DraftKings Odds: Friday night basketball on ESPN

It’s Friday night, and unless you’re considerably cooler than the author of this article, you know what that means - it’s time for ESPN basketball.

It’s also time to place some bets if that’s your type of thing. If it is, do it with DraftKings. They’ve got all your NBA betting needs covered.

There are plenty of great games to choose from on ESPN this evening, but a couple of them stand above the rest.

Boston Celtics vs. Brooklyn Nets 6:30 CST

If you’re a Houston Rockets fan, every Nets game is must-see TV. There’s every reason to hope they'll lose.

Tonight, there’s every reason to expect them to as well. The Boston Celtics have the second-best record in the NBA behind the Milwaukee Bucks. They are comfortably the better team in this matchup.

With that in mind, I’d recommend taking the Celtics at -11. Play it safe here. The Nets have an interesting group - the number of plus defenders on this roster is staggering. They’re also lacking the type of offensive player who can carry a team on their own. The Celtics have two, in addition to a similar cast of defensive specialists.

By that logic, I’m going to recommend the under on Jaylen Brown scoring 24.5 points. The Nets have the horses to contain one of Tatum or Brown, and it’s most likely to be Brown. DraftKings has the odds set at -110, so a ten-dollar bet pays out $19.09.

Memphis Grizzlies vs. Denver Nuggets 9:00 CST

On the West coast, it’s a clash of the titans as the two top teams in the conference square off.

This is another matchup where you might not want to bet on the underdog. The Grizzlies are a contender, but they just recently snapped an eight-game road losing streak. They snapped that streak against the Rockets.

If you’re reading this, you’re well aware of how meaningless that is.

This team has struggled on the road. That doesn't bode well in a matchup against the Nuggets. The Grizzlies are also without Steven Adams, a big body that would be useful against Nikola Jokic. Stick with Denver at -105.

If you are feeling a little brave, take the under on Nikola Jokic slinging 9.5 dimes. Without Adams, the Grizzlies may be ill-equipped to handle Big Honey. Jaren Jackson Jr. is a fantastic team defender, but he’s a little thin to contain Jokic one-on-one. The reigning MVP should be able to call his own number on a more regular basis tonight. The under is set at +125, so a ten-dollar bet earns you $22.50.

Check out DraftKings SportsBook, the official sportsbook partner of SB Nation.