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The Detroit Pistons (33-26) have the Denver Nuggets (38-21) coming into town for a tilt on Friday. The Pistons blew out the Boston Celtics 117-97 in a contest on Wednesday. Detroit is on an eight-game win streak, its longest since 2008. The Nuggets have dropped two of their last three games. Last night, the Milwaukee Bucks beat Denver 121-112. This will be the second and final contest between these teams this season, and Denver beat Detroit 134-121 on Dec. 28. Aaron Gordon (ankle) is questionable for Denver.

Tipoff from Little Caesars Arena in Detroit is at 7 p.m. ET. Denver is a 1-point favorite in the latest Nuggets vs. Pistons odds via SportsLine consensus. The over/under for total points scored is 239. Before locking in any Pistons vs. Nuggets picks, make sure to check out the NBA predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six-plus seasons. The model enters Week 19 of the 2024-25 NBA season on a sizzling 147-106 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning nearly $4,000. It’s also an outstanding 18-10 (64%) on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.

Now, the model has simulated Nuggets vs. Pistons 10,000 times and just revealed its coveted NBA picks and betting predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NBA odds and NBA betting lines for Pistons vs. Nuggets:

Nuggets vs. Pistons spread: Denver -1
Nuggets vs. Pistons over/under: 239 points
Nuggets vs. Pistons money line: Denver -113, Detroit -107
DEN: The Nuggets are 30-28 against the spread this season
DET: The Pistons are 33-24-2 against the spread this season
Nuggets vs. Pistons picks: See picks at SportsLine
Nuggets vs. Pistons streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)
Why the Pistons can cover
Guard Cade Cunningham is an all-around playmaker for the Pistons. The 23-year-old ranks 11th in the league in points (25.7) and third in assists (9.5) with 6.3 rebounds per game. He’s scored at least 20 points and dished out at least seven assists in six straight games. In Wednesday’s win over the Celtics, Cunningham notched 21 points and 11 dimes.

Center Jalen Duren gives the Pistons an athletic and bruising force in the paint. Duren is 11th in the NBA in rebounds (10.3) and fourth in field-goal percentage (69.7%) with 11.1 points per game. The Memphis product has 27 double-doubles this season. On Feb. 24 against the Clippers, Duren had 12 points and 19 boards. See which team to back at SportsLine.

Why the Nuggets can cover
Center Nikola Jokic dominates the game in multiple ways. Jokic ranks third in the NBA in points (29.2) and rebounds (12.6) while being second in assists (10.4). Back on the Dec. 28 win over the Pistons, Jokic finished with 37 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists.

Forward Michael Porter Jr. is a consistent three-level scorer in the frontcourt. Porter Jr. averages 18.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and shoots 41% from beyond the arc. The 26-year-old has scored 20-plus points in 22 games this season. In the Feb. 6 win over the Orlando Magic, Porter Jr. had 30 points and seven boards. See which team to back at SportsLine.

How to make Nuggets vs. Pistons picks
SportsLine’s model has simulated Nuggets vs. Pistons and is leaning Under the total, projecting 229 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations. You can head to SportsLine to see the model’s NBA picks.

So who wins Nuggets vs. Pistons on Friday, and which side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Nuggets vs. Pistons spread to back, all from the model that has returned well over $10,000 on top-rated NBA picks, and find out.

Where to bet on NBA games
Here are some of the sportsbooks to bet on NBA games today, along with the various NBA sportsbook promos they currently offer.

The New York Knicks (38-20) are set to begin a stretch of seven of their next eight games on the road when they travel to play the Memphis Grizzlies (38-20) on Friday. The Knicks are coming off a much-needed 110-105 victory over the 76ers on Wednesday after a pair of lopsided losses to the Cavaliers and Celtics. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies are coming off a near 300-point combined game in a 151-148 overtime victory against the Suns on Tuesday behind a 29-point effort from Ja Morant. Karl-Anthony Towns (knee) and Josh Hart (knee) are both questionable for the Knicks. Desmond Bane (groin) is questionable for the Grizzlies.

Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET from the FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn. The Grizzlies are favored by 4 points in the latest Grizzlies vs. Knicks odds, according to the SportsLine consensus. The over/under is 243.5 points.

SportsLine’s proven model has simulated Knicks vs. Grizzlies 10,000 times and revealed its best bets for this game. See all the NBA picks from SportsLine right here.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six-plus seasons. The model enters Week 19 of the 2024-25 NBA season on a sizzling 147-106 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning nearly $4,000. It’s also an outstanding 18-10 (64%) on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.

