture their early season form that saw them storm to the top of the West. They currently sit second and are five games behind first and three games ahead of third.
Ironically, since Ja Morant made the claim that the Grizzlies are “good in the West”, they’ve completely fallen off. They entered the All-Star break with losses in nine of their last 13 games, and are currently riding a seven-game losing streak on the road.
Meanwhile, the 76ers couldn’t have been in much better form than they were pre-All-Star break. They went into the week off having won four in a row and 13 of their last 16 games, which saw them close to within three games of top spot in the East.
The home team has dominated this matchup in recent years, covering the spread in nine of their last 10 meetings. That’s a trend I expect to continue on Friday, so I’ll be backing them in for a couple of units.
Philadelphia 76ers -3.5
$1.82 (2 Units)
New Orleans Pelicans at Toronto Raptors
Scotiabank Arena, 11:30am AEDT
The New Orleans Pelicans, minus superstar Zion Williamson, will travel across the border to take on the Toronto Raptors on Friday.
The Pelicans were in abysmal form heading into the All-Star break with losses in 12 of their last 16 games. Williamson’s health has been a big reason why they’ve struggled, as they’re 13-17 without him this season and 17-12 when he plays.
In contrast, the Raptors would’ve liked to skip the break altogether because they were in some of their best form of the season leading into it. They’ve saluted in five of their last six games and are now only three games below 500.
The Raptors are a good home team (18-13 this season) and will be confident they can secure another win against a Pelicans team that has been struggling mightily on the road (10-19). For this reason, I’m keen to back the Raptors in to cover the small spread.
Toronto Raptors -4.5
$1.90 (1.5 Units)
