The only good news following an 0-2 performance is, with two a night, we are still up 5-3 this week. We have one more chance to lock in extra profit as we hit the later action in Friday’s slate. Early action has the Clippers on the road in Toronto, the Suns in Indianapolis, and Luka Doncic’s Mavericks taking on the Hawks in Atlanta. For our purposes, we focus on later action, with the Magic and Spurs each hosting games in the evening. Here are the best NBA side bets and totals for Friday, Jan. 26.
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Best NBA Side Bet: Trail Blazers-Spurs
Two miserable basketball teams square off for the later game in San Antonio. Upon further look, the Spurs are actually worse off right now, even with star rookie Victor Wembanyama. The Trail Blazers have taken advantage of scheduling, opponents overlooking them and some spot-up performances to win four of their last 10. They come off an overtime win in Houston, their third over the last five contests. There’s a sense of confidence this bad Blazers team has that hasn’t been seen by Gregg Popovich’s guys all year.
A faster pace and higher-scoring game will benefit the Blazers as they end their four-game road trip then open a mini home stand on Saturday. Totals are 6-1 to the over for Portland with a home game the following day, as is the case when it plays host Saturday night to Chicago. It may seem like the edge is on the over, as it’s hit four of the last five for Portland in this series and five of six for the Spurs, but it speaks more to the tempo. San Antonio is used to getting blown out and not playing “starters” deeper in games; it won’t be able to keep up with Portland, even at home.
It’s rather absurd that the Blazers are getting points, let alone the 3.5 on OddsShopper. Malcolm Brogdon is questionable, but they don’t need him to win this game. Take the points.
Best NBA Side Bet: Portland Trail Blazers+3.5 (-110 BetMGM)
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Best NBA Total Today Bet: Cavaliers-Bucks O/U 239
There are plenty of basketball reasons to take the under in tonight’s Cavaliers-Bucks game, but the biggest is OddsShopper. By shopping lines, we can routinely find soft spots in the market, be it bad lines or just books being late to adjust. Right now, the total of this game sits anywhere from 237.5 to 239, depending on the book and bet — over or under. The 1.5 points may not seem like much, but it’s a fair representation of lack of uniformity in the market. By going under 239, we get that 1.5 points advantage, which only comes from shopping this line.
The Cavaliers will most likely face Giannis Antetokounmpo, but he’s dealing with back spasms, at the very least limiting his performance. He’s a monster, so that could still be a great game for most, but his back has him as probable tonight. While Cleveland’s defense has been its main source of fuel, it did get bounced by 10 on Wednesday in Milwaukee by these same Bucks. The Bucks rode a massive high coming into that game, removing whatever issues they had with their former coach, something that can’t rely on moving forward — especially against the same team.
The Cavs are tough to beat two games in a row, even with them on the road. They hold the third-best scoring defense in the NBA and make it incredibly difficult for anyone in the frontcourt. We expect the tempo to favor the Cavaliers, holding this total under 239.
Best NBA Total Bet: Under 239 (-110 at DraftKings)
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