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The under also makes a lot of sense here. We’ve seen a lot of games go over as the NBA has restarted, but I think we will see less and less of that as teams get their feet under them. Now that the Lakers have had a full game to shake off the defensive rust, I don’t think things will be that sloppy. These are the two teams that have averaged the fewest points per game allowed in the entire league, so we should see a defensive struggle here. As I mentioned above the Lakers don’t have too much to play for, so don’t expect them to push the pace too much. The under is also a perfect 4-0 in Los Angeles’ last four games.

I am very curious to see how games in the bubble affect scoring. Milwaukee was the highest-scoring team in the league before the hiatus, but my instinct is saying that scoring will be down in the short term. One thing I will be looking at for sure is the game between the Clippers and Lakers the night before. If that one goes over or under, I might follow suit. For now take the under.

With the restart, it seems that teams that underperformed are the ones getting all the buzz.  That definitely includes Philly who has been tinkering with playing a little differently by using Ben Simmons more inside on offense.  It still doesn’t change the fact that he can’t shoot but is less of a liability there.  The question is how much a little extra time can really help you change your stripes. I am not totally sold. Indiana was also a disappointment during the regular season but that was primarily due to injuries.  Things are not much better right now as Damontas Sabonis and Jeremy Lamb are out.  Sabonis will be especially missed as his size and skill make the Philly bigs work harder.  Now Myles Turner is kind of alone in the middle.

These teams were about even when the season stopped in March…and neither has a great chance of getting into the playoffs. The Kings are kind of interesting thanks to a young core, but injuries and illness are really going to hamper them in this spot. De’Aaron Fox and Harrison Barnes are going to have to be healthy for them to look like they did as the season was closing. They still might be in better shape than San Antonio, though. As things restart the outlook for the Spurs is really bleak. Lamarcus Aldridge had surgery in June so he is gone, costing them their second best scorer and best big.know Gregg Popovich is a master, but I’m not sure he can redeploy the pieces in a way that gets his team hot enough to make up the ground it would need to. Motivation might be as critical as anything for San Antonio and I just don’t see it. Take the Kings.

Memphis could be without shooting guard Dillon Brooks (groin), so that is a situation that needs to be monitored. Portland is missing Rodney Hood and Trevor Ariza, who were both averaging 11.0 ppg, and Lillard (foot) may be less than 100 percent. The under is 6-1 in the Grizzlies’ last seven overall and 4-0 in their last four as underdogs. It is also 5-2 in the Trail Blazers’ last seven playing on at least three days of rest. Additionally, the under is 4-1 in the last five meetings between the two teams. Go with the under.

The only good news for Brooklyn is that Caris LeVert and Joe Harris are still part of the fray. LeVert can be one of the streakiest shooters in the league and Harris is shooting 41.2 percent from three-point range this year. On the other end of the court, the Nets are allowing more than 111 points per game. Seven different Magic players are averaging double-figures (led bu Nikola Vucevic at 19.5 ppg) and they should be able to run circles around Brooklyn. This is by far the smallest total on Friday’s schedule of six NBA games, so go with the Over.