Fourteen games will make up Friday’s jam-packed NBA slate. Tip-off times will range between 7 and 10 p.m. ET ahead of the weekend, and sportsbooks are loaded with quality betting options. Are you looking to find an edge? We’ve got you covered with three strong plus-money plays here.
Jalen Duren over 12.5 rebounds (+102) Duren wasted no time cleaning the glass after returning from injury in December and recorded at least 13 rebounds in four straight games before totaling just 10 against the Utah Jazz his last time out. The Detroit Pistons are still missing Isaiah Stewart, so Duren will have to continue doing most of the dirty work down low. It’s no secret that the Golden State Warriors are undersized, so Duren shouldn’t have too much trouble reaching this total with his normal workload.
Anthony Edwards over 34.5 points + assists (+106) Edwards is riding a ridiculous scoring run in which he’s tallied at least 31 points and three assists in four straight games. The Minnesota Timberwolves wing is in for a tough matchup against the Houston Rockets, who have re-invented themselves on defense, with Ime Udoka coaching. Still, Edwards has scored at least 31 points in each of his last two matchups with the Rockets, and has scored at least 35 points in three of his previous four outings.
Tyler Herro over 5.5 rebounds (+108) Herro’s totaled at least six rebounds in seven consecutive games. The Miami Heat guard has especially thrived on the glass without Jimmy Butler and has gone over this total in six of his previous seven games. Herro has done a good job crashing the glass on offense and defense and trends suggest that he can keep his recent success up on Friday, even if the Phoenix Suns give up fewer rebounds to opposing teams than any other squad this season.
The regular season series between the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers concluded on Wednesday, but Malik Beasley has ensured that the feud between them will continue. During an interview with Chris Haynes on Friday, Beasley predicted a playoff showdown, which will “not be pretty” for the Pacers.
Beasley’s full comments:
“Their whole team to me is unorthodox. Even the way [Tyrese] Haliburton shoots, how he plays. He’s not your average point guard. He’s [6-foot-6] almost, at the point guard position, doing what he’s doing. Then you got guys like Buddy Hield. TJ McConnell, man, he comes in and kills the game. It’s honestly crazy how much of an impact he is.
“I think it comes down to, for us, how they got our number, there’s certain teams that just [have] your number. We’re still trying to figure that out because I know we’re gonna play them in the playoffs and, boy, it’s not gonna be pretty. It’s not gonna be pretty for them. This reminds me of Memphis-Minnesota, Lakers-Memphis, we played them four, five times a year, and then we played them in the playoffs. The way the league’s shaping up right now, I think we’re gonna play them in the playoffs at 2-7 or 1-8. So we’ll see.”
Because they met in the inaugural In-Season Tournament semifinals, the Bucks and Pacers played five times this season, all within a two-month span.
Along the way, they developed a budding rivalry, which started in earnest when Haliburton sent them home in the IST and did Damian Lillard’s signature “Dame Time” celebration, and escalated to a near-brawl over a missing basketball and handshakes on Dec. 13. When they faced off again on Jan. 1 and 3, the Pacers won both contests to improve to 4-1 against the Bucks this season.
Styles make fights as the old boxing saying goes, and the Pacers’ fast-paced, high-powered offense has caused all sorts of problems for the Bucks’ beleagured defense. It would be fun to see how the elevated stakes of the playoffs change the matchup, and as Beasley noted, there’s a decent chance they meet in the first round.
The Bucks, as the more talented and experienced team, would certainly be favorites in that scenario, regardless of what we’ve seen so far, which makes Beasley’s comments confusing. There’s absolutely no upside to making them. Either the Bucks win a series they’re supposed to, or the Pacers pull off the upset, and this interview gets dug up and you get dunked on social media relentlessly.
Former NBA All-Star Goran Dragic has revealed the impressive lineup of players participating in the two-day farewell event he’s hosting to celebrate his retirement in August. He built a lot of connections while playing for seven franchises during his 15-year career, and he made sure to include as many big-time former teammates and countrymen as he could. Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Luis Scola, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jimmy Butler are among the most notable names.
“I wanted to bring all the stars I played with,” Dragic told Sport Klub on Thursday.
