Best NBA Betting Picks for Saturday: Lakers vs Warriors and More

The Charlotte Hornets extended their franchise-record streak to nine straight road victories with Thursday’s rout of Indiana. Then the Hornets flew home, where they’re a pedestrian 12-16 this season.

Saturday brings a chance for Charlotte to improve that mark against Portland in a matinee between play-in tournament hopefuls from opposite sides of the country. 

The matchup kicks off today’s NBA Best Bets.

PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS AT CHARLOTTE HORNETS, 1 P.M. ET

Hornets sharpshooter Kon Knueppel leads the NBA with 209 made 3-pointers, and on Thursday set a league record for most treys by a rookie in one season.

Now three 3s clear of Keegan Murray’s former standard of three seasons ago, Knueppel takes aim against a Portland defense that’s middle-of-the-road in defending the arc this season but struggling lately.

Portland allowed Denver to connect from long range 21 times in a lopsided loss on Feb. 20 and saw Minnesota hit 17 3s four days later. While the Trail Blazers played better perimeter defense in road wins at Phoenix and Chicago on Sunday and Thursday, they should have, given how shorthanded the Suns and Bulls are.

Charlotte has won 13 of 16 and hopes to climb the ranks in a crowded race for the last six spots in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt. Knueppel keeps shooting them in that direction.

Kon Knueppel over 3.5 3-pointers made (-150 with Bet365)

HOUSTON ROCKETS AT MIAMI HEAT, 3:30

Miami has lost two straight games as well as All-Star Norman Powell (week-to-week, groin strain), all while searching for an identity that doesn’t resemble the one from recent seasons.

“We’re better than being in the play-in,” Heat star Bam Adebayo said.

Although the Rockets compete in a different conference, they already know that statement applies to them. Houston entered Friday seeded third in the West behind a three-game winning streak whose latest entry saw Kevin Durant’s best effort in his debut season with the Rockets.

Durant tallied 26 of his season-high 40 points in the second half Thursday to pace Houston to a comeback victory in Orlando. He is shooting 53% in his past five games after hitting just 43.8% of his attempts in the six games before that. The Rockets go as their prized offseason acquisition does, and right now, KD is cooking. Ditto for reserve guard Reed Sheppard, who is averaging 16.9 points on 51.6% shooting in the past eight games.

Rockets -3.5 (-112 with FanDuel)

LOS ANGELES LAKERS AT GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS, 8:30

While it might be farfetched to brand them as a bona fide “Big Three,” the Lakers' trio of Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves is healthy and playing well, even though the team is slumping.

LA has lost three straight, and even Doncic’s Herculean 41 points, eight rebounds and eight assists weren’t enough to rescue the Lakers in Thursday’s 113-110 road loss to Phoenix. Reaves’ attempt at a game-tying corner 3 at the buzzer was no good.

Expect the Lakers to get well against the Warriors, who aren’t quite as depleted as the Suns but still aren’t whole. All fans at the Chase Center will receive a Steph Curry flip book, which will have to suffice as Curry remains out with a right knee injury. Kristaps Porzingis is questionable due to illness and Draymond Green (back) is probable, but Golden State, which is coming off Wednesday’s comfortable victory in Memphis, hasn’t won consecutive games in more than a month.

Lakers -3.5 (-106 with FanDuel)