Post-Trade Fiasco Friday Betting Parlay
NBA Three-Teamer Now the Dust has Settled
The dust is still settling as a busy NBA trade deadline rocked a handful of teams. Several notable players were moved around as NBA betting odds are already adjusting for the dozen teams that have made significant roster changes. In what is a busy Friday night schedule for the NBA, let’s book three teams for our NBA betting parlay who could benefit from this deadline.
Hornets Cool Down the Heat
The Heat (22-22) acquired Rockets guard Victor Oladipo and F Maurice Harkless though neither player will likely suit up against Charlotte (22-21). These two teams are trending in opposite directions with the Heat having lost four straight while Charlotte has won three.
Miami is also dealing with several short-term absences namely to G Goran Dragic (back) and G/F Jimmy Butler (illness). The Hornets lost their rookie star Lonzo Ball for the season, but they still lit up the Rockets.
Charlotte already edged Miami earlier in the season when they had a full lineup. The Hornets played more efficiently and won the turnover battle. But better yet, they outlasted the Heat who ran out of gas in overtime.
Overall, the Hornets are an effective three-point shooting team. They hit the seventh-most threes in the league at nearly 39 percent. Miami allows the most three-point attempts and have poor defense coming from its backcourt.
Charlotte can exploit Miami’s slower guards and hit them from the outside. I like for them to pull off this upset, especially if Butler won’t play.
Pick: Charlotte Hornets to win -110
Blazers Erase Short-handed Magic
I generally don’t enjoy betting chalk that’s favored by over a dozen points on the spread. But the Orlando Magic recently jettisoned its three best players and have a team of… G-Leaguers and bench players. And G/F Terrence Ross.
Orlando are 5-4 when underdogs by nine or more points, but that’s when they still had actual talent on their roster. Losing C Nikola Vucevic, G Evan Fournier, and F Aaron Gordon among others means that over 60 percent of their offense is gone. And this is a team that is already 27th in the NBA in the offense.
As for Portland, they came away as small winners by acquiring G/F Norman Powell. The sixth-best offense in the NBA gets even better. Powell may not suit up against Orlando, but Portland doesn’t need him to.
Expect Damian Lillard and the Blazers to light up whoever Orlando will put out. I caution on the points here if it keeps going up. You can still take Portland on the money line and throw them in the parlay as the Magic are not winning this game.
Pick: Portland Trail Blazers to cover -11 (-110)
Dallas Tears Down Indiana
The Mavericks and Pacers stayed mostly quiet during the deadline although Dallas did acquire sharpshooting veteran G JJ Redick and second-year big man Niccolo Melli from the Pelicans. Although neither might play here, Dallas is still much more potent than the Pacers.
The Pacers have alternated wins and loses lately. Their offense plateaued and their defense, which had at least been ranked in the upper half of the NBA, has dropped to 22nd in their last ten games.
The Mavs have also alternated wins and losses but they have picked up their play lately and are the hottest offensive team in the NBA averaging a league-leading 119.4 offensive rating with a defense that cracked the top ten.
Indiana is also only 4-12 in games decided by four to nine points and have only covered three of their last ten games. This is an inconsistent team that the explosive Mavs can beat comfortably on the betting lines.
Pick: Dallas Mavericks to cover -4½
Parlay: Hornets to win, Trail Blazers to cover -11, and Mavericks to cover -4½
