The NBA team with the longest current winning streak is not the defending champion Thunder, who have won 10 in a row. Nor is it the red-hot Spurs, who are 20-2 over their last 22 games, or the Lakers, who thanks to the shrewd moves of former Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison, are on an eight-game winning streak.
No, the NBA team with the longest current winning streak is Atlanta. The Hawks have won 11 straight and haven’t lost in a month. Their late-season surge has vaulted the team from ninth place to sixth in the Eastern Conference. If they can maintain a top-six spot, they would avoid the play-in tournament.
On Friday, Atlanta will put its NBA-best winning streak on the line when it faces Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center.
Unlike the Hawks, the Rockets (41-27) enter Friday’s game riding the struggle bus. Houston has lost three of its last four and six of its last 10. The team is coming off back-to-back losses at home to the Lakers when the teams were battling for the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.
Houston is a 3.5-point favorite over Atlanta on Friday.
While Hawks vs. Rockets is the marquee non-college basketball attraction on Friday, there are other options on a sporting landscape that includes five other NBA matchups and a five-game NHL slate. Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Friday, March 20. All times Eastern.
NBA best bets, where to watch
Warriors at Pistons
Time: 7:30 p.m. | Location: Detroit | TV: NBA League Pass | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick — Model: Pistons -5.5
No Cade? No problem. In their first game without star point guard Cade Cunningham, who is out at least two weeks with a collapsed lung, the Detroit Pistons cruised to a 117-95 victory over the Wizards last night. Led by Jalen Duren (24 points, 11 rebounds), the Pistons led by 21 points after one quarter and never trailed. On Friday, they will host a Golden State team that has lost six of its last seven, is in the midst of a six-game East Coast road trip and will again be without Steph Curry. The SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every NBA game 10,000 times, says Detroit has a 59.0% chance to cover and assigns a C grade to Pistons -5.5.
Hawks at Rockets
Time: 8 p.m. | Location: Houston | TV: NBA TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick — Model: Rockets -3.5
Let’s put the Hawks’ 11-game winning streak in perspective. Eight of the 11 wins have come against four of the worst 10 teams in the league: two wins apiece over the Nets, Wizards, Bucks and Mavericks. The streak also includes a victory against the Blazers (sans Deni Avdija) and the Sixers (without Joel Embiid). While the Rockets have been struggling, they’re not one of the worst 10 teams in the league. Earlier this season, Houston beat Atlanta by 18, though the Hawks played shorthanded that night. The SportsLine Projection Model says the Rockets have a 58.0% chance to cover and gives a C grade to Houston -3.5.
Trail Blazers at Timberwolves
Time: 8 p.m. | Location: Minneapolis | TV: NBA League Pass | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick — Model: Timberwolves -2.5
The Minnesota Timberwolves will try to continue their climb up the Western Conference standings when they host the Portland Trail Blazers at the Target Center. The Timberwolves (43-27) are 16-8 over their last 24 games to rise to fourth in the West, just two games behind the third-place Lakers. Minnesota has won its last two games despite playing without Anthony Edwards, who will miss Friday’s game — and likely more — with knee inflammation. The Timberwolves have won each of the first three meetings this season against the Blazers, by four, 24 and three points. The SportsLine Projection Model says Minnesota has a 71.0% chance to cover and assigns a B grade to Timberwolves -2.5.
Celtics at Grizzlies
Time: 8 p.m. | Location: Memphis | TV: NBA League Pass | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick — Model: Over 229.5 | Expert: Baylor Scheierman Over 4.5 Rebounds -138 (Mike Barner)
Jayson Tatum has been back for the Celtics for six games now, but his return hasn’t cut into Baylor Scheierman’s playing time. The 25-year-old Scheierman is averaging 28.5 minutes per game over the last six contests. He also has averaged 7.5 rebounds over that stretch, grabbing at least five rebounds in each of those games. On Friday, Scheierman and the Celtics take on the tank-tastic Grizzlies, who, Barner notes, have allowed the sixth-most rebounds per game in the league over their last 10 games. “Even if the Celtics don’t sit some of their starters, they could give them limited minutes, which would help Scheierman,” he says. Meanwhile, the SportsLine Projection Model says there’s a 51.1% chance the teams combine for 230 points or more and gives a C grade to Over 229.5.
NHL best bets, where to watch
Hurricanes at Maple Leafs
Time: 7 p.m. | Location: Toronto | TV: NHL Net | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick — Model: Over 6.5
The Toronto Maple Leafs‘ disaster of a season got worse last week when captain Auston Matthews was lost for the rest of the season with a torn MCL. No team in the NHL allows more shots per game (32.2) than the Maple Leafs, and just three teams give up more goals per game (3.43). The SportsLine Projection Model is expecting a lot of goals in Friday’s matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes, who average 3.47 goals per game (fourth best in the league). The model says there’s a 50.6% chance the teams combine for seven goals or more and assigns a C grade to Over 6.5.
