The Daily Sweat: Welcome to a post-NBA trade deadline world
The day after the trade deadline can be a bit of a tricky road to navigate for NBA bettors.
There are 11 NBA games on the slate for Friday night. And with so many players on the move after Thursday afternoon’s deadline, it’s hard to know which players will be available for their new teams and which teams will be shorthanded.
For example, the Phoenix Suns will be without their third- and fourth-leading scorers (Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson) after they were moved in a blockbuster deal for Kevin Durant. Durant, who has been nursing a knee injury, won’t be back until after the all-star break, leaving Phoenix without a bit of a scoring punch for the time being.
With those absences, the Suns are 1.5-point underdogs on the road against an Indiana Pacers team that has lost 13 of 15. Could that be a spot to back Indiana?
Elsewhere, will new acquisitions Bones Hyland, Eric Gordon and Mason Plumlee be ready to suit up for the Los Angeles Clippers at home vs. the Milwaukee Bucks? What about the Minnesota Timberwolves? They added both Mike Conley and Nickeil Walker-Alexander via trade, but it’s unclear whether they will be ready to suit up on Friday night in Memphis vs. the Grizzlies.
With all that said, make sure you know who’s available before you invest too much into these games. There could be some significant line movement as more information comes in leading up to tipoff.
What are the best games on the NBA schedule?
It’s a busy night in the NBA with a few intriguing matchups.
Could we see the debut of the Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic pairing? The Dallas Mavericks acquired Irving in a trade earlier this week, and he helped Dallas beat the Clippers 110-104 on Wednesday night in Los Angeles. Doncic missed that game (and the previous two) with a heel injury, but is listed as questionable for Friday night’s game at the Sacramento Kings. As of Friday morning, the Kings are favored by 1.5 points at BetMGM.
Elsewhere, the Cleveland Cavaliers are 2.5-point road favorites vs. the New Orleans Pelicans at BetMGM. The Cavs have won four straight and are sitting in fourth place in the East. The Pelicans entered the month of February on a brutal losing streak but have since won three in a row. The Pels are 17-12 ATS as a home team this season, including a 6-3 ATS mark as a home underdog.
In the East, the Philadelphia 76ers will host the New York Knicks and are favored by 5.5 points at BetMGM. The Sixers lost back-to-back games, blowing a lead at Madison Square Garden on Sunday before falling to a shorthanded Boston team on Wednesday night. The Knicks have won three of four and are 18-9 ATS on the road, but this feels like a bounce-back spot for the Sixers.
Additionally, the streaking Milwaukee Bucks are 2.5-point underdogs against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Bucks, winners of nine straight, are in the second night of a back-to-back after beating the Lakers 115-106 on Thursday.
Light college hoops schedule
Like most Fridays, the college basketball schedule is pretty light. However, there is a big one in the Atlantic 10.
The A-10 has three teams — VCU, Saint Louis and Dayton — within one game of each other atop the conference standings. On Friday night, Dayton will host Saint Louis. The Flyers are coming off a big road win over VCU on Tuesday and are favored by 5.5 points at home.
Other than No. 13 Xavier’s trip to Butler (Xavier is favored by 6.5), every other college basketball game comes from low or mid-major conferences.
Super Bowl lookahead
We’re inching closer to Super Bowl 57 and the point spread hasn’t budged.
The Philadelphia Eagles are still 1.5-point favorites over the Kansas City Chiefs with the total sitting at 50.5. As of Friday morning, BetMGM reported that the Eagles have received 67% of the bets and 68% of the money on the spread.
Yahoo Sports’ Frank Schwab is 11-1 ATS so far in the NFL postseason. He went on the record with his Super Bowl pick on Thursday. Our entire staff has also offered their favorite game and player props. Yahoo Sportsbook’s Mark Drumheller also has offered his picks on the spread and total, as well as favorite MVP values and prop bets.
