O'Sullivan's Friday NBA Picks: Knicks at Hornets, Pistons at Cavaliers, Devin Booker & Ja Morant parlay, more
Seattle O’Sullivan 2021-2022 NBA Season so far: 50-60-2, -$233.79
(Standing Caveat: The universe is chaotic. Life is unpredictable. Things happen. Like injuries, for instance. In following Seattle O’Sullivan’s betting advice, be advised that you should always monitor your bets during the day to make certain unforeseen things have not occurred which might change your wagering opinion. Thank you.)
New York Knicks at Charlotte Hornets, 7 pm Eastern
The Pick: Charlotte +102, bet $7.70 to win $7.85; over 223 (-112), bet $3.85 to win $3.47
The other day I wrote that Charlotte was looking forward to getting home. Well, they’re back home. New York might be a better team right now, but Charlotte certainly won't be afraid of them; the Hornets are 7-3 against the Knicks in the last ten matchups. Charlotte continues to score at a high rate, 114.5 (2nd in the NBA), and they allow teams to score at a high rate. Despite Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau’s reputation as a defensive guru, New York isn’t much better right now, allowing 109.6 ppg. I like Charlotte in a tight, high-scoring affair.
Player Prop Parlay: Mason Plumlee under 7.5 points w/under 8.5 rebounds +168, bet $2 to win $3.38
Back to the “Plumlee Well.” His averages for points and rebounds are both under the numbers here, so +168 is a nice value.
Detroit Pistons at Cleveland Cavaliers, 7:30 pm Eastern
The Pick: Cleveland -5 (-110), bet $7.70 to win $7
Cleveland has started off the season a surprising 7-5, and an even more surprising 9-3 against the spread (5-0 ATS in their last five). Ironically, though, this is the first game of 2021-2022 where the Cavaliers are the favorites going into the game. In other words, it’s their first opportunity to “take care of business” when they’re supposed to. I think they will. Detroit’s only scoring 96.6 points per game, the worst in the league. I never thought I’d type the following, but the Pistons miss forward Kelly Olynyk, who is out with a knee injury. Cleveland has injury issues of its own, but they’re a team on the rise.
Player Prop Parlay: Devin Booker and Ja Morant both score 20+ points -138, bet $3.85 to win $2.80
Two rising superstars face each other with a chance to prove who’s the heir apparent to the NBA’s most dynamic scorer. The game’s a coin flip to me, but I’ll put a little money on a shootout with both young talents having big games.