Happy Friday, it’s a special day for the NBA, and the Fantasy Alarm NBA Best Bets are fresh off of a perfect performance, three of three. It is special for the NBA as there are eleven In-Season Tournament group games today. Six games in the Eastern Conference, two per group, and five in the Western Conference. The nationally televised games are on ESPN and feature the Sacramento Kings at San Antonio Spurs with a tip-off of 7:30 PM ET. 

The second game is the Phoenix Suns at Utah Jazz and begins at 10:00 PM ET. There are great games outside of ESPN as the Boston Celtics travel to Toronto to take on the tough Raptors. There is a prop bet in the Denver Nuggets at New Orleans Pelicans that will actually be teased up, and a huge discrepancy in a game of great curiosity featuring former teammates, and several Hall of Fame players at the latest tip-off time. Jalen Green and the Houston Rockets travel to Los Angeles to take on Kawai Leonard and the Clippers in a 10:30 PM ET matchup.

 

Bet of the Night

Aaron Gordon 8+ Rebounds (Alternate line) (+140 at DraftKings)

Although the game script will probably be different than a 20-point comeback for the Denver Nuggets against the New Orleans Pelicans, the game will still be a competitive one. As mentioned, all of today’s games are in-season tournament games, and Aaron Gordon was on national television, declaring, ‘The intensity is up… the In-Season Tournament is creating it.’ The Denver Nuggets are utilizing Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon as the bench players in the absence of Jamal Murray

Aaron Gordon’s one-two game with Nikola Jokic is the best since his arrival, and Gordon has played at least thirty-four minutes and twenty-four seconds in every game since J. Murray’s departure… There are only forty-eight minutes in a game. He is an elite baller, even by the NBA’s standards. He earned 12 rebounds when they played eleven days ago and went over this teased-up line five games in a row prior to the game against the Clippers Tuesday. 

The Pelicans allow the fourth most rebounds per game in the Association, with 56.5. Proposition betting lines will rarely be teased up, but Gordon to have one more rebound than the set line is too good to pass up.

Parlay of the Night

Boston Celtics & Sacramento Kings Money Line (-109 at DraftKings)
These two teams are on the road tonight but are still large favorites. They both begin at 7:40 PM ET and should have their superstars playing tonight. The Boston Celtics are 7.5 favorites over the Toronto Raptors in the international showdown, and the Sacramento Kings are 8.5 favorites against the San Antonio Spurs who have been struggling. 

Professional teams are more inclined to focus on one game at a time, but if the Celtics win this game they have an easy route to go undefeated in group East C. The Celtics are on top of several people’s power rankings and should win this game, they beat Toronto without some of their starters by 23 points on the eleventh. They should win this game relatively easily. 

The Sacramento Kings are in first place in the Pacific division and are undefeated in group play. They are an underdog to win the In-Season Tournament but they should win this game against the worst team in the league. This game is a marquee game tonight, and there could be plenty of live betting options. Domantas Sabonis should have a great game, and the Kings should win in the second-largest spread of the day. Trust the parlay with large spreads.

Straight Bet of the Night

Houston Rockets Money Line (+240 at BetMGM)

The Los Angeles Clippers are hosting the Houston Rockets tonight in the nightcap. The Clippers are seeking their first win with James Harden on their roster. The Houston Rockets are 6-3, and fourth in the Western Conference. They have beaten the Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Pelicans, and Los Angeles Lakers. They are severely disrespected on the money line and the Clippers are being overvalued. 

The Clippers may have the better roster and a championship head coach, but those days are in the past for almost all of them. The Rockets have a mix of youth and veterans and are playing excellent defense, allowing the third-fewest points per game in the NBA, 105.8 ppg. It is a perplexing money line, and this could be the game that the Clippers get it together, but the Rockets have had five days to prepare for this game. The Clippers are all but eliminated from the in-season tournament and the Rockets are undefeated in the group stage. The Houston Rockets are worth a wager. 

Remember to check out Fantasy Alarm for all your NBA fantasy needs. Basketball stats, rankings, DFS picks, tools to help your lineups, and of course the NBA DFS show with Jon and James.

 

Thank you for reading.
Bet Smart, Be Lucky - Iggy

*All Bets to be placed at 1 unit unless specified otherwise