The event will take place in Slovenia in August of 2024 and will include a game with the aforementioned names, according to reports out of his native country. Dragic additionally held a press conference on Jan. 4, where spoke along with Zoran Janković, the mayor of Ljubljana — Slovenia’s capital and Dragic’s hometown.
After turning pro at the age of 17, Dragic enjoyed a number of successful seasons in Slovenia and Spain before declaring for the NBA Draft. He was selected No. 45 overall in 2008 by the San Antonio Spurs, but was traded to the Suns a few days later for Malik Hairston, cash and a 2009 second-round draft pick.
He played sparingly in his first few seasons, but started to make a name for himself in the 2010 playoffs, when he helped the Suns reach the Western Conference finals. Even so, he was traded to the Houston Rockets at the 2011 deadline, though that turned out to be a short-lived partnership. When Dragic became a free agent in 2012, he re-signed with the Suns.
His second stint in Phoenix is when his career really started to take off. In 2014, he won Most Improved Player and made the first and only All-NBA appearance of his career — a 3rd Team selection — after averaging 20.9 points and 5.9 assists per game on 50.5% shooting from the field. The Suns missed the playoffs that season despite winning 48 games.
The next season, Dragic was once again on the move. This time, he was traded to the Miami Heat along with his brother, Zoran. In the summer of 2015, he cashed in on his success, signing a five-year, $90 million deal, which was the biggest contract of his career. With the Heat, he made his first and only All-Star appearance in 2018 and helped the team make the Finals during the 2020 bubble season. Unfortunately, he suffered a plantar fascia injury in Game 1 and missed four of the six games as the Heat were defeated by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Ahead of the 2021 season, Dragic was traded to the Toronto Raptors in the Kyle Lowry deal, which began his odyssey around the league. Over the next few seasons he suited up for the Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls and Bucks.
In addition to his NBA career, Dragic had plenty of success on the international stage. Most notably, he led Slovenia to its first ever EuroBasket title in 2017 and won MVP of the tournament.
Dragic finishes his career with averages of 13.3 points, three rebounds and 4.7 assists across 946 games played (530 starts)
The wheels seem to be falling off for the Golden State Warriors. On top of Draymond Green’s current indefinite suspension, which reportedly could be coming to an end fairly soon, Klay Thompson’s shooting struggles and blunt conversation with Steve Kerr, there are also some disgruntled young players on the roster.
Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga is reportedly losing faith in Kerr, per The Athletic. Kuminga reportedly feels as though Kerr won’t allow him to reach his full potential with the Warriors, creating a rift between him and the head coach. The situation came to a head after Golden State’s loss to the Nuggets Thursday night, where despite having another strong performance, Kuminga didn’t play at all in the fourth quarter.
“[Thursday night] was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” a source told The Athletic.
Kerr addressed the report on Friday prior to the team’s game against the Detroit Pistons.
“We talked,” Kerr said. “Obviously those things are better discussed behind the scenes. Any time something like that goes public it creates a distraction. It’s important for all of our guys — and I talked to our whole team about it — you got an issue? I’m here. I am the most accesible coach in the league probably. My door is always open.
“It’s a difficult situation because every player naturally has his own goals, his own dreams. Everybody wants to flourish, everybody wants to blossom. We have a lot of guys who are capable of playing and I have very difficult decisions to make each and every night. [Kuminga] is a young player, he’s growing, he’s getting better, that’s why he’s been in the starting lineup. He will continue to grow and this is all part of his growth.”
Kuminga, 21, had a super-efficient 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the floor, as well as four rebounds and assists apiece. When he checked out of the game with 5:48 left in the third quarter, the Warriors were down 85-84. By the start of the fourth quarter, the Warriors worked up a 13-point lead, but as the fourth quarter carried on that lead dwindled until Golden State eventually lost the game. But Kuminga wasn’t put back in the game to try and stop Denver from making a comeback.
When asked after the game the reasoning for the young forward not getting back in the game down the stretch, Kerr mentioned how Andrew Wiggins was also playing well, and that at one point it felt like Kuminga was sitting for too long to then put him back in the game late.
“He was playing great,” Kerr said. “His normal time to go back in would have been around the five-, six-minute mark [of the fourth]. [Wiggins] was playing great, we were rolling, were up 18, 19, whatever it was. So we just stayed with him. Then at that [later] point, it didn’t feel like the right thing to do. He had been sitting for a while, so I stayed with the group that was out there, and, obviously, we couldn’t close it out.”
