Lights. Camera. Action. 🎥
Hollywood heads east on Friday when the Los Angeles Lakers kick off ESPN’s Friday night doubleheader against the Milwaukee Bucks. They may not have lived up to expectations early in the year, but there’s a reason why we movies don’t end after the first act. A clash of titans between LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo is still appointment viewing. The nightcap features the Chicago Bulls and Golden State Warriors in a battle of heavyweight offenses. 🥊
The only thing missing is some extra #NBAbetting action. DraftKings is offering us a chance to spice up our night, as well as a promotion for BetBasics users: BET $5 GET $150 IN BONUS BETS.
Lakers @ Bucks
We start our night in Milwaukee, where a struggling Lakers team meets a title contender on their home floor. To their credit, things are starting to look up. They are healthier and beginning to gel, winning six of their last eight. Having completed an “easier” portion of their schedule, it will be on James and Anthony Davis to carry that momentum into December.
Antetokounmpo and friends, however, won’t look to make it easy. Milwaukee is among the league’s elite, sporting a 15-5 record through the first quarter of the season. Now, they get Kris Middleton, one of the league’s best second stars, back. His return makes things even easier for the Greek Freak–because the guy averaging 31/11/5 definitely needed that. 🙄
At -8, I still like the Bucks to “cover,” a term you can learn more about in the Basic Tips section at the bottom of this piece. Milwaukee is an elite team that just got stronger, and Middleton’s impact won’t be decided by an instant ability to shoot. Plus, the Bucks are 9-4 against the spread as home favorites, compared to Los Angeles’ 1-6 record as away ‘dogs. There’s some market correction at play with the latter, but until the Lakers can prove their mid-season progress is legit, I’m comfortable betting against them.
With -110 odds, you’d need to place a $110 wager to win $100.
Bulls @ Warriors
Like their Southern California counterparts, it’s been a strange start to the season for the reigning champs. They have the most shocking home/road split in basketball, and are luckily on the right side of it on Friday. The Warriors host a 9-12 Bulls team that is quickly finding itself struggling to tread water.
To their credit, Chicago has played their best basketball against the top teams in the Eastern Conference. It begs the question, is playing up to their competition possible when the preseason favorites are .500?
Additionally, neither team has looked great against non-conference opponents. With shaky resumes and consistent inconsistencies, give me the more talented team to win.
I like Golden State at -300; more so when combined with the aforementioned Milwaukee game. Pick the Warriors to win and the Bucks to cover for a quick little +154 parlay. Consider kickstarting the weekend betting on basketball and trusting the favorites to come through. 🏀
BASIC TIPS
The term “cover” is used when describing how a team wins an Against the Spread (ATS) bet. The favorite in these bets is designated with a (-) and must win by at least the amount of points provided. In this case, the Bucks must win by more than eight. On the other hand, the underdog is designated with a (+). If the underdog wins the game or loses by less than the specified amount, they will have covered, and if you had bet on them, won you money.