(The Spread) – While scouring the NBA point spreads for Friday night, two teams pop out to me as potential value picks for bettors.
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Both the Oklahoma City Thunder and Atlanta Hawks could be without key players for Friday night, as Kevin Durant is doubtful with a sprained left ankle and Josh Smith has a sprained right knee. But there’s still plenty of value in the Thunder.
Yes, they’ve struggled of late. Their win over the Pacers on Wednesday finally stopped a three-game losing streak against the Spurs, Magic and Lakers. But the Thunder are still only 4.5 games back of the Lakers in the Western Conference so their focus should remain sharp.
According to latest NBA trends, the Thunder are an impressive 7-0 against the spread in their last seven trips to Atlanta and 16-5 ATS in their last 21 meetings overall. Oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com list the Thunder at +3, but this team could win outright.
The other game that caught my eye was the Bobcats and Lakers matchup at 10:30PM ET. The Bobcats are 5-0 against the number in their last five trips to L.A. and they’re an impressive 11-1 ATS in their last 12 games against the Lakers.
Charlotte has been blown out in each of its last two games, while the Lakers have won five in a row. Thus, oddsmakers have inflated the point spread and at +12.5, the Bobcats offer some value.
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