The final NBA slate before All-Star weekend takes place on Friday where there are five games on the schedule. As always, we bring you previews and our best spread and player prop bets for the key games of the day right here!
NBA Betting Tips: Friday, 18th of February
Washington Wizards at Brooklyn Nets
Barclays Center, 11:30am AEDT
Looking to find some form to get themselves back in contention for a playoff spot, the Wizards will travel to Brooklyn for their second straight road game. The first game of their current trip ended in tears in Indiana as they went down to the Pacers by five points in a tightly fought clash. Disappointingly, the Wizards have now lost 10 of their last 13 games and have slipped to 11th in the East as a result.
Early signs from the Nets blockbuster trade with the 76ers are good ones as they’ve won each of their last two games despite being heavily undermanned. This mini two-game win streak came after they had lost 11 straight, which saw them slip from first in the West to eighth. Still, the Nets have plenty of upside this season as long as they can get a better run with health.
Neither team has tasted much success in recent weeks, but on the back of a couple of wins in a row, the Nets loom as the form team in this matchup. Moreover, they will have home court on their side, which they’ve already used to beat the Wizards on one occasion this season. We expect more of the same this time around and for the Nets to extend their winning streak to three.
Dallas Mavericks at New Orleans Pelicans
Smoothie King Center, 12pm AEDT
Flying under the radar with some really strong form in 2022, the Mavericks will look to continue their winning ways when they travel to New Orleans. Superstar Luka Doncic has been on an absolute tear of late, averaging 33.6/10.2/8.4 splits over his last five games, which has resulted in four wins and one narrow defeat. Due to their recent surge, the Mavericks have climbed to fifth in the West with a 34-24 record.
The Pelicans were one of many teams looking to shake things up at the trade deadline and they did just that by bringing in star guard CJ McCollum. The former Trail Blazer has been in terrific form since coming over to New Orleans, but it hasn’t necessarily impacted the win/loss columns as the coaching staff would’ve liked. The Pelicans have lost three of their last four games and are now five games back from the #8 seed in the West.
These teams met three times in the backend of 2021, with the Mavericks winning twice and the Pelicans once. Importantly, one of the Mavs wins came on the road in New Orleans when they belted the Pelicans by 32 points. While a fair bit has changed since then, the Mavs are still the far superior outfit and should be able to negotiate another rather comfortable win here.
Dallas Mavericks -2.5
$1.90
Philadelphia 76ers at Milwaukee Bucks
Fiserv Forum, 12:30pm AEDT
Hoping for an immediate bounce back after an utterly humiliating defeat last time out against the Celtics, the 76ers will travel to take on the defending NBA Champions. Their recent 48-point defeat at home was by far their worst performance of the season to date and was their fourth loss from their last seven games. As a result, the 76ers have dropped to fifth in the East with a 34-23 record.
The Bucks haven’t had as strong a regular season campaign as they have in recent additions, but they seem to be picking up their intensity a bit in 2022. 2x MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has been firing on all cylinders in recent outings and enter this slate averaging 33.8/10.8/6.2 splits across his last five games. His form has helped lift the Bucks into third spot in the East and just two games behind the Bulls in first.
The Bucks have absolutely had the wood over the 76ers in recent times, defeating them in each of their last six meetings. Moreover, the last time these teams faced off in Milwaukee the Bucks thumped the 76ers by 38 points. On top of that, the defending champions are the better form team of the two at the moment and should be far too good on their home deck.
Milwaukee Bucks -6.5
$1.89
Player Props
11am Heat at Hornets – LaMelo Ball 21+ Points $1.85 Sportsbet
12pm Mavericks at Pelicans – CJ McCollum 32+ PRA $1.95 TAB
12pm Mavericks at Pelicans – Jalen Brunson 18+ Points $1.95 TAB
12:30pm 76ers at Bucks – Giannis Antetokounmpo 30+ Points $1.85 Picklebet
12:30pm 76ers at Bucks – Giannis Antetokounmpo 11+ Rebounds $2.10 Picklebet
