NBA Best Bets Today: October 29 Picks & Predictions

Thursday night basketball features the Cavs at the Hawks at 8:00 pm ET, the Kings at the Pelicans in a battle of the West's two remaining winless teams, and Morant and the Blazers taking on his former team, the Grizzlies.

I've singled out my three favorite NBA Best Bets for Thursday's slate, but as always we've got you covered with expert analysis and NBA Picks for every game, every day! Let's jump right into it.

NBA Best Bet: Ja Morant (POR) over 23.5 Points + Assists (-121)

Odds available at Novig at the time of publishing. Playable to 24.5 (+100).

Morant plays his old team in his new home and his Points + Assists total sits at 23.5. Against the Lakers on Tuesday he shot an efficient 9 of 13, leading the Blazers to a 3-0 start with 23 points, tied for the team high, and four assists. His minutes have increased every game, 23 to 27 to 31, and the lone night he played 30+ minutes he cleared this total with room.

Through three games, Portland is the best offense in the league, averaging 129 points per game, six points ahead of the next-best Lakers. Ja seems to be enjoying playing alongside Damian Lillard and is set to play big minutes in a revenge game against the team that drafted him.

The Grizzlies are the most surprising of the four remaining undefeated teams. Memphis is built on the sixth-best defense and one of the slowest paces in the league, so this game will look different than the 136-129 track meet Portland ran at Crypto.com Arena. That is why I like points plus assists in this spot. In the two games Morant has been held under 15 points, he has dished out eight and seven assists. We are getting a fair price on his P+A total and he's in a great spot to clear it on a night he has had circled for months.

Read our full Grizzlies vs Blazers Predictions

NBA Best Bet: Atlanta Hawks ML over Cleveland Cavaliers (-104)

Odds available at Polymarket at the time of publishing. Playable to -120.

Atlanta has lost three straight, two of them to Houston, and it is fair to say Wednesday's loss to Miami was ugly. The Hawks gave up 70 points in the paint at home. Both teams are on the second night of a back-to-back, but Cleveland flew to Atlanta after their win against Washington. The Wizards were the better team for much of the night, as the Cavs had more turnovers and were outscored 66-46 in the paint. Harden shot just 5 of 18 and Mitchell looked sluggish with 13 shot attempts and five turnovers.

Last season, these teams split four games, and the home team won every one of them. Jalen Johnson is averaging a near triple-double through five games and Cleveland's defense has allowed an average of 117.8 points per game. With the Hawks averaging 120 points per game, I will take the home team with the slight rest advantage at a coin-flip price. Give me the Hawks for their first home win of the season.

Check out our Cavs vs Hawks Predictions

NBA Best Bet: Sacramento Kings ML over New Orleans Pelicans (+203)

Odds available at Polymarket at the time of publishing. Playable to +170.

New Orleans is 0-4 after Wednesday's loss to Denver at home. They will stay in NOLA for Thursday's 8:00 pm ET tip against Sacramento. Zion Williamson's scoring has been about the only bright spot through four games but he has yet to grab more than five rebounds.

Jordan Poole left Wednesday's game with an ankle injury and is listed day to day, although he really hasn't made much of an impact since leaving the Warriors. To add insult to injury, Yves Missi remains out, leaving DeAndre Jordan to start at center against Domantas Sabonis, who is averaging 16 rebounds a game. The Pelicans are a bottom-six defense and have given up 122 a night. Sabonis against Jordan on a back-to-back is a matchup Sacramento can win.

The Kings are 0-4 themselves and missing Keegan Murray and both backup centers. However, they had Wednesday off after Tuesday's loss in San Antonio, and will make a short trip over to NOLA. Sacramento will look to Zach LaVine, who is averaging 27 points a game, to get their first win of the season. Two winless teams, one on a back-to-back, and the rested one is getting plus money. I like the Kings at +203.

Check out our Kings vs Pelicans Predictions