The NBA had a fairly busy schedule on Friday night. Some of the early results are in, including a game between the Atlanta Hawks and the Charlotte Hornets. For the games recapped below, our betting recommendations in our "Picks" section went 1-1. We overrated the Hornets on the night but had the Kings winning on the road.
Hawks @ Hornets Friday: Trae Young leads all scorers
The Charlotte Hornets, a team that entered Friday losers of six straight, hosted the Atlanta Hawks on Friday. The Hawks, a team that has also struggled lately, won the game in a contest that was not competitive in the final possessions. They put up a double-digit spread in the game, winning by 19 points. The final score in the contest was Atlanta 125, Charlotte 106.
With the loss, the Hornets are now 7-22 on the season. They have the worst winning percentage in the league at just .241. Meanwhile, the Hawks improved to 15-15 with the 19-point victory. They have struggled of late and it's quite possible to remain critical of them following the victory as a win over Charlotte does not prove a lot these days.
The leading scorer in the game was Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks. He had 31 points in the game and 9 assists. LaMelo Ball of the Hornets continued his comeback from injury with a 27-point performance. However, he went -21 for point differential, the second-worst player in the game from that perspective.
Kings @ Pistons Friday: De'Aaron Fox leads all scorers
The Detroit Pistons, one of the weaker teams in the Eastern Conference, hosted the Sacramento Kings on Friday. The Kings, who might just end their playoff drought this season, won the game in a contest that was not competitive in the final possessions. They put up a near double-digit spread in the game, winning by 9 points. The final score in the contest was Sacramento 122, Detroit 113.
With the loss, the Pistons are now 8-23 on the season. Meanwhile, the Kings improved to 16-12 with the 9-point victory. The leading scorer in the game was De'Aaron Fox of the Kings. He had 24 points in the game and 9 assists. Damontas Sabonis had a better game statistically with 23 points and 13 rebounds.
Pacers @ Cavaliers Friday: Donovan Mitchell scores 41
The Cleveland Cavaliers, a team that plays tough basketball at home, hosted the Indiana Pacers on Friday. The Cavaliers, who are now 13-2 when hosting, won the game in a contest that was fairly competitive in the final possessions. They put up a single-digit spread in the game, winning by 6 points. The final score in the contest was Indiana 112, Cleveland 118.
With the loss, the Pacers are now 15-15 on the season. They have struggled with consistency in recent outings and seemed to be playing better basketball in the early parts of the season.
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers improved to 18-11 with the 6-point victory. The leading scorer in the game was Donovan Mitchell. He had 41 points in the game for the Cavs but little in terms of other statistical contributions.
