NBA Odds, Best Bets and Expert Tips | March 20

I’ve got three NBA betting picks for Friday NZT, all tipping off around midday. I’m confident about San Antonio at home, and I like what Charlotte are doing in front of their crowd. Then there’s a Detroit spread on NZ betting sites that comes down to whether Cade Cunningham’s back holds up or not - a punt I’m happy to take.

Spurs -8.5 | $1.90 @ Betandplay

Victor Wembanyama had 18 points and eight rebounds in Wednesday’s 132-104 demolition of Sacramento - spending most of the fourth quarter on the bench because the Spurs were up by 41 in the third. San Antonio are 51-18 and have won eight of their last nine.

Phoenix are missing Dillon Brooks (fractured hand), Mark Williams (foot stress reaction) and potentially Grayson Allen (knee soreness). Devin Booker dropped 40 against Boston on Monday and Jalen Green had 20-plus in six straight before going cold against the Wolves on Wednesday. 

The Suns have lost three in a row and I don’t see them matching San Antonio’s depth without Brooks on the perimeter. $1.90 at home feels right.

Hornets -2.5 | $1.85 @ VipLuck

I’ll admit this one gave me pause. Orlando are 38-30 and have lost two straight after Atlanta snapped their seven-game winning streak on Monday. Paolo Banchero scored 32 against OKC on Wednesday and has been in great form since the break. But Franz Wagner is still out with an ankle issue, and travelling to Charlotte without your best wing is a problem.

Charlotte just put 136 on Miami, scoring 77 in the second half. LaMelo Ball had 30 and 13 assists. Kon Knueppel added 22 and Coby White chipped in 24 from the bench. I’m backing the Hornets at home on betting apps in NZ where $1.85 is available. 

Ball in this form at Spectrum Center, with 16 sellouts behind him, is hard to go against.

Pistons -12.5 | $1.95 @ Betista

Cade Cunningham is out. What initially looked like back spasms after his collision with Tre Johnson on Wednesday turned out worse - an MRI revealed right knee inflammation and he’ll be re-evaluated in one to two weeks. That’s the Piston’s MVP candidate gone.

Yet Detroit won without him on Wednesday, 130-117. Jalen Duren posted a career-high 36 points on 13-of-17 shooting with 12 boards, and he’ll have to do a lot of work in this one as well, given Isaiah Stewart is also out with a calf strain. 

But Washington are 16-52, losers of 13 straight, and their defence has leaked more than 120 a game recently. I’d still back the Pistons on free bets at $1.95 - this is a rematch in the same building two days later against a team with nothing to play for.