The NBA regular season tips off in two weeks, but we have some NBA preseason picks for you involving Friday night’s action from the best NBA betting sites including the Toronto Raptors at Washinton Wizards, Philadelphia 76ers at Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings at Golden State Warriors, and Portland Trail Blazers at L.A. Clippers.
At this point, most teams have played at least two preseason games. If any veterans sat out the first two games, expect them to play in the third game.
Toronto Raptors (1-0) at Washington Wizards (0-2)
| Point Spread | Raptors -3 |
| Pick | Raptors -3 |
These two squads are made up of players that no one else wanted, or exiled in trades. The Wizards are expected to tank this season with a low-fi roster that includes Kyle Kuzma and a slew of inexperienced players. The Raptors should probably also tank, but they actually have a few decent players and new head coach Darko Rajakovic looks like he’s not backing down.
When these two teams met Sunday, the Raptors cruised to a 27-point victory. RJ Barrett led all scorers with 17 points in 14 minutes. Rookie guard Jamal Shead looked good with 10 points off the bench.
Rookie Alex Sarr has looked good for the Wizards at power forward this preseason. Sarr, the #2 pick in the NBA Draft from France, averages 13.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. Jordan Poole averages 13 points in 23 minutes of action, but he’s shooting only 25% from 3-point range.
The Raptors played only one game so far, but it looks like they’re actually trying. On the other hand, the Wizards are 0-2 in the preseason and lost both games by an average of 25 points.
NBA preseason picks are always difficult to gauge because you never know how many minutes the starters will play. However, in the Raptors/Wizards rematch it seems like the logical choice to back a team that’s trying to win versus a squad that has their eye on Cooper Flagg in next year’s NBA Draft.
Philadelphia 76ers (1-0) at Minnesota Timberwolves (1-0)
| Point Spread | Timberwolves -3 |
| Pick | Timberwolves -3 |
The 76ers had a scrimmage against the New Zealand Breakers, but none of the starters or key rotation players logged court time. The 76ers face their first legit preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Both Joel Embiid and Paul George are listed on the injury report, and neither are expected to play.
Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle did not suit up for the Timberwolves in their first preseason game. The T-Wolves have yet to see Randle in action since they acquired him in a trade to the Knicks for Karl-Anthony Towns. Meanwhile, third-year forward Josh Minot dropped 22 points for the T-Wolves, and former Iowa star Luke Garza added 20 points off the bench in their only game this preseason.
This matchup will take place on a neutral court in Des Moines, Iowa because the Minnesota Lynx advanced to the WNBA Finals. So, expect Garza to have a big game.
Sacramento Kings (0-1) at Golden State Warriors (2-0)
| Point Spread | Warriors -2 |
| Pick | Warriors -2 |
This is the second game in three nights between these two division rivals. The cheapest ticket is $73 on secondary sale website which is pretty crazy for a preseason game, but that’s how much fans love the Warriors.
The Warriors defeated the Kings the other night by 10 points. Steph Curry and Draymond Green only played 16 minutes, but they joined the projected starting five which includes Jonathan Kuminga, Kevon Looney, and Brad Podziemski. The second unit handled most of the heavy lifting. Buddy Hield dropped 22 points in 19 minutes against his former team, including 6-for-7 from 3-point range.
In the Kings’ first preseason game, DeMar DeRozan looked good and led his new team with 15 points in 15 minutes. DDR was perfect and did not miss. He knocked down all six of his shots, including two free throws. Mike Brown played his starters anywhere from 14-17 minutes in their first game. They should play closer to 20 minutes in the second game.
Detroit Pistons (1-1) at Phoenix Suns (2-0)
| Point Spread | Suns -3.5 |
| Pick | Suns -3.5 |
You can’t even give tickets away to this one. The lowest ticket is only $6. This is another rematch, and the Suns are favorites again. The Suns beat the Pistons by six points on Tuesday night.
The Suns hired Mike Budenholzer in the offseason, so you can expect a lethal offense this season much to the delight of their Big 3: Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. Durant appeared in both preseason games and did not sit out like he did in previous years. Beal is coming off a terrible season in which he was hampered by multiple injuries, but he looks healthy.
Suns rookie center Oso Ighodaro, a second-round draft pick from Marquette, is battling Bol Bol for a roster spot. Ighodaro logged a lot of court time so far this preseason. He averaged 9 points and 5.5 rebounds coming off the bench.
After several seasons at the bottom of the standings, could this finally be the year that the Pistons turn around their losing ways? The Pistons hired J.B. Bickerstaff after they fired Monty Williams after one disastrous season with just 14 wins.
Cade Cunningham, the former #1 pick in the draft, battled injuries and a losing culture since his arrival in the Big D. He struggled to find his shot in the first preseason game and looked awful against the Suns. He shot 1-for-6 from the floor and missed both of his 3-point attempts. Center Jalen Duren looked great against the Suns with a team-high 17 points. Point guard Jaden Ivey has been consistent and he averages 19 points in the preseason.
Portland Trail Blazers (0-0) at L.A. Clippers (1-1)
| Point Spread | Clippers -3 |
| Pick | Clippers -3 |
This game will be played on a neutral court in Seattle. The Trail Blazers have not played a preseason game, so it’s unknown if any starters will skip the game or how many minutes they’ll play.
One thing is for certain: the Trail Blazers are a hot mess. They have a lame duck head coach with Chauncey Billups, who will not get his contract renewed. The Blazers intend to tank this season for a shot at landing Cooper Flagg in the draft lottery.
The Blazers have some good veterans that will most likely get traded before the deadline, including Jerami Grant and Robert Williams III. They also have talented young players, but it’s unknown if they’ll be properly developed this season. This includes rookie Donovan Clingnan from UConn, Scoot Henderson, Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe, and Deni Avdija.
The Clippers have their own issues, but they’re excited to finally play in their own home arena after sharing the same venue as the Lakers. That’s an important identity issue that should have a positive long-term effect. But for now, the Clippers are trying to figure out how to approach this upcoming season.
Kawhi Leonard is injured… again. And the Clippers let Paul George walk in free agency. They’ll need James Harden to drop 35+ every night if they expect to compete in games, but will he be in proper game shape and fit to make that happen?
