NBA weekend best bets: Warriors in potential buy-low spot vs. Cavs
After hitting on both of our NBA picks Thursday, we're now 8-2 against the spread this week heading into Friday's slate. Here are our best bets for the weekend.
Spurs @ 76ers (-7, 219)
Jan. 7, 7 p.m. ET
Dejounte Murray hardly skipped a beat in his Wednesday return from a lengthy stint in the league's health and safety protocols. The do-it-all guard posted a near triple-double (22 points, 12 assists, nine rebounds) with three steals to key the Spurs' upset win over the Celtics as 7.5-point underdogs.
San Antonio finds itself in a similar spot Friday, which bodes well for those taking the points. The Spurs have covered 11 of their last 15 games when Murray is active, which includes 10 outright victories and a whopping eight wins straight up as underdogs.
The 76ers are riding their own five-game winning streak entering Friday, though they needed second-half rallies to escape the lowly Rockets and Magic in their previous two contests. That level of effort won't fly against San Antonio.
Pick: Spurs +7
Hawks @ Lakers (-2.5, 226)
Jan. 7, 10 p.m.
We've made a killing this year fading the Lakers, who own a 16-23 ATS record and are among the league's worst bets as favorites. Here we are again with Los Angeles favored against a Hawks team that ought to win outright.
Atlanta survived Wednesday's clash with the Kings despite missing superstar guard Trae Young, who is expected back for Friday's contest. So too are Hawks starters John Collins and Bogdan Bogdanovic and first-round pick Jalen Johnson, all of whom are joining the team in Los Angeles after clearing COVID-19 protocols.
The Hawks weren't exactly consistent even with those guys active, but they've been a better team this year than the Lakers on a per-possession basis and should provide an inspired effort in their first game with full reinforcements.
Pick: Hawks +2.5
Grizzlies @ Clippers (TBD)
Jan. 8, 3:30 p.m.
If you've been keeping up with our daily picks, you know how much we love the Grizzlies, who are a phenomenal 15-6 ATS / 17-4 SU since Nov. 28 with the NBA's best net rating (plus-13.4) and defensive rating (100.8) in that span. Both marks are nearly 3.0 points per 100 possessions better than any other team in that stretch, highlighting just how dominant Memphis has been.
This group looked the part in Thursday's 30-point win over the Pistons, which is somehow just the Grizzlies' fourth-biggest margin of victory this season. They went 3-0 ATS following their previous three wins of 30-plus, while the league as a whole is 8-4 ATS in that spot since the start of December.
All of that is to say this matchup doesn't bode well for the Clippers, who have dropped five of seven games since losing Paul George (elbow) for an extended period. This contest comes at the wrong time for L.A. and the right time for anyone riding the Memphis betting train.
Pick: Grizzlies (TBD)
Cavaliers @ Warriors (TBD)
Jan. 9, 8:30 p.m.
There haven't been too many opportunities this season to buy low on the Warriors, who own the NBA's second-best record (29-9) and top net rating (102.2) across the full year. That could change Sunday after a lousy stretch for this group and its superstar guard.
Golden State has dropped three straight games ATS, which coincides with Stephen Curry's shooting slump and subsequent quad injury that kept him out of Thursday's loss to the Pelicans. He and teammate Draymond Green (hip) should be back for Sunday's matchup, which could also mark the season debut of sharpshooter Klay Thompson (Achilles).
The Cavaliers were a formidable foe earlier in the year but have lost four of their last five ATS since losing point guard Ricky Rubio (knee) for the season. If the Warriors are at full strength for this one, it should be a comfortable win.
Pick: Warriors (TBD)
C Jackson Cowart is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on Twitter (@CJacksonCowart) or email him at cjackson.cowart@thescore.com.