Here are the NBA best bets for Knicks vs. Grizzlies on Friday:

Under 243.5 (-110)
The Knicks have gone Under in three of their last four games and the Grizzlies have gone Under in three of their last five home contests. The Knicks may be less than 100% with Towns and Hart battling injuries and whether they are out or playing at less than full health, that can hinder New York’s offense. Although the New York defense hasn’t been as elite this year, ranking 14th in scoring defense compared to fifth last year, only two of New York’s last 11 games totaled at least 245 points scored. See all of the model’s Friday NBA picks here.

The Pick: Under 243.5 — The Under hits in 68% of the model’s simulations
Projected final score: Grizzlies 119, Knicks 115

Bonus Friday NBA pick: Matt Severance is on a sizzling 50-11 (+2795) roll on Cleveland money-line picks. See who he likes in Celtics vs. Cavaliers in an Eastern Conference showdown right here.

Knicks to win (+144)
The Knicks dominated the Grizzlies in a 143-106 victory at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 27 in their first meeting of the season. Memphis had a healthy Morant, Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. and New York outscored Memphis, 83-54, in the second half en route to the victory. The Knicks are 11-4 over their last 15 games with losses coming to the Lakers, Cavaliers and Celtics (twice), meanwhile, Memphis is 2-3 over its last five games. See all of the model’s Friday NBA picks here.

The Pick: Knicks +144 — The Knicks win in 41% of simulations, which brings value at these odds
Projected final score: Grizzlies 119, Knicks 115.

Bonus Friday NBA pick: Mike Barner is on a 92-59 (+2199) roll on his last 151 NBA player props. He has a prop on Ja Morant’s scoring total in this matchup. See who he likes right here.

Want more NBA picks for Friday?
You’ve seen the model’s NBA best bets for Grizzlies vs. Knicks. Now, get picks for every game from SportsLine’s model that’s on a 147-106 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, including an outstanding 18-10 (64%) on top-rated spread picks this season. Visit SportsLine to get all of its picks for Friday right here.

Also be sure to see the Friday NBA picks from SportsLine’s Bruce Marshall. He’s on a 32-19-1 (+1104) run on NBA over/under picks and you visit SportsLine here to get all his picks.

Where to bet on NBA games
Here are some of the sportsbooks to bet on NBA games today, along with the various NBA sportsbook promos they currently offer.

The Orlando Magic were hoping to get Jalen Suggs back soon as maybe some kind of spark for their all-but dead offense, but that’s not going to happen, as the team announced on Friday that the Magic have ruled Suggs “out indefinitely, as a treatment plan is developed” due to a trochlea injury in his left knee.

Suggs left Orlando’s game vs. Toronto with back spasms and has only played once since. If you’re wondering what the trochlea is, here you go:

The trochlea is the groove on the femur that the kneecap glides in. ‘Trochlea injury’ is very vague and if anything suggests cartilage damage as that’s the only thing on the trochlea https://t.co/hMpNxsRzWN

— Brian Sutterer MD (@BrianSuttererMD) February 28, 2025
This is tough news for Suggs and the Magic, who are in desperate need of whatever help they can get — particularly on the offensive end, where they rank 29th since the return of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, both of whom are hovering around the 30% mark from 3-point range.

Suggs is just a 31% 3-point shooter himself, but he sort of makes the Magic go with his energy on both ends and can impact an offense more than his shooting numbers would suggest. At the end of the day, Suggs averages 16 points per game. With Moe Wagner also out for the year, Suggs would’ve been the only player outside of Franz Wagner and Banchero to even average double-digit points for the Magic.

Injuries have ravaged Orlando this season. They were looking like a threat for a top-four seed early on, but extended absences for Banchero and Franz Wagner (both suffered the same torn oblique injury) derailed it all, and then Suggs going out drove the nail in even deeper.

Banchero, Franz Wagner and Suggs have played just one game together since November. The Magic just do not have the firepower to make up for basically never having their three best scorers on the floor together. As it stands, Orlando is clinging to the East’s first Play-In spot, but is tied in the loss column with No. 9 Atlanta.

Since Suggs went out, the Magic have lost 17 of 25 games. The season is spiraling, but let’s just hope Suggs makes a full recovery long-term.

The Detroit Pistons have been rebuilding ever since they waived Blake Griffin in 2021. While fans are desperate to see winning basketball for the first time in recent memory, rushing the rebuild could cause the fragile franchise to spiral. However, over the last five games, Cade Cunningham is averaging 23.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 12.2 assists on 42.3% shooting from 3-point range.

On top of that, youngsters Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland have been thriving recently, although neither of them are expected to be the high-level star that would fit in well next to Cunningham. Instead, they are athletic, defensively gifted wings.

With plenty of young role players and draft capital, as well as ample room under the salary cap, the Pistons are expected to make a move before the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Whether or not that move ends up bringing a star to town remains to be seen, but a recent mock trade went over the top.

