After a rough night on Thursday, we're attacking a loaded NBA slate that features the New York Knicks facing the Memphis Grizzlies and the Washington Wizards taking on the Los Angeles Lakers. We like what we see on the board tonight, so make sure you check out our best bets below.
1. New York Knicks at Memphis Grizzlies - 8:00 p.m. ET
The Knicks have won three games in a row on the road and were underdogs in all three of those contests. New York has also covered in each of its last four, and the team just seems to be finding that gear that made it a playoff team a year ago. The Knicks have held two of their last three opponents to under 40.0% shooting from the floor, and they have the second-best net rating in the league over their last four contests. The Grizzlies might be one of the Western Conference's elite teams, but this is a lot of points for them to have to win by against a red-hot Knicks squad. New York is 35-20 against the spread over the last two seasons, and the team is also 63-41 against the spread when playing teams that average at least 23.0 assists per game since the start of last year. Look for the Grizzlies to end up coming away with this win in the end, but don't expect the Knicks to go down without a fight.
THE PICK: Knicks +9.5
2. Utah Jazz at San Antonio Spurs - 8:30 p.m. ET
The Jazz are going to be without Bojan Bogdanovic tonight, which means they'll be hurting in the floor spacing department in this one. Meanwhile, the Spurs aren't nearly as bad as their record would suggest, as this is a talented basketball team. Dejounte Murray might not be the household name that Donovan Mitchell is, but San Antonio's young star could end up outperforming Utah's in this game. Meanwhile, Jakob Poeltl should be able to do a decent job in his matchup with Rudy Gobert in this one. And the Spurs arguably have more talent on the wing, where Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson could turn in strong performances in this game. The Spurs are also coming off of a blowout loss last game, and that has generally fueled this team in the past. Over the last two seasons, San Antonio is 24-13 against the spread when coming off a loss by 10 or more points. The Spurs have won those games by an average of 2.5 points per game.
THE PICK: Spurs +6.5
3. Washington Wizards at Los Angeles Lakers - 10:30 p.m. ET
It shouldn't be too hard to find reasons to fade the Lakers right now, as they're just playing like one of the worst teams in the league. Los Angeles has lost six of its last seven games and has only covered in two of those seven contests. Meanwhile, Washington is 5-4 against the spread in its last nine games and has a legitimate difference maker in the lineup now that Kristaps Porzingis is playing again. Porzingis' presence should be felt while Anthony Davis remains out for the Lakers. It should also be noted that the Wizards are 42-27 against the spread when facing teams that make 46.0% of their shots or better over the last two seasons. Meanwhile, Los Angeles is incredibly 12-23 against the spread when playing at home against teams with losing records over the last two years. They are having trouble getting up for games against mediocre teams, which is a bad trait considering they're also having trouble getting up for games against good ones.
THE PICK: Wizards +4
