Our free NBA picks are out for Friday, February 4th, 2022! Make sure you check our NBA picks before the action kicks off.
Look below to find our free NBA picks for the best five games on today’s schedule!
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Charlotte Hornets – 7pm ET
The Cleveland Cavaliers wrap up their short two game road trip on Friday night when they hit the court and play the Charlotte Hornets. The Cavaliers will still be reeling from their shock loss to the Rockets last time out, 104-115, and will certainly be looking to get back on track here. The Hornets followed up two straight wins, with two losses in a row, and this takes their season record to 28-24.
Denis Kirilov
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been off rhythm in their last three games as they managed to get one narrow win over the New Orleans Pelicans, whilst losing the other two against the Detroit Pistons and the Houston Rockets on the road. Darius Garland is sidelined due to a back injury and this will surely affect the performance in the upcoming matches. Another one of their key players, Lauri Markkanen, is also out with an ankle injury, making the task for the remaining teammates on the court really hard. The Cavs continue to be among the top 5 teams in the Eastern Conference with 31 wins and 21 losses, but the upcoming 10 days before the All-Star Game might be crucial for the outcome in the standings.
The Charlotte Hornets have been playing quite well from the beginning of the season as they enjoyed some good consistency that led them to 8th place with a 28-24 record. LaMelo Ball is coming off a brilliant performance against the Boston Celtics where he scored 38 points that was just enough to be within 6 points of their opponents at the end of the match. This was their second loss in a row after getting slammed by the Los Angeles Clippers by 25 points, 90-115. However, I think that they might be able to defeat the Cavs on Friday as I am going to pick their spread for the match.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Charlotte Hornets -5 (-110)
Michael Lantz
After a massive 16-point win against the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks last week, the Cleveland Cavaliers might’ve gotten a little too loose, as they’ve lost two of their last three; with both losses being against far inferior opponents. They dropped games to the Detroit Pistons and Houston Rockets, two of basketball’s worst teams. They also barely escaped in their contest against the New Orleans Pelicans, another team that’s among basketball’s bottom dwellers. They’ll have their work cut out for them on Friday as they face a Charlotte Hornets team that has one of the best offenses in basketball.
OFFICIAL: @dariusgarland22 will rep The Land in the #NBAAllStar Game at @RMFieldHouse!
DETAILS: https://t.co/xklfmOx3iI#LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/yZagu12FKp
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) February 4, 2022
The Hornets are currently in seventh place and have some inspiring young talent including LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, and more. Just last week this offense showed how lethal it can be as they scored 158 regulation points against the Indiana Pacers. But, they’re still a liability on defense: they’ve given up 110+ in their last six games. They’re also coming off consecutive losses, including a 90-115 defeat to a Los Angeles Clippers team without Kawhi Leonard or Paul George. The Cavaliers will be no easy task as they’ve had a breakthrough season, led by the likes of Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, and rookie Evan Mobley. Even though the Hornets can pull off some shock wins, I’ll give the slight advantage to the Cavs in this one. They just haven’t made losing a pattern this season, as they continue to mature as a squad by the week.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers (+176)
Noah Dunlap
After looking great all year long, the Cleveland Cavaliers have lost two of their last three, and both losses are completely inexcusable, as they’ve come to Detroit and Houston, two of the bottom 4 teams in the league by virtually any metric. We know they’ve been battered with injuries, although that hasn’t slowed them down, so the question is now whether they’re running into a wall or whether this is just a brief slump.
The Charlotte Hornets are in a similar situation, as they’ve looked good all year long, led largely by a young duo of LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges, but they’ve lost their last two and look a bit out of sorts of late. The issue they’ve had all season is a suspect defense, although their offense has oftentimes been able to make up for it. If they can get any type of defense at all, this is a dangerous squad, but that may be asking a lot from this Hornets team. For this matchup, I’m going to lean to the Cavs by a nose, as I think they’re able to go on the road and get a big win over a young, exciting Charlotte squad.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers (+176)
Chicago Bulls @ Indiana Pacers – 7pm ET
The Chicago Bulls and the Indiana Pacers, both from the Central Division, will go toe-to-toe on Friday night in the NBA. The Bulls are playing on back-to-back nights, after clashing with the Raptors on Thursday night, in a game they lost, 120-127, in overtime. The Pacers have gone win-loss-win-loss in their last four games, and this takes their season record to 19-34.
Denis Kirilov
The Chicago Bulls have been one of the strongest teams in the NBA this season. The team from the “Windy City” continues to top the standings in the Eastern Conference with 32 wins and 19 losses. The Bulls have managed to develop the game of their two best players, Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan who were the driving force throughout the first half of the campaign. In my opinion, the team has a lot of potential and it might compete for the NBA Championship this year. They have proven to us that they can battle it out against the toughest competitors out there.
