We have a fully loaded NBA Friday night featuring 12 matchups across the league.
If you want to find real value on a daily NBA slate, you have to be willing to back the 'dogs. I've looked closely at Friday matchups, schedule spots, and rotational advantages to find teams the market is currently undervaluing.
Let's get into my NBA moneyline underdog picks and predictions for Friday, October 23.
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NBA Moneyline Picks for Friday, October 23
- Knicks Moneyline (+114)
- Clippers Moneyline (+310)
Knicks vs Celtics Moneyline Pick
The Knicks head to Boston for their second game of the 2026-27 NBA season, and will surely be motivated to pick up a victory given the reigning champs dropped the season-opener to the new-look Sixers.
Like New York, the Celtics also failed to prevail in their first game against the Pistons, having erased just under a 20-point second-half deficit to ultimately win Wednesday's game.
While Boston undoubtedly looked strong in the first half of its opener with Paul George having re-emerged as an elite scorer with 38 on the night, the Celtics were absolutely dominated on the glass with 49 rebounds compared to their 39.
This is very uncharacteristic of a Joe Mazzulla-led team, given the Celtic head coach preaches the importance of controlling the interior and winning the rebounding battle above all else, which feeds into his possession-heavy philosophy.
Boston lost a ton of size in its frontcourt, which I expect to be very problematic when facing physical opponents like the Pistons.
In the first half, the Celtics' entire offensive structure was just built on ball-dominant isolation, which pretty much entailed giving George enough space to create his own shot once his shots started to fall.
Detroit made some key defensive adjustments in the locker room, switching on defense and shutting off the Celtics’ ability to play through its interior; as soon as Tatum went cold, the effectiveness of its heavy-isolation style of offense with no true identity was relatively concerning.
While the Knicks also failed to pick up the win in their opener, New York returns the great majority of last season’s Championship lineup, which makes me far less concerned about the team’s ability to bounce back.
Like the Pistons, the Knicks are very physical, boasting some elite interior defense featuring Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby among several other guys who excel at defending the perimeter like Brunson and Hart.
We know exactly what we are getting with this Knicks team, and regardless of its opening loss undoubtedly still boast championship pedigree in 2027.
Though I objectively understand why Boston is the home favorite in this spot, I am more than content taking a shot on New York to win on Friday night at a great +114 price tag.
Pick: New York Knicks ML (+114)
Clippers vs Lakers Moneyline Pick
In another regional battle, I will be looking to the Lakers and Clippers for my next Friday night selection as the two Los Angeles foes prepare to duke it out at Crypto.com Arena.
While the first matchup featured two teams seeking their first win of the season, both Los Angeles squads got off to a phenomenal start to their respective 2026-27 NBA season, with both winning by over 20 points.
Despite the Lakers currently sitting as a massive 9.5-point favorite to win on Friday night, I think that the organization’s “brand” value and Luka Doncic-stardom are somewhat baked into betting markets, especially facing a smaller-market young Clippers team who, from a general public’s perspective, lack a true superstar — on that note, this Clippers team has some extremely young and talented players who are in prime positions to succeed this season.
The Clips’ backcourt features Darius Garland, who was never really put in the best position to develop into his full potential when playing for Cleveland, and that is exactly what he has been given in LA.
Not only did Garland score 30 points in the opener, but his backcourt-mate Keaton Wagler was spectacular in his first-ever game playing in the NBA. Like Garland, Keaton has a beautiful three-point stroke, which was put on full display as he knocked down three triples in the Clippers’ season-opening victory.
On the other hand, the Lakers are still looking for a new identity since LeBron left the team and there was some definitive turmoil throughout the media regarding Luka and his behavior towards other players.
Luka is also coming off a 38-point near-triple-double, and I expect this young Clippers squad to really play with a chip on their shoulder following the team’s first victory.
The Clippers also have some elite perimeter defenders that feature the likes of Derrick Jones and Kris Dunn, both of whom could definitely apply some relentless pressure when Luka has the ball in his hands.
Due to the fact that Bradley Beal and Brandon Ingram remain doubtful to play, I think betting markets are slightly overreacting to a young squad that still has potential to pull off the upset in one of the first regular-season NBA games.
In a Rui Hachimura revenge spot with the city of Los Angeles on the line, I think we are getting a great number on the Clippers to win on Friday night at +310.
Pick: Los Angeles Clippers ML (+310)
