Friday's sports slate features a pair of NBA matchups and three college football games with betting implications. In the NBA, the Portland Trail Blazers (6-1) visit the Los Angeles Lakers (7-2) at 10 p.m. ET, with the Lakers listed as 2.5-point favorites. The Blazers' best win this season came against the Lakers last week, 136-129, behind 23 points each from Deni Avdija and Ja Morant. The SportsLine Projection Model gives Los Angeles a 61% chance to cover the spread, while prop expert Doug "Prop Bet Guy" Kralstein favors Toumani Camara to make over 2.5 three-pointers.
Earlier at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Philadelphia 76ers face the Cleveland Cavaliers. Cleveland won the first meeting 114-106 despite a 32-point effort from Tyrese Maxey. The model projects a 62% chance for the Cavaliers to cover as 2.5-point underdogs, assigning a 'B' grade to the line.
In college football, the Virginia Tech Hokies (6-2, 3-2 ACC) visit the SMU Mustangs (6-2, 4-2) at 7 p.m. ET in an ACC elimination game. SMU is a 6.5-point favorite; the model gives the Mustangs a 60% chance to cover, while expert Emory Hunt backs Virginia Tech +6.5.
At 8 p.m. ET, the Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-3, 2-3 Big Ten) travel to face the Illinois Fighting Illini (5-3, 3-2). Nebraska is a 4-point road favorite despite a three-game losing streak. The model favors Nebraska with a 56% cover probability, but analyst Tom Fornelli prefers Illinois on the moneyline.
The late game pits TCU (4-4, 2-3 Big 12) against No. 24 Arizona (6-2, 3-2) at 10:15 p.m. ET. The model projects a 63.7% chance the total exceeds 46.5 points, grading the over an 'A', while Eric Cohen leans under 45.5 citing strong defenses.