This isn’t the first time Kuminga has been upset about how he’s being used, as he voiced some confusion after Golden State’s loss on Christmas to the Nuggets.
“Sometimes, I come out the game not knowing what I did,” Kuminga said. “And that messes with my head. It’s like, ‘What they want me to do?’ I can pass and I can do different s—.”
Kuminga has seen an increased role since he was inserted into the starting lineup for Green following his suspension in December, but his minutes have at times been inconsistent, like Thursday where he only saw 19 minutes of action. The same is true of Golden State’s Dec. 17 game against the Trail Blazers, where despite starting and having another efficient 5-of-7 night for 12 points with four rebounds and a steal, Kuminga played just under 19 minutes.
Kuminga has taken great strides in his third season with the Warriors, but it appears as though he wants an even larger role than he’s been given, or at least some consistency. He’s also not the only younger player on the team who wants more. Third-year guard Moses Moody is also reportedly “frustrated” with his role, as he’s registered three consecutive DNP-CD’s in the Warriors last three games, where they’ve gone 1-2.
With the lack of success as of late for the Warriors, who are now 16-18 on the season and sit 11th in the West, it sounds like there’s frustration all around the organization. We’ll have to see how these latest reports impact the team going forward, or if there’s perhaps a trade to be made to eliminate some of the logjam in the rotation as well as improving the roster, but for now it seems like Golden State is on a downward spiral.
The NBA trade deadline is nearly a month away on Feb. 8, so between now and then expect the rumor mill to churn as every team in the league tries to position itself to either compete for the postseason or prepare for the offseason with an eye toward the future. Already we saw one big deal go down, as the Raptors dealt OG Anunoby to the Knicks for a package that centered around RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley. While that was one big domino to fall, it was just the beginning of what could be a very active trade deadline.
With that being said, here’s a look at the latest rumors around the league as every team readies for Feb. 8:
Kings pull out of Siakam talks; Pacers, Pistons also in the mix For the longest time it had been the Hawks who were seen as the most aggressive suitors for Siakam, but that’s changed as of late. Atlanta is now viewed as sellers around the league, per Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer, as the focus of the team has shifted to regaining assets and gearing up for next season. That’s not a surprising move, as the Hawks gave up three first-round picks to get Murray and are 14-20 this season.
One team that had heavy interest in Siakam was the Kings, who were holding extensive talks with the Raptors until late on Friday night, when they decided to pull out, according to Shams Charania. It’s unclear why talks broke down, but Siakam’s pending free agency could have played a part.
Other teams still thought to be in the mix, per Fischer, are the Pacers and Pistons. Indiana has had known interest in Siakam, but Detroit’s inclusion is interesting. While the Pistons ended their historic 28-game losing streak, it is surprising that this team is interested in trying to add someone like Siakam instead of moving guys like Bojan Bogdanovic. But clearly Detroit isn’t interested in bottoming out — though they’re already there — and are more interested in adding veteran talent to surround the likes of Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and the rest of their young core.
Hawks are making Dejounte Murray available Just a year and a half after the blockbuster trade that landed Murray in Atlanta, the Hawks are reportedly making him “widely available” ahead of the trade deadline, per Fischer. The fit of Murray and Trae Young hasn’t been as successful as the Hawks had hoped, with the pair posting a minus-2.9 net rating when they share the floor. The Knicks have been listed as a potential suitor for Murray, though there are reportedly concerns about if he can coexist alongside Jalen Brunson. But even if it’s not the Knicks, Murray will surely have multiple suitors who are in search of a two-way, All-Star guard on a somewhat team-friendly contract.
Wizards will part with Kyle Kuzma for a high price The Wizards are once again rudderless, and as we approach the trade deadline they’re reportedly willing to part ways with Kuzma, but the asking price is high. The Wizards are seeking “multiple first-round picks for Kuzma,” per Fischer as they try to stack up their draft capital. It would be surprising if Kuzma netted more than one first-round pick, but he certainly could get the Wizards at least one. He’s averaging a career-high 22.8 points, while shooting the best of his career — 46.8% from the floor. Currently, there haven’t been any teams listed as possible suitors for Kuzma, who is owed $64.3 million over the next three years.
