NBA Daily Best Bets for Friday, March 6
Summary
The Miami Heat face the Charlotte Hornets, with the Hornets on a six-game winning streak highlighted by strong defense. Betting trends favor Charlotte against the spread, and the prediction is for the total score to stay under 230 points.
In other games, the New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets are predicted to have a high-scoring affair, going over 229.5 points. The Los Angeles Lakers are favored by 9 points against the struggling Indiana Pacers, while the San Antonio Spurs, led by Victor Wembanyama, are expected to cover a 7-point spread against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Miami Heat vs Charlotte Hornets 9:00 p.m. EST
| Spread | ML | Total | |
| Heat | +7 (-110) | +237 | O230 (-110) |
| Hornets | -7 (-110) | -290 | U230 (-110) |
Miami Heat (33-29)
The Heat have won two straight after Bam Adebayo led the way with23 points, nine rebounds, and six steals over the Nets 124-98. What’s interesting is that in the Heat’s last five victories, they’ve scored an average of 125 points per game. But Miami has scored an average of just 110 PPG in its last four losses. The Heat, who sit 8th, are just one game out of 6th in the East but 1.5 games out of 10th.
Charlotte Hornets (32-31)
The conversation around the Charlotte Hornets winning streak and betting trends is heating up as the team continues its surprising run. Charlotte is red-hot, winning six straight after a dominant 118–89 upset victory over the Celtics.
The Hornets are red-hot, winning six straight after a dominant upset 118-89 victory against the Celtics. Charlotte has now won six straight games by at least 15 points, a feat no team had accomplished since the 2017-18 Golden State Warriors. Rookie Kon Knueppel has averaged 20 PPG during this win streak, while LaMelo Bell has chipped in with 20.1 points and 7.2 assists.
Recent Betting Trends
Charlotte is 40-23 ATS this season, best in the NBA.
The Heat are 36-26 ATS, fourth best in the NBA.
The Hornets are 21-9 on the UNDER at home, best overall.
Miami is 16-16 on the totals this season.
Prediction
The Heat are the second-highest scoring team, averaging 119.9 PPG this season, while Charlotte has held opponents under 100 points in three straight games, including against Boston. The Hornets not only have played well, but they are also tightening things on defense. Expect the Hornets to slow down Miami in scoring, and the total just seems too big for this game. BEST BET: UNDER 230
New York Knicks vs Denver Nuggets 9:00 p.m. EST
| Spread | ML | Total | |
| Knicks | -1.5 (-110) | -125 | O239.5 (-110) |
| Nuggets | +1.5 (-110) | +105 | U239.5 (-110) |
New York Knicks (40-23)
The Knicks are coming off a close 103-100 loss to the Thunder, but prior to that, they had won five of the last six, including wins against the Spurs and Raptors. Karl-Anthony Towns has been a beast on the glass of late, averaging 14 rebounds in the last four games, while the entire starting lineup has hit double-digits in points in four straight games. The balanced attack is the key reason New York sits 3rd in the East.
Denver Nuggets (39-24)
The Nuggets play back-to-back after a 120-113 win vs the Lakers Thursday night. Who else but Nikola Jokic led the way with 28 points, 12 rebounds, and 13 assists? Jamal Murray chipped win with 28 points after scoring 45 on Monday vs Utah. In their lone meeting this season, the Nuggets lost 134-127 to the Knicks in February.
Recent Betting Trends
Denver is 10-3 on the OVER in back-to-back games.
The Nuggets are 35-28 ATS this season, 14-15 at home.
New York is 12-18 ATS on the road while going 35-29 ATS overall.
The Knicks have gone UNDER in six of the last seven games.
Prediction
This line opened with Denver as a slight 1.5 favorites but flipped rather quickly. The Knicks have had some rest and are now favored by 1.5 points. The last time meeting was a high-scoring affair, and this appears to be headed that way. Denver is the No. 1 team in the NBA, going 39-24 on the OVER. BEST BET: OVER 229.5
Indiana Pacers vs Los Angeles Lakers 10:30 p.m. EST
| Spread | ML | Total | |
| Pacers | +9 (-110) | +334 | O235.5 (-110) |
| Lakers | -9 (-110) | -425 | U235.5 (-110) |
Indiana Pacers (15-47)
The Pacers are tied for last in the Eastern Conference, have lost seven straight games, and are tied for a league-worst, with just five road victories. Indiana has lost the last four by an average of 22 points. Pascal Siakam is averaging 24 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.9 assists, while Micah Potter is averaging 2.2 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
Los Angeles Lakers (37-25)
LeBron James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record for career field goals Thursday night vs the Nuggets, but still lost 120-113. Luka Doncic, the NBA leading scorer, is averaging 32.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.6 assists for the Lakers, and James has been adding 18.0 points over the last 10 games.
Recent Betting Trends
The Lakers are 33-29 ATS this season, and 5-5 on back-to-back games.
L.A. is 32-30 on the OVER while going 18-12 at home, fourth best.
Indiana has gone OVER in seven of the last nine games.
The Pacers 28-34 ATS this season, and 11-19 ATS on the road.
Prediction
The Lakers are coming off a loss last night and are 5-5 in games with no rest. But they face a bad Pacers team who are vying for that coveted last overall spot, for the best lottery pick. Indiana has been losing badly recently, and that trend likely continues in Los Angeles. Doncic should have a big night vs a team that allows 120 points per game, 6th most in the NBA. BEST BET: Lakers -9
Los Angeles Clippers vs San Antonio Spurs 9:30 p.m. EST
| Spread | ML | Total | |
| Clippers | +7 (-110) | +230 | O223 (-110) |
| Spurs | -7 (-110) | -280 | U223 (-110) |
The Spurs are red hot, winning 9 of the last ten, while the Clippers have won three straight. The Spurs are the 7th-best defensively, allowing 111.4 points per game while forcing 13.6 turnovers per game. Victor Wembanyama has been a monster of late, as he scored 38 points, 16 rebounds, and had five blocks Thursday vs the Pistons. The Spurs are also 9-3 SU and ATS in back-to-back games. The Clippers are 18-14 ATS on the road and 33-28 overall. Still, San Antonio continues its run to challenge OKC for the top spot in the West and handle the visiting Clippers. BEST BET: Spurs -7
