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The opening week of the NBA regular season continues on Friday, and there will be 12 matchups taking place this evening. The Boston Celtics (0-1) travel to play the New York Knicks (1-0) in an Atlantic Division showdown at 7:30 p.m. ET. Boston lost their season opener 117-116 to the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday. On the other side of the court, New York beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 119-111. According to the latest NBA odds at FanDuel Sportsbook, the Knicks are a 4.5-point favorite and the Over/Under is 229.5. Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets (0-1) and the Detroit Pistons (0-1) link up at 8 p.m. ET. The Golden State Warriors (2-0) host the Portland Trail Blazers (0-1) at 10 p.m. ET as well. Three NBA picks, including the Knicks, Rockets, and Warriors, are part of an NBA parlay at FanDuel Sportsbook that pays out over 6-1.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past seven seasons. The model enters the 2025-26 NBA season on a sizzling 160-118 roll on all top-rated NBA picks, returning nearly $4,000. It also went 24-11 (69%) on top-rated NBA against-the-spread picks last season. Anyone following its NBA betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.

Three Friday NBA betting picks (odds subject to change): 

  • Celtics vs. Knicks (-4.5)
  • Pistons vs. Rockets (-6.5)
  • Trail Blazers vs. Warriors (-1)

Combining the model's three picks into an NBA at FanDuel would result in a payout of +602 (risk $100 to win $602).

Celtics vs. Knicks (-4.5) (-106, FanDuel)

This is the first contest between these teams since the second round of the NBA playoffs last spring, where the Knicks eliminated the Celtics in six games. Boston is still finding itself with Jayson Tatum sidelined and Al Horford gone. Meanwhile, New York is coming off an eight-point win, where they covered the 1.5-point spread. Last season, New York was 23-20-1 ATS as the home favorite and 33-27-1 ATS with one day off. SportsLine's model has New York covering the spread in 56% of simulations. 

Pistons vs. Rockets (-6.5) (-110, FanDuel)

The Rockets took the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder to double overtime before losing by one. In the process, they poured in 124 points, with four players tallying double-digit points. They also covered the spread, as they went into the game as 6.5-point underdogs. Meanwhile, the Pistons lost 115-111 to the Chicago Bulls after being three-point favorites. Last season, Houston went 19-14 ATS after a loss, and SportsLine's model predicts the Rockets cover the spread in 63% of simulations.

Trail Blazers vs. Warriors (+1.5) (-112, FanDuel)

The Warriors have started the season off 2-0, including a 137-131 overtime win over the Denver Nuggets last night. Both Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler have scored at least 20 points in the first two games, while the Warriors have shot 48% or better from the field. Golden State has also beaten the Trail Blazers in nine straight games, and SportsLine's model has them covering the spread in 67% of simulations.