On Tuesday, Fadeaway World’s Ishaan Bhattacharya proposed a deal that would send Jalen Duren, Isaiah Stewart, Tim Hardaway Jr. and a 2029 first-round pick to the New Orleans Pelicans for Zion Williamson and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.

A healthy Williamson would be the perfect fit next to Cunningham long-term in the Motor City, but a healthy Williamson would not be on the trade block. He has missed the majority of games in four of his five full seasons and is poised to do it again this year as he battles a hamstring injury.

While Williamson is worth gambling for, provided the Pelicans set the price right, Duren is expected to be a key part of the Pistons’ resurgence. If Detroit sends him away, Stewart is a capable center, although both bigs get sent away in this proposed deal.

Williamson’s career-high 8.0 rebounds per game was set this year, and he has only made six appearances. If the Pistons add Zion–which is incredibly unlikely–New Orleans will have to make a much better offer.

For over a week, LeBron James has usurped Jimmy Butler and Brandon Ingram as the biggest names on the NBA trade market. James, the greatest player of this generation, is in all likelihood not going to be traded this season. He would have to ask out, and his no-trade clause gives him the power to veto any trade.

However, if the Lakers struggle, he could decide to start fresh elsewhere for the fourth time in his career.

The Golden State Warriors have been named as the most plausible suitor for James, although the Los Angeles Lakers would demand a winning player in return for James, as well as draft capital.

With perimeter defense a big concern in Los Angeles, the Lakers have been linked to the New Orleans Pelicans and Herbert Jones. All indications point to Jones being effectively untouchable, although never in the Pelicans’ wildest dreams did they see themselves as a landing spot for The King.

If ideal circumstances are met, that could change.

If Zion Williamson returns and is healthy for the rest of the year, the Pelicans could very easily make a playoff push, although time is running out. Williamson will be re-evaluated near Christmas, but adding a reliable co-star makes sense.

James has a longstanding positive working relationship with Pelicans’ General Manager David Griffin, who made personnel choices during James’ second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers. His departure to New Orleans has been cited as a reason why James left Ohio and headed West.

“You’ve got to be willing to have very difficult conversations with LeBron,” Griffin told Sports Illustrated in 2019. “I always was, which is why we had a great relationship, because I would tell him what he needed to hear and he respected that I was telling him that for the right reasons.”

If Griffin and James want to rekindle their successful partnership, there is a road for it to happen.

If the Pelicans offered Brandon Ingram and Jones for both LeBron and Bronny, the Lakers would be hard-pressed to say no. Provided Williamson is trending upward and CJ McCollum and Dejounte Murray are both healthy, James might see The Big Easy as a better fit than Hollywood, especially if the Lakers are still struggling to right the ship.

Of course, in order to get James to waive his no-trade clause, Williamson will have to be ready to play, which has been a big gamble throughout his career.

The Nuggets need a talent upgrade in order to win a second championship. The Bulls need to trade their star Zach LaVine in order to keep their 2025 draft pick and continue to retool a roster with a low ceiling. Could a deal between the two sides be in the works?

The answer might be yes, according to reporting from The Athletic’s Tony Jones and Sam Amick. Those two released a report Tuesday night indicating that the Nuggets have “expressed interest in” LaVine, among other players. They added that “the focus on LaVine in recent discussions is significant.”

The Nuggets are in a tight financial situation. They’re above the first apron, meaning that they can’t take back more salary than they send out in any deal. And they don’t have a ton of tradable contracts. Michael Porter Jr.’s $35.8 million salary would have to be one of the outgoing pieces in any big trade.

Zeke Nnaji is also available, according to Amick and Jones. And importantly, there may be draft picks changing sides in this type of deal. “Any significant deal the Nuggets would do, may also have to involve a pick swap as a sweetener,” according to The Athletic’s report.

The Denver Nuggets’ somewhat disappointing beginning to the 2024-25 season has been surprising to say the least.

Even with three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić contributing 30.9 points, 13.3 rebounds and 9.9 assists along with a blistering 48.9% shooting accuracy from distance, Denver holds a 14-10 record and sits at the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference.

Highlights: Jerzy Robinson leads Sierra Canyon over Vanden in high school girls basketball

The 2023 NBA champions have now seen the consequences of losing valuable role players over the course of multiple free agency periods and the inconsistent play of Jokić’s co-star Jamal Murray.

As a team ranking No. 5 in points with a 119.2 average as a collective, recent reports have named Denver as a potential player in the trade market who will be looking to acquire an offensively gifted star from the Chicago Bulls to pair with their superstar center.