The Indiana Pacers have been struggling throughout the first half of the 2021/22 NBA season. The team was struggling to be healthy as most of their players were out with injuries which resulted in their 19-34 record. The Pacers are a lot behind the Hawks who are in 10th place in the East, meaning that they will most likely miss the Playoffs this year. The team lost its last match against the Orlando Magic after suffering a 9-point comeback in the dying minutes of the game. I think they won’t be able to withstand the power of the Chicago Bulls who will surely be looking to get a win here that will further make their task easier.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Chicago Bulls -1.5 (-110)
Michael Lantz
The Indiana Pacers continue to have a thrilling offense, as they’ve scored 100+ points in eight straight games. Unfortunately, their defense has been abysmal, as they’re in the bottom half of the league in opponent points per game and field goal percentage. On Friday they face a team that has shown they can feast on offense, as they host the Chicago Bulls. Chicago has continued to fight on despite losing the likes of Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso to injury. Their dynamic scoring duo of DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine have led them to the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
But, yesterday the Bulls fell to one of the league’s hottest teams, the Toronto Raptors, as they lost to the team from “The North” 120-127 in overtime. They definitely missed some of their missing key defensive players in that game, but they’ll look to forge ahead against this Pacers defense that gave up over 150 points last week to the Charlotte Hornets. The Pacers are fully capable of pulling off surprise wins; their “B-team” beat the Golden State Warriors a couple of weeks back. But, in this one, I’ll go with the Bulls, who despite just playing 24 hours before, should be able to toy with these Pacer defenders.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Chicago Bulls -1.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
This game shouldn’t be too difficult to predict, and it’s almost solely due to the fact that Indiana can’t guard anyone. If they had any semblance of a defense, this Pacers unit would be a playoff team, and would be a potential sleeper to make a deep run through the Eastern Conference. However, instead they sit at 19-34, and unless something changes, they’re nothing more than an afterthought in regards to being a potential playoff team.
Chicago, on the other hand, comes into this one as the one-seed in the East, and that’s with having gone through a rough stretch about a month or so ago. Since that stretch, they’ve gotten Zach LaVine back in the lineup, and with DeMar Derozan playing great ball as well, this is a Bulls team that has been rolling, despite losing last night in OT to Toronto. While they are without Lonzo Ball for an extended period of time now, that hasn’t seemed to slow them down all that much, which is why I’m taking the offense that LaVine and Derozan can bring to be able to score at will against a nonexistent Indiana defense, getting the Chicago Bulls back on track on the road in Indianapolis.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Chicago Bulls -1.5 (-110)
Brooklyn Nets @ Utah Jazz – 9pm ET
The Brooklyn Nets are in game four of their five game road trip on Friday night when they take on the Utah Jazz. The Nets have been really struggling so far this road trip, as they have gone 0-3, and are currently on a six game losing streak. The Jazz managed to snap their five game losing streak last time out, with a win over the Nuggets, 108-104.
Denis Kirilov
The Brooklyn Nets continue to be without Kevin Durant who has been out with a knee injury since January 16th. This forced the team to rely on Kyrie Irving and James Harden who are far away from the top form we have used seeing them. The deadly attacking trio is still a favourite to win the title this year, but they will need to start playing together in order to boost their on-court chemistry. The Nets are currently falling behind in 6th place in the East with 29 wins and 22 losses that puts them in a dangerous position. Moreover, the team from Brooklyn lost its last six matches in the NBA which further encapsulates their issues.
The Utah Jazz is another top team that has been struggling lately. After winning just two matches out of 13 attempts, the Jazz found a way past the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, 108-104, in a match without Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon. The Jazz are still without Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, as Joe Ingles suffered a season-ending knee injury a couple of games ago. In my opinion, the Nets should be able to come on top under the current circumstances. I will also give a bonus pick, choosing the option for “under points”.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Brooklyn Nets (+194)
Denis’ NBA Bonus Pick: Under 229.5 (-110)
Michael Lantz
Is it panic time for the Brooklyn Nets? After five straight losses to playoff-caliber teams, the Nets were able to use “Kevin Durant’s injury” as somewhat of an excuse. But on Wednesday they played a lowly Sacramento Kings squad that didn’t even have its best player, De’Aaron Fox. Even without Durant, the Nets still have two all-stars in James Harden and Kyrie Irving, so the matchup against the Kings shouldn’t have been an issue. Unfortunately, they lost to a Kings team that was on a seven-game losing streak, 101-112. If the Nets want any shot at a championship run, they need to stop fooling around ASAP. Unfortunately, things won’t get easier for them as they face the Utah Jazz on Friday night.
