The 2024-25 NBA regular season is winding down, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t great matchups to watch – and bet – on Friday night.
The top two teams in the Western Conference face off on Friday as the Houston Rockets play host to the Oklahoma City Thunder and MVP favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Also out West, there is a potential first-round playoff preview taking place between Steph Curry’s Golden State Warriors and Nikola Jokic’s Denver Nuggets.
While there are plenty of tanking teams that are just about impossible to bet on at this point in the season, there are still props – and sides – that I’ve found worth betting over the final stretch of the campaign.
Here’s where I’m leaning for Friday’s action.
Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Nikola Jokic OVER 27.5 Points (-120) –0.5 unit
Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic had a 61-point triple-double before sitting out Wednesday’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs, and I think he could be in line for a huge game tonight against the Golden State Warriors.
Jokic had dominated Golden State over the last few seasons, dropping 30 or more points in seven of his last 10 matchups against it. The Warriors haven’t beaten the Nuggets since the 2022 NBA Playoffs, and Jokic is a major reason why.
This season, Jokic is averaging 29.7 points per game, and he dropped 38 on Golden State in his lone matchup against it. I expect him to score at a high level again – especially if Jamal Murray (questionable) sits tonight.
Indiana Pacers -16 (-110) vs. Utah Jazz – 0.5 unit
The Indiana Pacers are one of the hottest teams in the NBA, winning eight of their last 10 games to move into the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference – just three games back of the New York Knicks for the No. 3 seed.
On Friday, Indiana is a massive favorite against a tanking Utah Jazz team that won’t have Jordan Clarkson, John Collins, Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler in action. Outside of a four-point loss to the tanking Charlotte Hornets, the Jazz have been blown out just about every night as of late:
It’s nearly impossible to trust this Utah team, as it ranks dead last in the NBA in net rating (-19.8) over its last 10 games. Meanwhile, the Pacers are seventh in the NBA in net rating over that stretch.
This is a no-brainer to bet the Pacers to win big on Friday night.
Josh Giddey UNDER 19.5 Points (-115) – 0.5 unit
Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey has been scoring the ball at a high rate as of late, but I think his points prop has risen a little too high on Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Giddey is averaging 14.3 points per game for the season, yet his prop is all the way up at 19.5 on Friday. He’s failed to score 20 points in three consecutive games.
Since the start of March, Giddey is averaging 20 points per game across 11 games, but he only has 14 games all season where he’s scored 20 or more points.
On top of that, Giddey isn’t a high-volume shooter, attempting just 14.3 shots per game in his 11 games since March 1. That isn’t enough usage for me to trust him to pick up 20 points on Friday.
Anthony Davis OVER 29.5 Points and Rebounds (-125) – 0.5 unit
Is Anthony Davis back?
The Dallas Mavericks big man went off on Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks, scoring 34 points and pulling down 15 rebounds in just under 30 minutes of action.
Davis has been on a minutes limit for Dallas – he’s questionable for tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers – but he’s getting all the touches he can handle. Since returning to action, AD has attempted 19 or more shots in three of his five games, including two games with 23 shots attempts.
This season, Davis is averaging 25.0 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. If he pushes 30 minutes once again, he should clear this prop for Dallas.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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