 Friday's Best Bets
Charlotte at Toronto (-10 ˝, 204)
Toronto must be fired up going into this game. They desperately need a win to help them come out on top of a three-way tie for fifth spot in the East. The difference between fifth and seventh place would mean playing the Cleveland Cavaliers (42-34) rather than the Detroit Pistons (53-21) in the first round of the playoffs.
The other motivating factor for Toronto is that they are still one win away from clinching a playoff spot after an apparent win on Wednesday night in Atlanta was taken away by a time-keeping error. T.J. Ford’s last-second, game-winning basket didn’t count and the Raptors lost in overtime. Players, coaches and executives were all irate after that game, and you can expect that energy to carry over into tonight’s game at the Air Canada Centre where the Raptors have won and covered in four of the last five visits from the Bobcats.
Pick: Raptors
Dallas at Los Angeles Lakers (-6, 207)
Here are two teams that just got their big men back from the infirmary and are coming off big wins as a result. L.A. took advantage of Pau Gasol’s return (and a Brandon Roy-less Portland Trailblazers) to take a 13-point victory. Gasol’s 32 minutes was more playing time than was expected from the 7-footer and he was able to contribute in all facets of the game with 10 points, six rebounds and seven assists.
For the Mavs, Dirk Nowitzki surprised everyone when he took the floor against Golden State Wednesday night after sitting out just four games with a high ankle sprain. Nowitzki helped Dallas take a 111-86 win as 5-point favorites, but unlike Gasol, Nowitzki didn’t look completely healthy. He said after the game, "I wasn't moving great out there. I was catching and shooting, or posting up and letting other guys do the work."
That kind of production probably won’t be enough against the Lakers tonight.
Pick: Lakers
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