Here’s a short — and incomplete — list of amazing recoveries from injuries: Kobe Bryant coming back just 240 days after tearing his Achilles tendon, and Steve Austin returning “better, stronger, faster” after his horrifying accident. The former occurred in Hollywood; the latter was created by Hollywood.
While Jayson Tatum’s recovery from a torn Achilles has taken slightly longer than Bryant’s and is not on the same level as the fictional Six Million Dollar Man’s, the comeback is just as remarkable. Consider: Just 288 days ago, the Boston Celtics star forward suffered his injury in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Knicks. But on Friday, he is expected to make his return to the court in his season debut for the Celtics against the Dallas Mavericks.
For comparison: Kevin Durant took 561 days to return from his Achilles injury, and Klay Thompson needed 416.
If Tatum can be a contributor so soon after the injury, he could be the difference in a tight race to win the East. The Celtics (41-21) sit in second place in the conference, 4½ games behind the Pistons (45-16). The Knicks (40-23) and Cavaliers (39-24) are six and seven games back, respectively.
Tatum’s return already has moved the Eastern Conference odds at DraftKings. Just two weeks ago, Cleveland was the favorite to win the East, at +300, ahead of Boston (+310), Detroit (+350) and New York (+380). Now, the Celtics (+240) are the favorites, ahead of the Cavaliers (+300), Pistons (+380) and Knicks (+400).
For Friday night, Boston is a big 15.5-point favorite over Dallas.
While Tatum’s return is the marquee attraction on Friday, there are other options on a sporting landscape that includes six other NBA games and a partial college basketball schedule. Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Friday, March 6. All times Eastern.
NBA best bets, where to watch
Mavericks at Celtics
Time: 7 p.m. | Location: Boston | TV: ESPN | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick — Model: Celtics -15.5
There aren’t many softer spots for Tatum to return to the court than Friday’s against the Mavericks. Dallas has lost five in a row and 15 of its last 17. Granted, No. 1 overall pick and do-it-all rookie Cooper Flagg missed nine of those games, but, strangely, the Mavericks won two of those games while losing the eight he did play over that stretch. Dallas ranks 26th in the NBA in offensive rating (109.9 points per 100 possessions), while Boston is second (119.9). The SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, says the Celtics have a 69.0% chance to cover and assigns a B grade to Boston -15.5.
Clippers at Spurs
Time: 9:30 p.m. | Location: San Antonio | TV: ESPN | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick — Model: Spurs -6.5
Check out this current six-game homestand for the San Antonio Spurs: Pistons (last night), Clippers, Rockets, Celtics, Nuggets and Hornets. Those six teams are all in the playoff hunt and combine for a record of 225-145 (60.8 winning percentage). But there is no team in the NBA arguably hotter right now than the Spurs (45-17), who are 13-1 over their last 14 games. They are coming off a 121-106 blowout of Eastern Conference-leading Detroit on Thursday in a game in which they never trailed. On Friday they will square off against a Los Angeles Clippers squad that will be playing without newly acquired point guard Darius Garland (toe). The SportsLine Projection Model says San Antonio has a 67.0% chance to cover and gives a B grade to Spurs -6.5.
College basketball best bets, where to watch
VCU at Dayton
Time: 7 p.m. | Location: Dayton, Ohio | TV: ESPN2 | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick — Model: VCU +109
The VCU Rams can strengthen their case to make the NCAA Tournament when they hit the road to face the Dayton Flyers at Dayton Arena. The Rams (21-9, 12-5 in Atlantic 10) are currently one of CBS Sports’ Bracketology’s Last Four In and are widely considered a bubble team for the tournament. Their strength lies in getting to the free throw line; they rank eighth in the country in free throws made per game (19.5). In the matchup earlier this season against the Flyers, VCU made 31 of 38 from the charity stripe and blew out Dayton, 99-73, in a game that was never in doubt once the Rams took control late in the first half. The SportsLine Projection Model says VCU has a 53.0% chance to win and assigns a B grade to the Rams money line (+109).
No. 18 St. John’s at Seton Hall
Time: 9 p.m. | Location: Newark, N.J. | TV: FS1 | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: St. John’s -4.5 | Expert: First Half Under 64.5 (Chip Patterson)
When these teams met on Jan. 20, the Seton Hall Pirates built a 15-point lead early in the second half over the St. John’s Red Storm before Rick Pitino’s squad roared back for a 65-60 victory. Patterson believes that St. John’s will benefit from how that game played out. “Now Pitino, who should have the team dialed in after a scare against Georgetown, can put in the adjustments to make sure a Seton Hall offense that has not been dominant in Big East play does not have the same success,” he says. In addition, Patterson notes that the Under has gone 11-5 in Pirates home games this season. Meanwhile, the SportsLine Projection Model says the Red Storm have a 55.0% chance to cover and gives a C grade to St. John’s -4.5.
No. 19 Miami (Ohio) at Ohio
Time: 9 p.m. | Location: Athens, Ohio. | TV: ESPN2 | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Miami (Ohio) -5.5
The Miami (Ohio) RedHawks can finish the regular season as the only undefeated team in the nation when they face the rival Ohio Bobcats on Friday. The RedHawks (30-0, 17-0 in MAC) already have set the school record for wins in a season, but despite being undefeated they still have their doubters. Former Auburn coach Bruce Pearl recently said about Miami, “They’re not built for the grind of a Big Ten or even a Big East. In the Big East conference this year, they’d finish in the lower half.” The SportsLine Projection Model, however, is not one of those RedHawks doubters — at least not tonight. It says Miami, which beat the Bobcats, 90-74, earlier this season, has a 57.0% chance to cover and assigns a C grade to RedHawks -5.5.
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