NBA Betting Tips: Best bets for Friday’s action

After my 5/1 treble landed on Wednesday night, I'm back with another trifecta for Friday night's NBA action.

My NBA betting tips for Friday will focus on New York's encounter with Indiana, Memphis' Western Conference bout with Houston and an all-Pacific divisional clash between the Lakers and Suns.

Today's NBA Odds

New York Knicks vs Indiana Pacers - Moneyline - Knicks @ 2/5

The Knicks will look to get back to winning ways in front of their own fans at Madison Square Garden on Friday night (00:30 Saturday, live on TNT Sports 4), when they take on the Indiana Pacers.

Tom Thibodeau's side suffered a humiliating opening-night defeat to the reigning champions Boston Celtics, while Indiana cruised to a comfortable victory over Detroit.

After making several big moves during the off-season, the Knicks had the perfect platform to showcase their championship credentials on Tuesday night, but they were comprehensively beaten 132-109 by the Celtics, who many expect to win back-to-back titles this term.

It was a poor showing for a Knicks team that is expected to go deep into the post-season, and they now have the chance to get back to winning ways against the team that knocked out of last year's play-offs in a thrilling series that finished 4-3.

Indiana were one of the surprise packages last season, reaching the Eastern Conference finals, as well as the In-Season Tournament final where they eventually lost to the Lakers. They've managed to retain the core of their roster, so Rick Carlisle will be hoping his team can put in another strong showing year.

The Pacers represent another stern challenge for the Knicks but I'm expecting New York to amends for the Celtics defeat here, especially in front of a rowdy MSG crowd.

Houston Rockets vs Memphis Grizzlies - Moneyline - Grizzlies @ 6/5

My next pick comes from the Toyota Center in Houston, where the Rockets take on the Memphis Grizzlies.

Houston were narrowly beaten by the Charlotte Hornets in their season opener, surrendering an 11-point lead, and there will be frustration within the Rockets camp, as they let a winnable game slip away.

Head coach Ime Udoka, who led the Boston Celtics to the NBA Finals in 2022, will no doubt look to address Houston's shortcomings ahead of the visit of Memphis, but they struggled to close out games last year, too.

Meanwhile, Ja Morant proved the anticipation over his return was justified on Wednesday night in the Grizzlies' 126-124 triumph over the Utah Jazz.

Morant was the star of the show in the season opener, dropping 22 points, 10 assists and five rebounds in his first match since a shoulder injury ended his 2023/24 season back in January.

Houston will hope they can learn from their mistakes and get back on track here, but I'm taking Memphis, who I believe can come up with big plays at crucial times.

Los Angeles Lakers vs Phoenix Suns - Moneyline - Lakers @ 10/13

My final pick comes from the Pacific divisional match-up between the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns from the Crypto.com Arena.

The JJ Redick era got underway in style as the Lakers were 110-103 victors over fellow Western Conference outfit the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday - their first victory on opening night in six years.

It was also a historic night for the NBA as LeBron James shared the court with his son Bronny to become the first father-son duo to feature in the league, after the latter was selected in this year's draft by LA.

Anthony Davis shone the brightest for the Lakers though, scoring 36 points, along with 16 rebounds to cap off a dominant display.

The Suns also won their opening game over the Los Angeles Clippers in the newly-built Intuit Dome on Thursday. Kevin Durant led the Phoenix comeback, after trailing by 10 points in the fourth quarter, and eventually the Suns won in overtime.

This clash marks the third meeting in three weeks between the teams, after sharing the results in pre-season, and I fancy the Lakers to come out on top here and continue building momentum.

Check out the rest of our NBA Betting Tips here.