NBA Best Bets Today: November 8 Picks & Predictions
Most of the attention might be on the NFL this Sunday, but that doesn’t mean we should ignore the 7-game NBA slate coming our way. An early 76ers vs Pistons tip gets us going at 3.30 pm ET, followed by the Lakers vs Pistons clash at 6 pm ET on NBA TV. I went a perfect 3-0 on yesterday's bets, so let’s try and close out the week on a high note!
I’ve analyzed all 7 games, so you don’t have to and I’ve come up with my 3 favorite NBA Picks for Sunday. As always we have you covered with predictions on the side and total for every game, but for now let’s concentrate on my selections!
NBA Best Bet: Detroit Pistons -4.5 Point Spread over LA Lakers (-112)
Yes, the Lakers are the most prolific offense in the NBA right now and yes, Luka Doncic is putting up Wilt Chamberlain like numbers to start the year. However, they’ve not faced a defensive minded team like the Pistons up to this point. Detroit has been able to stay consistent on that end despite losing their best interior defender Jalen Duren. They allow the fewest points at 101.8 per game, limiting teams to just 12.4 ppg on the fastbreak (5th) and also clogging the paint and allowing just 40.5 ppg down low (4th).
That’s all great, but you might be asking how do they contain a player who is averaging 45 ppg in the month of November and is coming off a 53-point performance? They don’t, all they have to do is make every shot difficult for Luka and if they are successful the Lakers will be in trouble. As much as I am a fan of the individual performances we’re seeing from Luka, in today’s modern NBA it’s really hard to beat the elite teams when you rely so much on just one player. Detroit is on a 4-game win streak in this match-up, sweeping the last two regular season series. I have them covering on Sunday.
Check out our LA Lakers vs Detroit Pistons Predictions
NBA Best Bet: Boston Celtics -12.5 Point Spread over Milwaukee Bucks (-110)
On paper this should be one of the easier bets on Sunday’s slate – on one side we have the East contending Boston Celtics who are off to a flying 7-2 start. They’ll play a Bucks team that’s won just once in 9 outings and is currently on a 7-game slide. These two teams actually played each other just 3 days ago and the Cs escaped with a narrow 7-point win. They showed a lot of character in that win, taking care of business while their best player Jayson Tatum takes the night off.
With so little time in between the two meetings, the Celtics have a general idea on how the Bucks will play here. This team has really struggled on the offensive end, ranking just 22nd with 109.7 ppg scored. They’re not the biggest of teams down low, nor do they have a reliable fastbreak option to throw it to once they get stops. The Celtics are just a more complete team, right now they have the 2nd best Net Rating in the NBA at +10.3 points. I’ll back them to win in a blowout here.
NBA Best Bet: Zach LaVine Over 20.5 Points vs Miami Heat (-112)
Let’s face it, at 1-8 overall and still without a home win in four attempts, the Kings are going nowhere this season. They have a 19-year-old rookie taking all the shots in Darius Acuff Jr., it’s only a matter of time they pull the plug and trade all their valuable pieces (if you can even call them that) for draft picks. One of those pieces is Zach LaVine. Despite the obvious flaws in his game, he can still light it up offensively at time. The former Bulls guard is averaging 22.1 ppg, he’s scored over 20 points in all but two of the games he’s played in this season.
Believe it or not the Kings and Heat are very similar defensively, they rank 28th and 29th in points allowed per game. That is great news for all the neutrals watching and for LaVine as he tries to redeem himself after a sub-par night against the Spurs where he had just 14 points on 4-for-12 from the field. Miami allows 40.4% of threes to go in, so hopefully LaVine can get it going early from deep and cash on this line for the 8th time in 10 games.