Donovan Mitchell is now a 3x #NBAAllStar 🕷🌟
Congratulations, @spidadmitchell! pic.twitter.com/8N5MtkcxFk
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 4, 2022
The Jazz haven’t had the easiest of times lately themselves: they were struggling without stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, who both had injuries and then they lost three-point specialist Joe Ingles for the season. But, Jazz fans can start to breathe a little easier as the team captured a confidence-boosting win against the Denver Nuggets—albeit without Nikola Jokic—and are getting Mitchell back from concussion protocol for this matchup against the Nets. When Gobert was out a couple of weeks ago this Jazz team went 1-4. They’ll hope to not repeat that pattern against the Nets. But with a lack of size, three-point shooting, and Mitchell coming back after two weeks out, I think they’ll have a tough time with a Nets team that’s looking to end an embarrassing skid and shut down some critics. Expect Harden and Irving to have bounce-back games after they looked stale against the Kings on Wednesday night.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Brooklyn Nets (+194)
Noah Dunlap
What we’ve learned with Kevin Durant’s injury is that this is a Brooklyn Nets team that is going nowhere without him in the lineup. Even with James Harden and Kyrie Irving, they simply can’t beat anyone, as they’ve lost six straight now, including a loss to Sacramento in their last outing, and that was a Kings team that was without their best player, De’Aaron Fox. Those are the kinds of losses that make you question whether a team has the potential to be for real, and I think there are a lot of people questioning this Nets team now.
That being said, this Utah Jazz team isn’t in any better shape. While they did pick up a win over Denver in their last outing, that only pushed their record over the past 14 to 3-11. They’ve been without Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell for nearly that entire stretch, and while they will be missing Gobert for this one, they’re set to get Mitchell back. Getting one of them back is a good start, but I’m not sure they can get back to the Jazz basketball we’ve grown accustomed to until they get both back. However, I do think the return of Mitchell is enough to get past a free falling Brooklyn squad, especially at home.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Utah Jazz (-235)
New Orleans Pelicans @ Denver Nuggets – 9pm ET
The road trip continues on for the New Orleans Pelicans, and on Friday night they travel to Denver to take on the Nuggets. The Pelicans put an end to their four game losing streak last time out, with a win over the Pistons, 111-101. After winning five straight, the Nuggets have dropped their last two in a row, and this takes their season record to 28-23.
Denis Kirilov
The New Orleans Pelicans managed to put an end to their 4-game losing streak after defeating the Detroit Pistons, 111-101. The team has been struggling this season and although they have a 19-32 record, they still keep a close distance to the 10th-placed Portland Trail Blazers. Zion Williamson is on the way to his recovery, but he will most likely make his return next season as he has a lot more work to do. The Pelicans are not a big favourite to make the Playoffs, but they will do everything they can to achieve that.
The Denver Nuggets have been playing on a very high level since the beginning of the new year. Their success more or less depends on Nikola Jokic who has been one of the most efficient players in the NBA this season. Aaron Gordon might miss the upcoming match against the Pelicans due to a muscle injury. This absence will most likely affect the outcome or at least the overall performance of the Nuggets. That’s why I am happy to trust the guests in this attractive match on Friday night in the West.
Denis’ NBA Pick: New Orleans Pelicans (+190)
Michael Lantz
After dropping four games in a row, the New Orleans Pelicans were able to pick up a 111-101 win against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday as Brandon Ingram dropped 26 points and Jonas Valanciunas picked up a double-double. These two have had a solid season, and if the Pelicans were playing a bit better, would definitely be in the all-star discussion. Unfortunately, the Pels are 19-32 and have had a season filled with injuries (Zion Williamson) and inconsistent play. Still, they continue to fight on through the season, as they try to go for an outside chance at the play-in games. Their next opponent won’t be as easy as the Pistons: they face a Denver Nuggets team that’s sixth in the Western Conference.
The Nuggets dropped their last game to a Utah Jazz team without Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, but they had a fairly good reason: they were without Aaron Gordon and reigning MVP Nikola Jokic. Both players got a game off for rest and may be back in full force Friday against the Pelicans. I expect the days off to help revitalize the key players, who along with the likes of Jeff Green and Will Barton, shouldn’t have an issue dismantling this poor Pelicans defense. With this one in the “Mile High City”, I expect the Nuggets to take care of business.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Denver Nuggets -5.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
The New Orleans Pelicans are trying to hang around as a team that could potentially sneak into a play-in game appearance, but I’m really hesitant to think that happens. They finally ended a four game losing streak in their last outing, but that was a win over the Detroit Pistons, which shouldn’t hardly count as a win given how bad Detroit is. They’re virtually a two man team right now, as Brandon Ingram and Jonas Valanciunas are the only players they have playing consistent basketball at all, and without Zion Williamson, who may now not return at all this season, I think they’re going to continue to struggle.
