The NBA regular season rolls on with nine games scheduled for Friday, March 13 (AEDT). The first games tip off at 10:10am and we will be covering a couple of heavy-hitting matchups with the Nuggets at Spurs followed by the Celtics at Thunder. We bring you our best bets for the day below!
NBA Betting Tips: Friday, March 13th 2026
Chicago Bulls at Los Angeles Lakers (1:40pm AEDT)
A struggling Chicago Bulls (27-38) squad makes the trek to California to battle the Los Angeles Lakers (40-25). It’s a tale of two stories for these franchises with the Bulls finally blowing up the team, trading away most of their big names to start a rebuild, while the Lakers are having one final run with the greatest player of the modern era, LeBron James, in what could be his final season. LeBron is listed as questionable, Marcus Smart is doubtful, and Jaxson Hayes is likely to play.
The Bulls have a massive injury list with key players Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis both listed as probable. That is a big help to the Bulls as both players missing could have spelt a one-sided demolition. That could very well be on the cards as the Lakers are riding a three-game winning streak with victories over the Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers. All three were by double digits which is what I am predicting happens against the Bulls.
Chicago ranks 22nd in defensive rating while the Lakers are ninth offensively, led by Luka Doncic averaging 32.5 points per game. Austin Reaves returned to form against the Wolves, scoring 31 points. Reaves has scored more than 20 points in his last four games against the Bulls and he will be aggressive given the defenders opposing him. Should be a blowout win for the Lakers.
Lakers -10.5
$1.88 (2 Units)
Denver Nuggets at San Antonio Spurs (12:10pm AEDT)
Two of the best centers in the NBA will hopefully clash with Nikola Jokic from the Denver Nuggets (39-26) and Victor Wembanyama (48-17). Jokic is averaging 28.9 points, 12.5 rebounds and 10.3 assists per game, while Wemby averages 24.2 points, 11.1 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per contest.
The Nuggets are hosting the Houston Rockets prior to their game against the Spurs, so we need to monitor any injury news from that game. The Spurs come off a 125-116 victory over the Boston Celtics on the back of Wemby dropping 39 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks. He is questionable for the game against the Nuggets, and if he misses, then I wouldn’t be taking the Spurs line.
Jamal Murray is probable to play against the Rockets, so check to see if he plays and gets through the game. If he does, I like the Nuggets chances of covering as underdogs. They also play well in back-to-back games, with a 9-5 record this season.
Nuggets +5.0
$1.90 (1.5 Units)
Boston Celtics at Oklahoma City Thunder (12:40pm AEDT)
The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder (51-15) are all smiles with a winning streak of six, sitting atop the Western Conference standings. They take on the second seed in the East, as the Boston Celtics (43-22) come to town.
Starting with injury news, Nikola Vucevic is out for the Celtics. Jayson Tatum and Derrick White are both questionable for the game, which is a huge concern for the visiting Celtics. For the Thunder, Jalen Williams remains out, as does big man Isaiah Hartenstein. The Thunder are 27-6 at home this season, while the Celtics are 22-12 on the road.
If both Tatum and White miss, the Thunder are going to prove very hard to beat. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will do SGA things, dominating offensively for fun. With two offensive threats potentially on the sidelines, the Thunder’s elite defensive squad will find it easier to slow the scoring down – they can throw more double teams at Jaylen Brown if needed, and they already rotate well with cohesion as a team. This is an elite defensive team playing against a team that ranks 21st in points per game. With scoring likely to dry up for stretches, the Thunder can cover the -6.5 line.
Thunder -6.5
$1.92 (1.5 Units)
