Friday’s 12-game NBA slate was full of surprises, with road teams and lower-seeded squads stealing the show. The Chicago Bulls knocked off the Milwaukee Bucks 132-125 in the day’s opener, while the Atlanta Hawks delivered one of the most lopsided results of the evening, routing the Charlotte Hornets 128-81. The Dallas Mavericks topped the Indiana Pacers 121-105, the Houston Rockets edged the San Antonio Spurs 114-110, and the Detroit Pistons cruised past the Miami Heat 128-111. On the flip side, the Los Angeles Lakers handled the Clippers 125-117 in the night’s marquee matchup, and the Utah Jazz held off the New Orleans Pelicans in a thriller, 120-119.
The XO Sports model had a challenging day, going 5-7 across the 12 games. Correct calls included Minnesota over Orlando, Toronto over Washington, Detroit over Miami, the Lakers over the Clippers, and Portland over Sacramento. The model was tripped up most notably in Charlotte, where it favored the Hornets heavily but Atlanta ran away with it, and in San Antonio, where it backed the Spurs with solid confidence but Houston prevailed. No top picks were designated for the slate.