NBA best bets for Friday - Heat present matchup problem for Hawks

Friday offers an 11-game slate in the NBA, including the Chicago Bulls playing the Milwaukee Bucks on ESPN.

ESPN betting analysts André Snellings, Anita Marks and Eric Moody offer up their best bets.

Records Moody 25-22 Snellings 13-21 Dolan 1-0 Marks 9-9-1 Fortenbaugh 1-1 Kezirian 1-0

Odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook.

Snellings: These two teams are moving in opposite directions on the health continuum. With the return of Jrue Holiday on Wednesday, the Bucks are as healthy as they've been all season, with only Brook Lopez still missing from their rotation. The Bulls, on the other hand, are missing a significant number of starters and rotation players, most notably their starting backcourt of Zach LaVine (knee) and Lonzo Ball (knee).

Milwaukee has a net scoring margin of +11.2 points per 100 possessions this season with lineups featuring all three of Holiday, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. Meanwhile, the Bulls have lost four of their last five games with an average scoring margin of -14.0 PPG. These results came against five good teams, but they'll be facing another very good team on Friday in the defending champion Bucks. I'll give the points in a game where the Bucks should have all the advantages.

Pick: Bucks -8.5

Moody: Due to those injuries to LaVine and Ball, Nikola Vucevic should benefit from the Bulls' three-game road trip which starts on Friday in Milwaukee. LaVine has had a usage rate of 29% so far this season, while Ball has had a usage rate of 17.7%. Over the last six games, Vucevic has averaged 19.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.0 steals. DeMar DeRozan will also be relied upon to carry the offensive load for Chicago. Over the last 10 games, he has averaged 22.5 points,