Friday's NBA slate brings eight games with some interesting lines for degenerates to dissect. Houston rolling into Philly as road favorites, Denver facing the Wizards, and Boston laying nearly double digits against Brooklyn.

The Quick Hit

• Featured Game: Rockets at 76ers, Houston -2.5, O/U 221.5
• Biggest Favorite: Nuggets -6.5 at Wizards
• Home Underdogs: 76ers +2.5, Nets +8.5
• Why you should care: Several ATS trends screaming for attention

Houston Rockets at Philadelphia 76ers (-2.5)

The Rockets (26-15) roll into Philadelphia as road favorites, which says everything about where these two franchises are right now. Houston has been one of the surprise stories of the season, while the Sixers (23-19) continue to frustrate bettors with inconsistency.

Lines: Rockets -2.5 (-105), 76ers +2.5 (-115), O/U 221.5

The concerning trend for Houston: they're 2-9 ATS in their last 11 games. The total has gone under in 10 of their last 12. If you're backing the Rockets, you're fading some ugly recent numbers.

Boston Celtics at Brooklyn Nets (+8.5)

The Celtics continue to be pricing machines. Boston is laying 8.5 points in Brooklyn, and the over/under is set at a modest 216.5 points.

Lines: Celtics -8.5 (-110), Nets +8.5 (-110), O/U 216.5

Brooklyn is 5-5 ATS in their last 10 while going 2-8 SU. The Nets have been a cover machine at times this year despite being terrible, so the 8.5 points might be interesting if you believe in garbage time heroics.

Boston is 15-7-1 ATS on the road this season—their best split—compared to 10-10 at home. They cover more away from TD Garden.

Denver Nuggets at Washington Wizards (+6.5)

The Nuggets (29-15) visit the disaster zone that is Washington (10-32). Denver is laying 6.5 with a total of 226.5.

Lines: Nuggets -6.5 (-105), Wizards +6.5 (-115), O/U 226.5, Denver ML -258

Jokic against the Wizards should be entertaining. We've seen the MVP do damage against inferior competition all season, and Washington qualifies as extremely inferior. The question is whether 6.5 is enough.

Other Games on the Board

Charlotte Hornets at Orlando Magic (-5.5) — Magic laying 5.5 at home, O/U 223.5. Orlando has been solid, Hornets have been a mess.

Golden State Warriors (-2.5) — The late game featuring the Warriors as small favorites.

The Trends to Watch

The under has been printing for Houston lately—10 of their last 12 games have gone under the total. If you're playing Rockets-Sixers, the under 221.5 has momentum behind it.

Boston on the road is money ATS. The Celtics travel well and don't take their foot off the gas, making them reliable covers even at big numbers.

The Bottom Line

Friday's slate has some value in the margins. Houston as road favorites feels wrong, but their ATS slide is concerning. Boston covering on the road is what they do. And Denver should handle Washington, but 6.5 asks a lot when starters sit in the fourth quarter of blowouts.

The Thunder are still the championship favorites, but Denver is quietly putting together a strong season. Watch how they handle the easy games before trusting them in the playoffs.