Now they take on a Denver Nuggets squad that has underperformed this year, but that’s due in large part to the fact that they’ve been much too reliant on last year’s league MVP Nikola Jokic. There’s only so much he can do against elite teams in the NBA, which is where the Nuggets end up facing issues, and I’m not sure that’s going to change at all. The good news for them is that he shouldn’t have any issues with this Pelicans squad, so if he can get any help at all, I like Denver to go ahead and take care of business at home in this one.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Denver Nuggets -5.5 (-110)
Philadelphia 76ers @ Dallas Mavericks – 10pm ET
The Philadelphia 76ers kick off a short two game road trip on Friday night when they travel to Dallas and face off against the Mavericks. The 76ers fell back to Earth last time out, as they had their five game winning streak snapped by the Wizards, 103-106. The Mavericks are currently on a two game losing streak, and this takes their season record to 29-23.
Denis Kirilov
This matchup should be one of the most intriguing on Friday night as both the 76ers and the Mavericks are top teams who have been playing quite well from the beginning of the campaign. The team from the East suffered a tough 103-106 loss to the Washington Wizards on Wednesday which snapped their 5-game winning streak. Joel Embiid wasn’t efficient enough from the field after dropping 27 points on a 11-27 shooting for 35 minutes. However, despite the loss the Philadelphia 76ers continue to be 3rd in the East with 31 wins and 20 losses which gives them a decent position ahead of the last part of the Regular Season.
The Dallas Mavericks enjoyed a fantastic month of January in which they had two runs with at least 4 wins in a row. Unfortunately, the team failed to deliver against the top teams in the NBA including the Phoenix Suns and the Golden State Warriors. Moreover, they have been surprised by the Orlando Magic and the Oklahoma City Thunder in their most recent meetings. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Kristaps Porzingis will most likely miss the upcoming match due to injuries which leaves Luka Doncic in a really tough spot. His 40-point effort against the Thunder came up just short as he will need to play even better against the strong 76ers. Hence, I am willing to trust the guests who seem healthier at the moment.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Philadelphia 76ers (-102)
Michael Lantz
This one should be fun as two teams thriving in their respective conferences showdown on Friday night. The Philadelphia 76ers are led by MVP-candidate and double-double machine Joel Embiid, who is averaging a career-high 29 points and almost 11 rebounds per game. On Monday, Philly had an impressive win against a very good Memphis Grizzlies squad as they won 122-199—without Embiid. They got Embiid back on Wednesday against the Wizards, but unfortunately, they came up flat against the struggling D.C. squad that doesn’t even have Bradley Beal right now. They’ll look to get back on track on Friday as they face a Dallas Mavericks team that’s fifth in the Western Conference.
Age 22.
10th All-time in triple-doubles.
3X #NBAAllStar.Let’s get it, @luka7doncic 🪄 pic.twitter.com/1738szzCts
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) February 4, 2022
But don’t let their place in the standings fool you—the Mavericks are in a little bit of a funk right now. Just as they were getting healthy and starting to compete, the team lost big man Kristaps Porzingis who will be sidelined against the Sixers. On top of that, they’ve dropped two in a row, against very bad teams (Orlando Magic and Oklahoma City Thunder). They’ll need a little “Luka Magic” on Friday against a Sixers team that should pretty much be all there. As mentioned, anything is possible with Luka Doncic, but the Sixers are one of the league’s best road teams at 17-9, with a couple of holes in this Mavericks lineup right now, I expect Philly to bounce back after a head-scratching loss to the Wizards.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Philadelphia 76ers (-102)
Noah Dunlap
After an embarrassing loss in their last game, a contest that saw them slip up against the abysmal Washington Wizards, you have to assume that the Philadelphia 76ers come out in this one a bit frustrated and ready to prove a point. The concern is that they’re still a team that’s too reliant upon their MVP candidate in Joel Embiid, although that hasn’t hurt them too much so far this season, as they sit at 31-20 and are the three seed in the East currently.
Now they take on a Dallas Mavericks team that has looked really good after a slow start to the year, including a great month of January. The problem and concern is that they can’t seem to get over the hurdle of the league’s best teams, as they have recent losses to the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors, which makes you question whether they can make a legitimate playoff run, but also that they’ve lost their last two games, to the awful Orlando Magic and Oklahoma City Thunder. They’ve been without Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr., which could potentially explain part of the issues, but against those two it seems as if Luka Doncic should’ve been able to take care of business himself, which despite solid performances, he wasn’t able to lead his Mavericks to victories. If he can’t get them there against Orlando or Oklahoma City Thunder, I question whether he’ll be able to get them there against one of the league’s better teams, as Porzingis has already been ruled out. Despite being on the road in this one, I like Philly to come in and get a big win over a struggling Dallas squad.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Philadelphia 76ers (-102)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
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