Keegan Murray [1296x729]
Keegan Murray [1296x729] (Credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Men s college basketball comings and goings for 2024-25

The final two NBA play-in games take place Friday with Chicago at Miami and Sacramento at New Orleans.

The winner of the Bulls-Heat game will advance to play the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. The winner of the Kings-Pelicans game will play the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round. Both of those series begin Sunday.

So what are the bets to make on Friday? Our experts Andre Snellings and Eric Moody provide the ones they feel strongest about.

Keegan Murray OVER 18.5 points. Murray has cleared this line in three of his past five games. He has averaged 16.2 field goal attempts and 36.5 minutes per game over that time frame. Murray also cleared this line in his most recent game against the Pelicans back on April 11. He's in a great spot against a New Orleans team without Zion Williamson.

DeMar DeRozan OVER 1.5 1st-quarter assists. He has eclipsed this line in seven of his past eight games. DeRozan has also cleared this line in three out of four games against the Heat this season. The Heat rank 20th in assists allowed per game to shooting guards. DeRozan has averaged 9.2 minutes per game in the first quarter this season. He's well positioned to surpass this total.

Tyler Herro OVER 5.5 1st-quarter points. Miami should rely heavily on Herro since Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier are ruled out due to injuries. Herro has surpassed this line in four out of his past five games. During that time frame, he has averaged 9.5 minutes per game in the first quarter. Herro has also cleared this line in 56% of his games this season.

Nikola Vucevic OVER 27.5 points and rebounds. Bettors should ride the momentum right now since he's playing well. Vucevic has cleared this line in four of his past five games. He has averaged 17.2 field goal attempts and 15.8 rebound chances per game over that span of time. Vucevic has also had success against Bam Adebayo over the past two seasons, averaging 18.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per game over their past five games.

Projections and Injury Reports

Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com.

 Chicago Bulls at Miami Heat 7 p.m. Kaseya Center, Miami

Records (Against the Spread) Bulls: 39-43 (41-40-1) Heat: 46-36 (40-40-2)

Line: Heat (-1.5) Total: 206.5 Money Line: Bulls (+105), Heat (-125) BPI Projection: Heat by 3.7, straight up 62.1%, 213.4 total points.

Injury Report: Bulls: Alex Caruso, (GTD - Ankle); Andre Drummond, (GTD - Ankle); Ayo Dosunmu, (GTD - Quadriceps); Lonzo Ball, (OUT - Knee); Onuralp Bitim, (OUT - Eye); Patrick Williams, (OUT - Foot); Zach LaVine, (OUT - Foot) Heat: None reported

 Sacramento Kings at New Orleans Pelicans 9:30 p.m. Smoothie King Center, New Orleans

Records (Against the Spread) Kings: 46-36 (43-38-1) Pelicans: 49-33 (43-38-1)

Line: Pelicans (-1.5) Total: 210.5 Money Line: Kings (-110), Pelicans (-110) BPI Projection: Pelicans by 4.4, straight up 64.4%, 207.9 total points.

Injury Report: Kings: Malik Monk, (OUT - Knee); Kevin Huerter, (OUT - Shoulder) Pelicans: Zion Williamson, (OUT - Hamstring)