The NBA regular season is back in action with a total of nine matchups on the slate for Friday night. So, our staff of basketball betting experts dug into the latest odds and identified NBA picks for five of today's contests.
Continue below for our NBA best bets and predictions for Friday, February 20.
NBA Best Bets, Picks for Friday, Feb. 20
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
  | 8 p.m. | |
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
  | 10 p.m. | |
  | 10 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NBA Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Heat vs. Hawks Total Prediction
By Matt Moore
I project the total for this game at 232.
Miami is secretly the better defensive team in this game.
Even if the Heat score in transition, that just helps them set their half-court defense against the Hawks on tired legs.
Atlanta has been an Over team vs. fast-paced teams, but I think this total has just gone too high.
The Under is 6-4 for Atlanta on the second night of a back to back.
Pick: Under 244.5 (-110)
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Nets vs. Thunder Player Prop Pick
By Joe Dellera
The Thunder are massive favorites against the Nets coming out of the All-Star break. As a result, we may see limited need for their top players in this spot.
Even though the Thunder have ruled out a number of key players including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, that has not translated into a significant uptick in usage for Chet Holmgren.
We generally see that usage distributed more to the rest of the supporting cast; guys like Aaron Wiggins.
Chet has played two games without both SGA and J-Dub this season, and he scored 17 and 16 points in those two games.
With only J-Dub sidelined, Holmgren is averaging 17.6 points per game, and has gone Under this mark in 14-of-25 games.
When the Thunder have closed as a double-digit favorite, he’s also Under this mark in 9-of-14 games.
Given that this is Brooklyn’s second game in as many days and the wide 17-point spread, I think there are plenty of paths to an Under here for Chet.
Pick: Chet Holmgren Under 17.5 Points (-115)
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Mavericks vs. Timberwolves Spread Prediction
By Bet Labs
This NBA spread betting system focuses on regular season situations where visiting underdogs are primed for a rebound after failing to cover the spread in their previous game.
These teams often show stronger effort and tighter execution following a poor performance, particularly when facing opponents coming off strong ATS wins who may enter overconfident or slightly overvalued by the market.
The travel factor adds to the motivation, as underdogs on the road tend to play with urgency and discipline to stay competitive.
By isolating games where perception favors the home team and the spread is wide enough to allow value, this system captures bounce-back opportunities where public sentiment skews the line, rewarding disciplined bettors who back undervalued road 'dogs in resilient spots.
Pick: Mavericks +13.5 (-110)
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Nuggets vs. Trail Blazers Prop Bet
Action PRO is projecting 8.8 points for Jonas Valanciunas in tonight's matchup against the Trail Blazers, giving the Over a 24.6% edge against his current points prop line of over/under of 6.5, which is good enough for an A+ grade in our database.
Valanciunas only scored six points in 12 minutes of action in the Nuggets' one-point loss to the Clippers last night.
However, prior to last night's performance, Valanciunas scored 9+ points in eight of his last nine games, while eclipsing double-digit points in seven of those contests.
Granted, a handful of those games were played with Nikola Jokic sidelined — but with the Nuggets playing on the second half of a back-t0-back tonight, and Jokic still gradually working his way back to full strength, this should be a solid spot for Valanciunas to get back over this number.
Pick: Jonas Valanciunas Over 6.5 Points (-112)
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Clippers vs. Lakers Over/Under Pick
By Bet Labs
This NBA totals betting system identifies value on the Under in division games where the total drops despite the public leaning Over (40% or less of bets).
The reverse movement of the line suggests sharp action is backing the Under.
Division familiarity often leads to tighter, lower-scoring games, enhancing the edge.
Pick: Under 224 (-110)
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