Best NBA Bets Today | NBA Picks February 24

With eight games scheduled across the NBA, fans and bettors will be enjoying an exciting Friday night.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks open the night with an exciting Eastern Conference matchup. The Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls follow as both jockey to improve their position in the standings. And closing out the night is a massive Western Conference matchup between the Sacramento Kings and LA Clippers.

Let's check out the bets!

Cleveland Cavaliers @ Atlanta Hawks

When: 7:30 PM EST

Moneyline: Cleveland Cavaliers (-104) @ FanDuel Sportsbook

Both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks are angling to improve their position in the Eastern Conference. The Cavaliers are currently fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 38-23 overall record and an impressive 25-6 home record. The Atlanta Hawks have fallen to eighth in the East, owning a 29-30 overall record and a 14-18 road record.

The Cleveland Cavaliers tout one of the NBA's best defences, allowing just 106.1 points per game (1st in the NBA) on 46.5% shooting from the field while forcing 15.1 turnovers per game (8th in the NBA). Through the Cavaliers' last 10 games, where they've gone 8-2, they've averaged 114.0 points on a plus-12.6 average while shooting 52.0% from the field and 36.8% from three. The Atlanta Hawks will challenge them with a liberal offence that averages 116.4 points per game (8th in the NBA) while hitting 33.5 two-point field goals per game (1st in the NBA). The Hawks dropped their last two games before the All-Star break, as their defence allowed 133.0 points per game on 54.4% from the field and 42.5% from three-point range.

Take the Cleveland Cavaliers in this matchup against the Atlanta Hawks. The Cavaliers own one of the NBA's toughest interior defences and Atlanta, despite their shooting potential, love to operate in the mid-range. Expect Cleveland's frontcourt to take control of this game and push this matchup in favor of the Cavaliers.

Brooklyn Nets @ Chicago Bulls

When: 8:00 PM EST

Moneyline: Brooklyn Nets (+110) @ Caesars Sportsbook

The Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls are on opposite ends of the Eastern Conference standings, but this projects to be an exciting matchup regardless. Brooklyn currently rest fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 34-24 overall record and a solid 16-13 road record. The Chicago Bulls are 11th in the East with a 26-33 record and a 16-13 home record.

Brooklyn have proven to be a capable defensive team through the 2022-23 NBA season, allowing just 112.3 points per game (9th in the NBA) on 45.8% from the field (4th in the NBA) while shooting 50.2% from the field (2nd in the NBA) themselves. Since trading Durant the Nets have maintained their two-way production, scoring 109.0 points per game on 45.0% from the field and 38.8% from three while allowing just 47.7% shooting from the field and 30.6% from their opponents. The Bulls will challenge them with their own two-way skill, as they score on 48.6% efficiency (6th in the NBA) while allowing just 46.9% (9th in the NBA). Unfortunately, the Bulls are on a six-game losing streak where they've lost by a 9.9-point differential, as they've shot just 43.0% from the field and 26.5% from three-point range.

We're taking the Brooklyn Nets in this matchup, as the Chicago Bulls are on a terrible run of form. The last time these two teams met Brooklyn had an excellent day from three-point range and the Bulls' offense couldn't keep up. We expect Brooklyn's offense to carry them to another win over the Bulls on Friday night.

Sacramento Kings @ LA Clippers

When: 10:30 PM EST

Spread: LA Clippers -6.5 (-110) @ DraftKings Sportsbook

The Sacramento Kings and the LA Clippers are neck-and-neck in the Western Conference, with the result of this game sure to play a role in the end-of-season standings. The Kings are currently third in the Western Conference with a 32-25 overall record and a 15-13 road record. The LA Clippers are just a game behind them at fifth in the West, with a 33-28 overall record and a 15-13 home record.

Owning the NBA's top offence, the Sacramento Kings score 119.5 points per game (1st in the NBA) on 49.4% from the field (3rd in the NBA) while collecting 26.8 assists per game (5th in the NBA). They will want to shore up their defence though as the Kings, through four games, have allowed 124.5 points per game on 53.0% from the field and 39.9% from three. The new-look Clippers will want to build on their already strong defence, which allows 111.1 points per game (4th in the NBA) on an impressive 53.6% shooting efficiency allowed from inside the arc (9th in the NBA). LA are coming off of an impressive win over the Phoenix Suns in their last game, as the Clippers scored 116 points on 48.8% from the field while still holding their opponents to just 107 points on 47.2% shooting.

We're taking the Clippers in this matchup as they've shown an impressive ability to control the pace and maintain their defensive standards. It was a blowout victory for the Kings in their last meeting, but the Clippers were without the majority of their main contributors. With some new additions to the team, which has resulted in improved depth, the Clippers project to close out the season strong.