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The New York Knicks will take the court without Jalen Brunson on Friday for the first time this season, as the team's star point guard suffered an ankle injury on Wednesday. However, no other New York player was listed on the morning injury report, meaning the Knicks should still have talented players such as Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, enough for the SportsLine Projection Model to make the Knicks to cover as 5.5-point favorites as one of its early best sports bets in a 7 p.m. ET contest.

The model is also backing Illinois State to cover as 16.5-point underdogs against USC in college basketball, and one of SportsLine's top experts has a pick on Louisville vs. Clemson in college football in its Friday early best bets. 

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Whether you're looking into NBA betting, college football betting, college basketball betting, or anything else on the Friday sports schedule, there are a number of online sports betting options, and our team can help point you in the right direction. Our computer model and experts will weigh in on all of the biggest events every day, and they're offering their top sports betting picks right now.

Friday's early best bets

  • Knicks (-5.5) vs. Heat
  • Illinois State +16.5 vs. USC
  • Louisville vs. Clemson: Over 51.5 total points

Combining these three picks into a Wednesday parlay at FanDuel would result in a payout of +596 (risk $100 to win $596). Bet it at FanDuel here:

Friday NBA best bets 

  • Game: Miami Heat vs. New York Knicks
  • The Pick: Knicks -5.5 (-110)

The Knicks are 7-4 this season, including 7-1 at home, as they host the Heat on Friday. Even with Jalen Brunson (ankle) out, the Knicks have enough talent to win and cover the spread in this one, led by Karl-Anthony Towns, who is averaging 20.2 points and 12.6 rebounds per game this season. The Knicks won all three head-to-head meetings against Miami last season, including their only home matchup by 21 points. The model projects the Knicks to cover in 63% of simulations.

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Friday college basketball best bets 

  • Game: Illinois State Redbirds vs. USC Trojans (7 p.m. ET)
  • The Pick: Illinois State +16.5 (-112)

Illinois State can't compete with USC in brand appeal, but the Redbirds are coming off a 22-win season, and they return their top two scorers from last year's successful team. Chase Walker, a 6-foot-7 junior forward, led Illinois in scoring (15.2 ppg) and rebounds (6.2 per game) last season, while junior guard Johnny Kinziger was second in scoring at 14.6 ppg. USC lost its top three leading scorers from last year as a new lineup is still developing chemistry in the early parts of the season. The model views 16.5 points as simply too many points to give a team with returning top talent from a 20-win season, as the model projects Illinois State to cover the spread in 75% of simulations.

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Friday college football best bets 

  • Game: Clemson Tigers vs. Louisville Cardinals (7:30 p.m. ET)
  • The Pick: Clemson +2.5 (-108

"It's been a disappointing campaign for Dabo Swinney's Clemson, sitting only 4-5 into tonight. Yet the Tigers have been better since a late-September bye...as long as QB Cade Klubnik is available, which he will be Friday night," legendary SportsLine expert Bruce Marshall said. "Dabo's boys also have revenge on their minds after last year's 33-21 home loss to the Cards. Ever since the rousing upset at Miami in mid-October, the 'Ville has looked flat, laboring vs. heavy underdogs BC and VPI before losing outright at home last week to near-three TD dog California. As he did last season at USC when a fast start in September preceded getting benched in November, Card QB Miller Moss has seen his effectiveness plummet as this season progresses."

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