NBA Best Bets: Bulls Will Stampede Over Hornets

The Bulls and Hornets are likely both heading toward the NBA lottery this season compared to the playoffs, but there's still betting value to be had in this game.

It's a big Friday slate of NBA games to wager on this evening. The Lakers are in South Beach for the big matchup on the card. Miami has looked good this year but I'm not betting against the Lakers. There are four games on the slate with totals of 220 or better, but I won't be betting on any of them even though I do think they all go over the number. NBA totals have been very sharp the past few weeks, that's why I'm mainly wagering on sides. I have a pair of best bets for tonight's action.

Charlotte Hornets at Chicago Bulls: Bulls -6.5

The Hornets come into tonight's game riding a two-game winning streak, as victories over the Nets and Wizards have the Hornets flying high. The Bulls are coming off a 30-point victory over the fast-fading Hawks. Both these teams are under .500 on the season and are likely headed to the NBA lottery next spring. Tonight's game opened up with Chicago as as a 5.5-point home favorite. More than half of the public support in this game is backing the Hornets, people see that the Hornets have a couple of wins under their belt and want to back them on the road. At first glance, this looked like an opportunity to back the Hornets, but after further investigation, I remembered one of my sports betting philosophies: fade trendy underdogs. That's exactly the spot the Hornets are in tonight. When I checked on this line later on in the day I noticed that instead of the Hornets moving to +4.5, the spread actually went in the other direction to Bulls -6.5. This is the same sharp money reverse steam we saw yesterday with the 76ers and Celtics. It worked last night, so let's give it a shot again with Bulls -6.5.

Milwaukee Bucks at Memphis Grizzlies: Bucks -10

The big question on most people's minds when it comes to this game is will Giannis Antetokounmpo play for Milwaukee this evening. The reigning MVP is questionable with a quad injury. Memphis has injury issues of its own, as Ja Morant, Brandon Clarke and Grayson Allen are all expected to sit out for the Grizzlies. This game opened up with the Bucks as 11-point favorites, but the line moved down to 10 when people realized Giannis may be out this evening. The Grizzlies have a few impressive wins on the season, including their last game, which was a 7-point road victory over the Suns. I'm not concerned about Giannis missing this game—the Bucks just beat the Pelicans by 25 without Giannis earlier this week. Morant, on the other hand, drives the boat for Memphis. It's hard for the Grizz to get the offense going without their superstar rookie. Ten is a big number to lay on the road, but the Bucks do it all the time and should cover once again tonight. 

Season Record: 39-37