NBA Best Bets Today: October 26 Picks & Predictions
We’re into week two of the new NBA season and Monday brings us a fresh dose of action with a nine-game slate. Gameday begins with the Mavericks vs Heat clash at 7:30 pm ET on NBA TV, as Giannis Antetokounmpo looks for his first win as a member of the Heat. Stephen Curry is also looking to get into the win column; Peacock will have the Warriors vs Nuggets at 10:00 pm ET.
There are plenty of betting angles to explore for all nine games, but have no fear -- we have you covered with our NBA picks! Continue reading to see which three selections stood out for me ahead of Monday’s action-packed slate.
NBA Best Bet: Cleveland Cavaliers -3.5 over Minnesota Timberwolves (-114)
Minnesota has undoubtedly been the feel-good story in the early stages of the new NBA season. The Timberwolves are 3-0 and unbeaten in two road games, and last night they dismantled the shorthanded Toronto Raptors by 23 points. It seems like this team can do no wrong. The pairing of LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards has clicked instantly, so you will be hard pressed to find better chemistry on any roster in the NBA at the moment. Playing on a second night of a back-to-back scenario in Cleveland will be a difficult task, though.
Donovan Mitchell and company recovered well from their season-opening meltdown in Philadelphia, taking care of business against the Brooklyn Nets. Apart from the usual suspects, the Cavs have extra help from Mario Hezonja and Jaylon Tyson off the bench. I’m looking at their front-court pairing of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen to assert themselves on Monday. Their size, rebounding, and rim protection will make Edwards think twice before he attacks the basket. At 27-14 SU, they were one of the better home teams last year. The last three H2H meetings at Rocket Arena have gone the Cavs' way by an average of 14 points.
Read our Minnesota Timberwolves vs Cleveland Cavaliers predictions
NBA Best Bet: Phoenix Suns ML over Oklahoma City Thunder (+300)
Sunday’s Thunder game against the Clippers made headlines for all the wrong reasons as Jalen Williams suffered a gruesome leg injury. SGA and company did stay undefeated with a 108-101 win, but you have to wonder what kind of effect will this have on the team’s psyche moving forward. From a depth standpoint, OKC can probably make up for Williams' injury -- but there is no doubt it will feel its second-best player's absence later on in the season as well as the postseason.
Less than 24 hours after that game, the Suns come to town -- hungry to improve on their 1-1 start. Devin Booker excelled with 43 points on 17-for-25 shooting in a win over the Warriors, when ball movement was the key (he Suns dished out 33 assists as a team). It might take the Thunder a while to recover from what happened yesterday. They have very little time to come up with a completely different gameplan, so I think there’s a lot of value in backing the Suns to win outright at +300 odds.
Check out my detailed Phoenix Suns vs Oklahoma City predictions
NBA Best Bet: Alperen Sengun 1+ made threes vs Atlanta Hawks (+100)
Alperen Sengun and the Houston Rockets as a whole have been one of the more pleasant surprises in the first week of the new NBA season. At 3-0, they are top of the Western Conference -- and going into Monday’s game they have seven players averaging double-digits in the scoring column. Opponents are having a difficult time deciding who to guard. Sengun has benefited from that immensely, as his scoring average has gone up by almost 3.0 ppg from last season.
He is also more efficient from the field, while connecting on a staggering 62.5 percent of his threes. Obviously that number probably won’t hold up -- but for a player shooting that high of a percentage, we are getting a massive price for just one three to be made in this game. Atlanta has allowed the second-most triples to opposing centers this season, so I’m backing Sengun to make a three for the fourth game in a row.
Atlanta Hawks vs Houston Rockets predictions are also available
