Friday NBA Picks: Thunder vs Hornets, Clippers vs 76ers, Heat vs Hawks, Pistons vs Jazz, Rockets vs Warriors

Seattle O’Sullivan 2021-2022 NBA Season so far: 111-139-3, -$433.69

(Standing Caveat: The universe is chaotic. Life is unpredictable. Things happen. Like injuries. And COVID protocols. 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.)

Oklahoma City Thunder at Charlotte Hornets, 7 pm Eastern

Los Angeles Clippers at Philadelphia 76ers, 7 pm Eastern

The Pick: Moneyline Parlay Charlotte w/Philadelphia -162, bet $16.20 to win $10

Charlotte hosts Oklahoma City, who’ve lost three in a row and are 2-8 in their last ten games. Interestingly, they’ve won five of their last six against Charlotte, which is why I think the Hornets won’t be messing around tonight. Charlotte’s 8-3 as a favorite this season, and 14-4 against the spread at home. But I’m not going to mess with the spread. I’ll pair Charlotte with Philadelphia, who faces a depleted Los Angeles team without Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and tonight, Nicolas Batum. The Sixers just got a 50 point explosion from Joel Embiid, and while I don’t think he’ll hang 50 tonight, he’s unstoppable right now. The spread is 8.5 which is a little too much for me, so pairing Philly with Charlotte gets a moneyline parlay at a reasonable price.

Miami Heat at Atlanta Hawks, 7:30 pm Eastern

The Pick: Miami +2 (-114), bet $11.40 to win $10; Miami +106, bet $5 to win $5.30

Miami travels to Atlanta tonight with an 11-4 record as an underdog this season, and a 15-10 record against the spread on the road. Both teams are dealing with major losses from injuries, but Heat star Jimmy Butler will be playing tonight, and I think he’s eager to prove that Hawk guard Trae Young hasn’t overtaken him. Atlanta’s injuries are deceptively detrimental: Bogdan Bogdanovic and Clint Capela are underrated cogs to the Hawks’ machine. The Heat have won six of their last seven, have covered seven of their last eight, and have beaten Atlanta seven of the last ten matchups. The Hawks have disappointed this year; they’ll continue to do so tonight.

Detroit Pistons at Utah Jazz, 9 pm Eastern

Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors, 10 pm Eastern

The Pick: Golden State -10.5 (-106), bet $26.50 to win $25;

Parlay Golden State -10.5 w/Utah -14.5, true price +274 bet $5 to win $13.71;

Teaser Golden State -5 w/Utah -9, -110, bet $11 to win $10

I’ll play a couple of exotics but base this bet on Golden State covering against a Houston squad that’s playing its fifth road game in ten days. The Rockets have lost 12 of their last 16 straight up and against the spread. Currently, Golden State is 3.5 games behind Phoenix for the top spot in the Western Conference, so I don’t imagine they’ll be messing around tonight. The Warriors are 27-8 as favorites and 25-18-2 against the spread. I’ll pair them with Utah, who’s now fourth in the Western Conference, falling behind Memphis. The Jazz have also lost three in a row at home, so I imagine they won’t be messing around tonight against Detroit. The Western Conference playoffs are going to be a bloodbath so seeding will be crucial. 14.5 is a big spread, and the Jazz are without Donovan Mitchell, so I’ll tease them with Golden State, but then put a taste on a parlay in the expectation that Utah comes out extra-focused.