The 2015-16 NBA preseason rolls on tonight, as we pick up the pieces of Thursday’s seven game slate with a calm three-game run on a fun Friday night. The regular season is what it’s all about, but there is still money to be made via NBA betting during October, and that can very much be the case if you use our straight up NBA picks.
We entered last night with a nice 7-1 record and that all went to hell on a rough 3-4 night. In our defense, the Cavs spares held a big lead over the Sixers for pretty much the entire game before caving late, while the Bulls simply never showed up in a lopsided loss to Denver. Still, below .500 is never good (or fun), and we’ll enter tonight’s quieter schedule at just 10-5.
That’s preseason basketball for you, though. It is highly volatile and tough to gauge, but there is still plenty to lean on usually in terms of logic and rotations. Let’s do it all again with tonight’s three games:
Jazz @ Suns
Utah has looked quite sharp thus far in preseason play, as Gordon Hayward looks ready to take his game to a whole new level and Rudy Gobert continues to dominate the paint defensively. Getting Derrick Favors back for this game could give the Jazz a nice boost, and if he’s in the lineup Utah could get to a nice 3-0 start. Phoenix is also off to a solid 1-0 start and are at home, but they’ll have to earn NBA bettors trust with some improved consistency first.
Pick: Jazz 93, Suns 90
Hawks @ Pelicans
Atlanta looked sharp in their preseason opener earlier in the week, as they down the Cavs in a close contest. Now they hit the road to take on Anthony Davis and the Pelicans, who will be at home and have plenty of fire power to contend with the Hawks. The Brow is to be feared anytime the Pellies are playing on their home floor, but injuries to some of their bigs could have New Orleans lacking the necessary depth to pull this one out to get to 2-0.
Pick: Hawks 106, Pelicans 102
Knicks @ Wizards
New York hits up D.C. for their first preseason game of the year, while the Wiz try to go to 2-0. From a talent perspective the Wizards easily take the cake here, while the Knicks still have health and chemistry issues. And they’re on the road. Overall, it doesn’t look great for the Knickerbockers tonight.
Pick: Wiz 109, Knicks 97