To add some excitement to what otherwise could be a boring time in the NBA, the in-season tournament was created. I guess it was a success, at least that’s what a number of players and coaches are saying. But did anyone really notice or pay attention? I can say I didn’t and I don’t believe the tournament had an impact on NBA betting. But congratulations to the LA Lakers for winning the thing, which is kind of a big deal for a team hovering around the middle of the pack in the Western Conference. The NBA returns to its regularly scheduled games with eight of them on tap for Friday, Dec. 15, including the Lakers visiting San Antonio in the first of an ESPN doubleheader.
The game of the night takes place at the Garden when the Celtics host Orlando. Boston has a slim edge for the top seed in the East ahead of the Magic and Cavaliers and has a quirky schedule with four games against two opponents. Following consecutive games against Cleveland, Friday’s tilt is the first of two in a row between conference heavyweights. It hasn’t happened yet but the Suns are getting closer to having their big three together for the same game. There’s a chance their contest with the Knicks is it. Despite that the Suns went 13-10 putting them a half game out of the top six in the West.
Bet NBA Parlays at BookMaker.eu
NBA Schedule for Friday, December 15
New Orleans at Charlotte, 7 p.m. ET
Detroit at Philadelphia, 7 p.m. ET
Indiana at Washington, 7 p.m. ET
Orlando at Boston, 7:30 p.m. ET
Atlanta at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. ET
LA Lakers at San Antonio, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Houston at Memphis, 8 p.m. ET
New York at Phoenix, 10 p.m. ET (ESPN)
NBA Parlay Picks for Friday, December 15, 2023
Detroit ATS
Indiana / Washington OVER
Orlando ATS
Bet $100 to win $609
My NBA parlay for Monday didn’t go so well so hopefully I’ll have better luck with a return to Friday’s schedule. I backed Atlanta and the LA Clippers against the line and both failed me. The Clips won but failed to cover against Portland. The Hawks had a chance against the Nuggets but folded in the third quarter and couldn’t catch up losing 129-122 as a 3.5-point dog. I’ve had success on the total this season with another OVER winner in Indiana’s 131-123 win over Detroit.
It’s been a painful season for the Pistons, who saw their losing streak reach 20 in Monday’s loss to Indiana. They’re also 0-3 ATS in their last three and have only two payouts in their last eight games. Something has to give since you can’t lose them all, can you? The Sixers have a way of playing down to their opponent and they failed to cover the 8.5-point line in an earlier won over the Pistons. Given their record and this being a road game, the Pistons will be getting a lot of points, and the run of misfortune has to end sometime. I’m not backing an upset just for Detroit to stay within the huge point spread.
Both teams have hit the OVER at an alarmingly high rate with the Pacers leading the way thanks to the highest scoring offense in the NBA. You expect them to slow down at some point and it just hasn’t happened. Indy tallied at least 122 points in seven of eight games before getting silenced 123-109 by the Lakers in the IST championship. They resumed a few nights later dropping 131 on the Pistons. Tyrese Haliburton has blossomed into a star shooting 52.1 percent and averaging 26.3 points. Indy leads the NBA in scoring and field goal percentage while boasting one of the worst defenses in the league. That combo has allowed Indy to cash the OVER in 77.3 percent of its games.
I mentioned this game above with the Celtics in a strange situation in terms of their schedule. They are at home but playing the second of a back-to-back and their third game in four days. Meanwhile the Magic had a few days to rest before their mini-stay in Beantown. The teams played last month with Orlando earning a 113-96 payout victory helping their second-best cover percentage in the NBA.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
Check out the latest odds at BookMaker
