The NBA kicks off November with a nine-game slate on Friday night, including the league’s last two undefeated teams, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Cleveland Cavaliers, in action (not against each other). And I’m zeroing in on one of those teams for one of my plays for tonight. Here is your NBA Predictions & Preview For Friday, November 1st
NBA Predictions & Preview For Friday, November 1st
Orlando Magic vs Cleveland Cavaliers
Start Time – 7:00 PM EST
The Cleveland Cavaliers are cooking under new coach Kenny Atkinson, welcoming him to the team by winning all five of their games this season thus far. And the NBA gods are smiling on them tonight, as the Orlando Magic enter Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse minus their star player, Paolo Banchero.
The third-year forward has a torn right oblique (which sounds horrible) and will be out of action for four to six weeks. This is devastating for a team that struggled to score even with Banchero. Based on Basketball Reference’s Simple Rating System (and the 3-5 points home-court advantage is worth in the NBA), the Cavs should be expected to win this game by 22 points. Needless to say, I like them on the spread we’re getting.
Best Bet: Cleveland -6.5 (-115)
Boston Celtics vs Charlotte Hornets
Start Time – 7:00 PM EST
The defending champion Boston Celtics got knocked out of the realm of the undefeated by the Indiana Pacers, but they should enjoy a nice bounce-back weekend with two games against the Charlotte Hornets.
But I’m not taking Boston on the moneyline or spread for this game. Instead, I like the total we’re getting on it. Boston is the top-scoring team in the league, pouring in 125.8 points per contest. Meanwhile, not surprisingly, Charlotte has a porous defense. This game should get into the high 230s.
Best Bet: Celtics/Hornets Over 232 (-115)
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