“League sources say the focus on (Zach) LaVine in recent discussions is significant, with the Nuggets interested in the 29-year-old who is averaging 21.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists this season,” The Athletic’s Tony Jones wrote Tuesday night.

“LaVine, a two-time All-Star, is owed $43 million this season, $45.9 million next season and has a player option worth $48.9 million for the 2026-27 campaign.”

As one of the more polarizing players being made available for trade this season, LaVine’s monster five-year, $215 million contract he signed with Chicago in 2022 was previously thought to have lessened the likelihood of the star shooting guard being dealt to a new home prior to the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

Now, Jones and Amick share that Denver has potentially conducted preliminary discussions on a trade revolving around LaVine.

LaVine’s most impactful season came in 2020-21, where the high-flying 6-foot-5 scoring threat averaged a career-best 27.4 points while connecting on 41.9% of his three-point attempts, leading to his first of two All-Star appearances for the Bulls.

With the possibility of LaVine being moved to Denver to keep the team’s championship window open, the focus moves to which salaries Denver would exchange with Chicago in order to work out the financial framework of a deal.

In return for LaVine, Denver would likely be forced to move the salaries of Michael Porter Jr. and Zeke Nnaji, though the Nuggets would surely love to retain Porter Jr. who is putting together one of his best seasons in 2024-25.

Behind an excellent performance from Giannis Antetokounmpo and a dominant second-half showing, the Bucks are winners of the second-ever NBA Cup. Milwaukee earned an impressive 97-81 win after outscoring Oklahoma City 46-33 in the final 24 minutes of play

Antetokounmpo was the standout of the night, recording a triple-double with 26 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists. Damian Lillard also impressed with 23 points, four rebounds and four assists.

The Thunder struggled mightily throughout the game. OKC finished the night shooting 5-of-32 (15.6%) from 3-point range, while leading scorer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was held to 21 points (on 8-of-24 shooting) and two assists.

If you missed the action, The Sporting News tracked score updates, highlights, news, and more from the 2024 NBA Cup championship.

We are now a third of the way into the season, and the MVP race is becoming clearer. There have been some terrific performances, but Nikola Jokic still has not relinquished the top spot he’s held since our first go at this in November.

Some players have cooled off considerably since then, while others have risen. Joel Embiid didn’t make our list to start the season and won’t be on any subsequent ones. He’s already missed enough games to fail to meet the 65-game threshold for the award. Also, Anthony Davis has fallen out of the top five after a Lakers slide.

Every CeeDee Lamb catch from 105-yard game vs. Buccaneers Week 16

Who has taken AD’s place? Here are our leaders in the quest for the 2025 MVP award.

SN’s NBA HQ: Live NBA scores | Updated NBA standings | Full NBA schedule

NBA MVP rankings
Nikola Jokic

1. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
   Averages: 30.9 PTS, 13.3 REB, 9.9 AST, 0.7 BLK, 1.8 STL, 55.8% FG, 48.9% 3PT

Team record: 14-10, 5th in Western Conference

Any MVP ranking that doesn’t have Jokic up top simply isn’t paying attention to what the big man is doing. He’s second in the league in points, assists and rebounds per game. Nobody has ever come close to leading all three of those categories at the same time.

It’s not as if those are empty stats, either. Denver has always leaned heavily on its star, but this season has been on a totally different level. The Nuggets are 30.1 points per 100 possessions better with Jokic on the court vs. off it, according to Cleaning the Glass, which ranks in the 100th percentile of players.

The way Jokic gets his points is remarkable. Because the Nuggets don’t have a lot of shooting, he has taken it upon himself to become one of the best 3-point shooters in the league. His 48.9 percent on those shots is behind only Taurean Prince and Isaac Okoro for the league lead, and he remains the best post-up player in the game.

This would be Jokic’s fourth MVP award. That would put him in a generational group including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and LeBron James. He deserves to be among that company.

MORE: Nikola Jokic has Russell Westbrook to thank for reaching even greater heights

2. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
   Averages: 32.7 PTS, 6.1 AST, 11.5 REB, 0.6 STL, 1.6 BLK, 61.4% FG

Team record: 14-11, 6th in Eastern Conference

After a 2-8 start to the season, the Bucks are slowly creeping back up the standings in the East. It has been Antetokounmpo dragging them up that mountain.

Thanks to an improved midrange shot, Antetokounmpo leads the league with 32.7 points per game with remarkable efficiency. He has yet to shoot worse than 50 percent from the field in a game all season.

This is a bit of a down year for Antetokounmpo defensively, but a below-average season for him is still one of the better ones in the league. He broke up a key lob to get the Bucks to the NBA Cup final against the Hawks, showing he can still make huge plays on that end of the floor.