The NBA continues Friday, March 6, with nine games scheduled, as the first batch of games tip off around 11:10am AEDT. Some highlight matchups include the Pistons at Spurs and the Lakers at Nuggets. Check out our three best bets for Friday's NBA action below!
NBA Betting Tips: Friday, March 6th 2026
Dallas Mavericks at Orlando Magic (11:10am AEDT)
The Dallas Mavericks (21-40) head east to take on the Orlando Magic (32-28) and the road team could be shorthanded with star rookie Cooper Flagg questionable, while four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson is probable. At this stage of their respective careers, Flagg being more likely to miss again is a bigger blow to the struggling Mavs. The Magic won’t have Franz Wagner but they have grown accustomed to not having their key starter this season.
Both teams rank in the bottom third for points per game – they also struggle shooting the ball from deep. One area the Magic are better than the Mavs is committing fewer turnovers. The Magic are a slightly better defensive team too and if Flagg does miss, it makes defensive assignments a bit easier.
The Mavericks have lost their past four games and this is an uphill battle against the Magic who have Playoff aspirations. The line of -8.5 looks big, but I can envision the Magic blowing out the Mavs in front of their home crowd with Paolo Banchero likely to score big – he has dropped 35 and 36 points in recent matchups against Dallas.
Magic -8.5
$1.90 (2 Units)
Detroit Pistons at San Antonio Spurs (12:10pm AEDT)
A possible NBA Finals matchup as the Detroit Pistons (45-15) and San Antonio Spurs (44-17) collide. These two franchises fought out a seven-game series back in 2005 with Tim Duncan’s Spurs prevailing. It would be entertaining to see them fight out another Playoff series, but there’s a long way to go before we get there. Detroit is led by Cade Cunningham and the Spurs by Victor Wembanyama.
There is depth galore in this game, with both sides mostly healthy. Much like 2005, both sides here are elite defensive teams, ranking second and third respectively. The big discrepancy comes via steals with the Pistons snatching 10.6 per game to lead the league, while the Spurs average 7.8 (22nd). Detroit also leads the league in blocks with 6.4 per game and the Spurs are seventh with 5.4 per contest – Wemby accounts for 2.9 of those by himself!
This will be a terrific contest where most baskets will have to be earned, defying gritty defense. While the toughness edge probably lies with the Pistons due to the physical presence of Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart, the sheer brilliance of Wemby alone could turn the tide at home. I am siding with the Spurs at the -3.5 line.
Spurs -3.5
$1.90 (1.5 Units)
Los Angeles Lakers at Denver Nuggets (2:10pm AEDT)
The LA Lakers (37-24) and Denver Nuggets (38-24) could be on track to meet again in a Playoff series. The Nuggets often feel like a difficult team for the Lakers to play and this time around, they will have superstar player Nikola Jokic – he missed earlier in the year when the Lakers won 115-107. Besides Jokic, Jamal Murray often steps up and plays some of his best games against the Lakers. He has scored 28 and 26 at his past two against LA, and that’s ignoring the fact that he has hit some massive Playoff shots to sink the Lakers dreams.
Ignoring that personal pain, a healthy Nuggets squad is better than the Lakers. They will be without Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson though, which gives the Lakers a better chance. Denver will try and abuse LA’s defensive woes, the Lakers ranking tied for 21st with the Nuggets for defensive rating, but the Nuggets score the most points in the league. They average 120.5 points per game and if Jokic is firing on all cylinders, both aggressively scoring the ball, and dishing to teammates, then the Nuggets are going to prove hard to beat.
Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and LeBron James are going to have to do a lot of heavy lifting for the Lakers with Luke Kennard injecting some shooting off the bench. The Nuggets have more scoring threats with Tim Hardaway Jr., Cam Johnson (if he plays) and Christian Braun. Those players are more threatening offensively than Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton. For that reason, going with the Nuggets -4.5.
Nuggets -4.5
$1.90 (2 Units)
