What can Kevin Durant do in his second game with the Phoenix Suns?
Durant scored 23 points Wednesday on 66% shooting as the Suns beat the Hornets by 14. The game was the team’s first with Durant on the court and it went well — although it should have gone well. pass. Phoenix is a title contender and Charlotte is one of the worst teams in the league.
The Suns face a slightly tougher test Friday night against the Bulls in Chicago. Phoenix is a 5.5-point favorite over the Bulls at BetMGM as Chicago has won three of its last four games to go 29-34.
The Bulls need the win to stay in the thick of the playoff race. Chicago enters the game 1.5 games behind the Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets for 9th and 10th spots in the Eastern Conference. Phoenix, meanwhile, is fourth in the West but only four games ahead of 11th in the conference and three games behind for third.
The margin for error for the Suns is slim to none as they acclimate Durant to the team. Phoenix can’t afford any mistakes as they aim for home court in the first round of the playoffs.
Nine more NBA games
After there were only four games on Thursday night, there are 10 NBA games on Thursday. The ESPN doubleheader features the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics (7:30 p.m. ET) before the Memphis Grizzlies visit the Denver Nuggets.
The Celtics are favorites with 10.5 points and are currently half a game away from the surging Milwaukee Bucks for first place in the Eastern Conference and the best record in the NBA. The Bucks have the same number of wins as the Celtics but have one less loss.
The Nuggets are 5.5-point favorites over a Grizzlies team that’s just 12-18 on the road. Denver is 28-4 at Ball Arena and can extend its lead over Memphis in the West to six games with a win.
The lines closest to night both feature slight road favorites. The Utah Jazz are 1.5 point favorites over the Oklahoma City Thunder while the Minnesota Timberwolves are 1.5 point favorites over a Lakers team that will be without LeBron James for the next few weeks.
Jon Rahm a big favorite at Bay Hill
Jon Rahm was +650 to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational before the tournament. After shooting an opening round 65 and holding a two shot lead over three players at 5 under, Rahm is now a staggering +140 to retain the lead.
Rahm has been the best player on the planet so far in 2023 with three wins in five starts. Rahm hasn’t finished below a tie for seventh so far this calendar year and his lowest finish in seven PGA Tour starts in the 2022-23 season is eighth.
There’s also a big rift between Rahm and all the other council members. Scottie Scheffler is three shots behind Rahm and is the No. 2 favorite at +850. Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele also each shot a 68 in the first round and are at +1200.
The composition of the ranking could change significantly on Friday. High winds are expected to wreak havoc on Bay Hill and it wouldn’t be a shock to see the overall leaderboard scores at the end of the day look like or worse than they are now.
Conference tournaments continue
The betting action begins early in men’s college basketball on Friday. The first conference tournament game of the day begins at noon ET when Charleston Southern takes on UNC Asheville. The final game of the day will begin shortly before midnight when Pacific takes on San Francisco in the West Coast Conference tournament.
Who cashed the tickets on Thursday?
The Golden State Warriors blitzed the Los Angeles Clippers in the third quarter en route to an easy victory and coverage Thursday night. The Clips had an 11-point halftime lead before Golden State scored LA 42-16 in the third.
The San Antonio Spurs beat the Pacers 110-99 as 5.5-point home underdogs while the Mavericks covered at home against the Sixers and the Wizards easily beat the Raptors as lightweight home dogs.
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