After a quiet Thursday night in the pro basketball realm, things pick back up considerably on Friday, with eight NBA games donning the schedule. We made out okay with our NBA picks from last night, going a solid 3-1 in what was a pretty easy slate, if we’re being honest.
Things get a little trickier tonight, however, so let’s take a look at each matchup in Friday night’s NBA picks:
LeBron James and the Cavs head up to Canada on Friday night, where the Raptors await for a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Finals. Toronto does provide a tough test on paper, as they defend well and slow the pace of games, plus this game is on the road. Cleveland looked fantastic in their home debut earlier in the week, however, and don’t feel like a team about to drop to 1-1. Toronto should keep it close, but the Cavs should pull away and cover in the end.
Pick: Cavs 101, Raptors 97
The Brooklyn Nets host the Indiana Pacers at the Barclays Center tonight, as the Pacers aim for a 2-0 start and the Nets try to avoid an 0-2 hole. This one should be an easy call, as the Nets simply do not have that much talent and the Pacers added solid veterans in Jeff Teague and Thaddeus Young this past summer.
In fact, Young’s return to Brooklyn after being traded away is a huge narrative tonight, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him enjoy a nice game in a Pacers win. Indy could play around with the Nets early on, but they’re the far better team. Look for them to cover in this one and get to 2-0.
Pick: Pacers 106, Nets 98
Orlando was the same old team despite a new-look squad earlier this week, but they’ll try to turn things around in Detroit tonight against the Pistons. Both teams are 0-1 to start the year, but the clear advantage lies with the Pistons, who were fairy strong at home last year and look to be the superior club.
Orlando was atrocious on the road a year ago, so it will be very interesting to see how the Magic perform with their new additions away from home this season. Early on, the odds are likely they’ll struggle. Look for a big game out of Andre Drummond as the Pistons protect home base and get to 1-1.
Pick: Pistons 108, Magic 101
The Hornets and Heat gave us an epic playoff battle last year and during the regular season posted the exact same record. In the span of one summer, however, the Hornets got a little bit better and Miami regressed sharply. Dwyane Wade, Joe Johnson, Luol Deng and Chris Bosh aren’t in South Beach anymore and their absence puts a lot of pressure on a young Miami squad to improve a good amount rather quickly.
Miami might still be competitive behind Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside this year, but they aren’t the better team in this matchup. Look for the Hornets to prove that in a tight win.
Pick: Hornets 102, Heat 99
The Phoenix Suns certainly have talent and could matchup with the Thunder well when it comes to style, but they were terrible on the road a year ago and don’t promise to be competitive in this one. All eyes will continue to be on Russell Westbrook, who was a monster in OKC’s opening win over the Sixers.
We can expect more dominance out of Westbrook as he continues to get this OKC squad to play together. That being said, the Suns can still produce points and OKC let the Sixers of all teams hang around. Don’t be shocked if the Suns stick around and give the Thunder a go late.
Pick: Thunder 109, Suns 106
This is probably the most difficult game to gauge, as both of these teams can fill it up offensively, but tend to leave a lot to be desired on the other end. James Harden dazzled in his debut as Houston’s main point guard, but all of his offensive glory couldn’t save the Rockets from an 0-1 start by the hands of…the Lakers.
If Houston is going to do anything of merit this year, they need to get something going early. Dallas feels like a team more in transition, as they have some nice young pieces but still don’t see to know where everything goes. Dallas does tend to play well at home and they do have quality talent, but something tells me Harden will be the difference in an explosive shootout.
Pick: Rockets 112, Mavs 110
While the Rockets vs. Mavs game might be the toughest to predict, this has to be the easiest. Stephen Curry and co. can not be too pleased about losing at home to start the year, while the Pelicans clearly have nothing beyond Anthony Davis. The Brow went completely nuts two nights ago (50 points!), yet his team still lost to a mediocre Denver Nuggets team.
That’s not a good omen for the Pelicans, who shed some key players this summer and are still missing Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans. The Dubs should get it together for this one and it shouldn’t be close.
Pick: Warriors 114, Pelicans 97
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