Zach LaVine’s trade market has cooled It remains to be seen if LaVine will be traded before the deadline, but right now the list of suitors isn’t exactly deep. The Lakers have been connected to the sharpshooting guard, but L.A., as well as several other teams around the league, are reluctant to take on the remaining $180 million on his contract, according to Fischer. LaVine’s injury history is also probably fueling the lack of suitors. Additionally is the fact that the Bulls just went 10-6 without him in the lineup as he sat out with a foot injury. LaVine is expected to return to the Bulls on Friday against the Hornets, so he can start to rebuild his trade value, but as it stands, it doesn’t look like any team is jumping at the chance of taking him on.
Kings open to trading Harrison Barnes, Kevin Huerter Sacramento is interested in landing Siakam, but there could be other moves on the horizon for the No. 5 team in the West. The Kings are making Barnes, Huerter and Davion Mitchell available in trade talks, as they look to make a deep run in the playoffs this season. Perhaps those players are used to land Siakam, but in previous reports Toronto covets marksman Keegan Murray. The Kings, however, aren’t interested in trading the young forward. There’s several teams that could use the veteran presence of Barnes, who is owed $37 million over the next two years. He’s a super efficient forward, who can be a positive presence in a young locker room, or a quality role player on a contending team. Huerter’s efficiency and production has taken a dive this season, and he was most recently moved to the bench in favor of Chris Duarte. Despite the shooting struggles, though, Huerter, in the right role, could be a valuable asset on a number of teams
On a night of blowouts across the NBA, the New York Knicks had the most impressive such result. They went into Philadelphia and destroyed the 76ers, 128-92, for their most lopsided win in over a full calendar year. In the process, they moved to 3-0 since acquiring OG Anunoby in a blockbuster trade late last month.
At the time of the deal, the Knicks had lost four of five games and decided to act before things got any worse. While everyone expected Anunoby to be on the move at some point, the Knicks got a jump on the rest of the league and pulled off the first blockbuster deal of the trade deadline season.
Whether they overpaid or not by giving up both RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley is still up for debate, but the upside of adding an elite perimeter defender while creating a better roster fit around Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle was too tantilizing to pass up. Anunoby is an elite 3-point shooter from the corner — 44.9% for the season — which is a big part of the Knicks’ offense. He also doesn’t need the ball in his hands and can guard the other team’s best offensive player. Meanwhile, the trade freed up more minutes for shooters such as Quentin Grimes and Miles McBride, the latter of which signed a three-year extension in the hours following the trade.
Their dominant performance against the Sixers was the most emphatic showing yet for this new group.
Neither Randle nor Anunoby could buy a bucket — they were a combined 4-of-22 from the field — and yet the Knicks still scored almost at will against the second-ranked defense in the league. That was thanks in large part to their 3-point attack, which was led by Grimes and McBride. The youngsters took advantage of their expanded roles to each hit four 3-pointers.
As a team, the Knicks went 18-of-41 from downtown in the win, with both the makes and attempts tied for their third-most in a game this season. Since the trade, they are making 39.8% of their 3s on 37.7 attempts per game, up from 37.5% on 34.4 attempts prior to the deal. That’s a small sample size, but the numbers are positive. With more spacing and better shooters on the floor, the Knicks should not only make more 3s, but open up more space for Brunson and Randle concurrently.
Defensively, they held the SIxers’ high-powered attack to its least-efficient outing of the season. Philly had a 92.0 offensive rating in this game; their previous low, including all the games Embiid has missed, was 100.0. Embiid was held in check, and as a team, the Sixers shot 40.9% from the field and turned it over 14 times.
Anunoby was a big part of that, as he spent most of the game chasing around Tyrese Maxey, but it was a true team effort all the way through. They were swarming to Embiid in the paint and closing out hard on the 3-point line. The Sixers had little answers once the Knicks shut off their transition game, which led to 16 points in the first quarter.
Since the trade, the Knicks have now beaten two of the top-five teams in the league (they beat the Timberwolves on New Year’s Day), boast the best defense in the league in that stretch and have a plus-19.1 net rating. There’s a long way to go, but the early evidence suggests that the Knicks have raised their ceiling with the bold move to get Anunoby.
