Friday has 2 games on the NBA slate as the third week of April 2026 winds down. It’s the second round of the NBA Play-In Tournament. The first game will start at 7:30 PM ET, and the second contest will tip off at 10:00 PM ET. Both games are on Amazon Prime Video.
Can the Magic cover the 3.5 points as home underdogs against the Hornets? Can a scrappy Warriors team cover the 3.5-point spread as road underdogs in Phoenix against the Suns on Friday?
I’ll make picks for both contests below. Read on for our Friday NBA Best Bets April 17 article.
NBA Best Bet: Charlotte Hornets -3.5 over Orlando Magic
The Charlotte Hornets are primed to cover the 3.5-point spread as road favorites against the Orlando Magic on Friday night. They should do this by exploiting Orlando’s perimeter defense. The Hornets have several statistical trends on their side.
Charlotte is 50-33 ATS overall this season, which is the best mark in the NBA. Their consistency makes them a reliable bet, as the Hornets are 26-18 ATS after a win and 23-15 ATS as a favorite in 2025-26.
The Hornets also excel away from home, sitting at 24-17 ATS as the road team, while dominating the East with a 31-22 ATS record in conference games this season. Charlotte’s superior shot creation should be enough to secure the outright win and cover.
If you’d like to check the odds on this game or any other upcoming NBA playoff game, you can click through to our NBA betting odds page.
Final score projection: CHARLOTTE HORNETS 114, ORLANDO MAGIC 108
NBA Best Bet: Golden State Warriors +3.5 over Phoenix Suns
The Golden State Warriors are well-positioned to cover the 3.5-point spread as road underdogs against the Phoenix Suns on Friday night. The Warriors should be able to use their elite perimeter shooting to keep the game tightly contested throughout.
Golden State has proven resilient in these spots, going 50-44-1 ATS as an underdog since the start of the 2023 season. Furthermore, they are 30-25-3 ATS when playing with the rest disadvantage since the beginning of the 2023 season, showing their ability to perform under tough scheduling constraints.
History is also on their side, as the Warriors are 6-3 straight up in their last 9 games against the Suns. Expect a fiercely competitive matchup down to the wire.
If you’d like to see whether the public likes Golden State +3.5, you can head over to our NBA public betting chart page. It will present all the available public betting data for every upcoming NBA postseason game.
Final score projection: GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS 111, PHOENIX SUNS 109.
Friday NBA Best Bets April 17
- Charlotte Hornets -3.5
- Golden State Warriors +3.5
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