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Our NBA picks were fairly spot-on last night, as we went a solid 3-1 (594-304 on the year) over a four-game slate. It was a mixed bag of NBA basketball, as James Harden dropped a career-high 50 points in a high-scoring affair between the Rockets and Nuggets. That was disgustingly the only game to have anyone top even 100 points, while three teams failed to top 75 points on what ended up being a sluggish night. Our lone missed ended up coming in the Pelicans/Suns game, as Anthony Davis ended up sitting out and the Suns took down the Pelicans by two points on their home floor.
Things pick up rather quickly on Friday night, as we jump from a slow night of four games to a ridiculous 12 games. Let’s not waste anymore time and dig into our NBA picks for Friday, 3/20/2015:
Trail Blazers @ Magic
Orlando continues to slide with six straight losses and they’ll likely be without both Evan Fournier and Tobias Harris tonight. They just don’t have enough on offense to take down a very god Blazers squad.
Pick: Blazers 106, Magic 99
Knicks @ 76ers
New York and Philly are battling out for last place in the East’s Atlantic division, while New York comes into tonight with a 2-0 series lead. They’ll be worn down after losing last night, though, so we’ll give the home team Sixers a shot at getting on the board in the season series.
Pick: Sixers 97, Knicks 96
Pacers @ Cavaliers
LeBron James might sit out tonight, but it may not matter against a Pacers team that has lost their way in the midst of a three-game skid. Even without James the Cavs should have enough offense via Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love to dispatch the pesky Pacers.
Pick: Cavs 104, Pacers 101
Nuggets @ Heat
The Heat are pushing back up toward .500 and will try to make it three wins in a row at home tonight against the Nuggets. Denver has dropped two straight and considering Miami has picked up the offensive pace lately, they don’t really have much of an edge.
Pick: Heat 103, Nuggets 100
Bucks @ Nets
Jason Kidd coaches against his former team for the third time as the Bucks will try to take a 3-0 season series lead. Milwaukee has the mental edge here and they need a break after losing their past four games.
Pick: Bucks 102, Nets 97
Raptors @ Bulls
Toronto is back on track with two straight wins, but they head into Chicago against a Bulls team that has had their number this year. Chicago could get a little healthier tonight with Taj Gibson potentially coming back, while Kyle Lowry is once again dinged up. Advantage: Chicago.
Pick: Bulls 104, Raptors 102
Hawks @ Thunder
Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka remain out and even Enes Kanter could be out tonight, as Russell Westbrook is truly going to be a one-man wrecking crew against the NBA’s second best team. Atlanta will want to get an ugly loss against the Warriors off their mind, too, so look for them to group together and get a nice road win.
Pick: Hawks 107, Thunder 104
Grizzlies @ Mavericks
Dallas is figuring things out during their solid three-game winning streak and tonight they get a chance to gain some ground on the Grizzlies, who are 3.5 games ahead of the Mavs and atop the West’s Southwest division. Dallas could use a big home win here, while Memphis could still be without Mike Conley.
Pick: Mavs 105, Grizzlies 102
Celtics @ Spurs
Boston has been hot over their last 10 games (7-3), but they’ll surely slow down tonight when they visit the Spurs, who have been even hotter (8-2) and are a stout 25-8 on their home floor.
Pick: Spurs 109, Celtics 104
Hornets @ Kings
DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay could both sit out tonight as the Kings host the defensive-minded Hornets. Charlotte has been a solid 6-4 over their last 10 outings and this is a good matchup to help them stop a two game skid.
Pick: Hornets 101, Kings 94
Pelicans @ Warriors
Anthony Davis should be questionable after sitting out last night with a bum ankle, while New Orleans already had a tall order in trying to win in Golden State. Only two teams have done that all season, so the Pellies might have to settle for just keeping it close.
Pick: Warriors 108, Pellies 102
Wizards @ Clippers
Blake Griffin is back but has struggled against the Wiz, who come in trying to earn a sixth straight win. The Clippers have been good at home and are finally close to full strength, so it’s tough to go against them tonight.
Pick: Clips 109, Wizards 104
