Eight games make up the NBA schedule on Friday, March 8 with an ESPN doubleheader featuring the hottest team in the league. Following a comeback win over the LA Clippers on Tuesday, their sixth straight, the Milwaukee Bucks battle the Los Angeles Lakers in the second of a four-game west coast trip on ESPN at 10 p.m. ET. Their chances of catching the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference standings are slim but the Bucks have conformed to the ways of Doc Rivers moving into second place and paying off backers with all six wins against the NBA betting line. A commitment to defense has also paid off with the Bucks 9-0-1 against the UNDER as a NBA odds pick in that span. They are a good target for a NBA parlay at Caesars sportsbook.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are jostling with Milwaukee for the No. 2 spot in the East and pulled off a dramatic 105-104 win over Boston on Tuesday ending the Celtics’ 11-game winning streak. The Cavs were struggling before that victory going 4-5 in their previous nine games with just one win as a NBA pick against the spread. The Cavs host Western Conference leading Minnesota in the first game of ESPN’s doubleheader at 7:30 p.m. ET. Another tussle between teams currently in the top six of their respective conference has the Miami Heat visiting the Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC is the second most profitable team in the NBA with a cover rate of 63.3 percent as a NBA line pick.

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NBA Schedule for Friday, March 8

New Orleans at Philadelphia, 7 p.m. ET

Charlotte at Washington, 7 p.m. ET

Minnesota at Cleveland, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Orlando at New York, 7:30 p.m. ET

Atlanta at Memphis, 8 p.m. ET

Miami at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m. ET

Milwaukee at LA Lakers, 10 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Houston at Portland, 10 p.m. ET

If I went with just my individual bets at Caesars sportsbook I’d be turning a minor profit, but playing parlays make it more difficult to cash a winning ticket and my successes are few. However, I hit a same-game parlay last week when the Bucks covered the 4-point NBA betting line and cashed the UNDER in a 113-97 win over Chicago. The NBA season has been wildly unpredictable yet I’ve still been able to hit a majority of my single wagers. Now I just have to have all the winners on the same ticket.

Philadelphia has been in a tailspin since before they lost MVP Joel Embiid with Tuesday’s loss to Brooklyn their 13th in the last 19 games. It’s gotten so bad that the 76ers were a 1-point underdog to a team that entered the contest 13 games below .500. Meanwhile, the New Orleans Pelicans have positioned themselves firmly among the top six in the West and are just three games behind the Clips for the No. 4 seed following a 139-98 pasting of the Raptors on Tuesday. The teams met at the end of November with the Pels getting 33 points from Zion Williamson in a 124-114 win and cover against the Embiid-less Sixers.

The Miami at OKC match strikes me as being the most intriguing on the slate. The Heat don’t really care about their seeding since they reached the NBA Finals last season after surviving the play-in tournament and the roster has been through the grind. But they’ve been solid lately going 7-1 since a loss to Boston on Feb. 11 while covering the NBA point spread in six of those games.

It’s a different story for the Thunder, who are looking to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in four years. I guess it’s all about perspective. The Thunder have been one of the more efficient offensive teams and they’re catching the Heat in the second of a road back-to-back giving them an advantage that makes OKC a NBA best bet.

Part of the reason for the Bucks making a mid-season coaching was because their defense was atrocious. After a few games to get his feet wet in his new surroundings, Doc Rivers has turned the club around with defense leading the way. During their winning streak the Bucks yielded an average of fewer than 99 points while holding four opponents to fewer than 100 points. They came from behind to beat the Clips on Monday without Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton and they should be able to slow down a Lakers group to cash the UNDER on the NBA betting line again.

NBA Parlay Picks for Friday, March 8

New Orleans ATS

Oklahoma City ATS

Milwaukee / LA Lakers UNDER

Bet $100 to Win $600 On This NBA Parlay at Caesars sportsbook