NBA picks and NBA predictions for every game of the 2019/20 season. We crunch the numbers, analyze the data, and provide free NBA expert picks each and every day. Check out our NBA best bets for our top plays on today’s games.
$300
The Oklahoma City Thunder will be playing the second game of a back-to-back situation when they go up against the Phoenix Suns on Monday afternoon. Oklahoma City faced Washington on Sunday and took care of business via a 121-103 decision. The Thunder are now 3-2 in the bubble with a 19-point win over the Lakers among their accomplishments. Phoenix is in the thick of things for a play-in series in the Western Conference. Devin Booker and company are 5-0 in the bubble, so their current form and the fact that they are obviously motivated due to being in contention are reasons for being favored in this one. That also means it is an opportunity to jump on the Thunder as underdogs, although caution must be taken since Steven Adams (leg) and Nerlens Noel (ankle) are questionable–plus there is a chance others could be rested due to the back-to-back. Right now, it doesn’t seem to matter whom head coach Billy Donovan puts around Chris Paul. For example, Darius Bazley came off the bench to score 23 points in 26 minutes on Sunday. Lean toward Oklahoma City and the points.
In all five of their bubble outings, the Suns have scored at least 114 points. Booker may not be the bubble MVP because of Indiana’s T.J. Warren, but he has already turned in three 30-point performances–including a 35-point effort during a 119-112 victory over Miami on Saturday. The winning team in each of OKC’s past two contests has produced 121 points. The over is 4-1 in the Suns’ last five against opponents with winning percentages over .600. Look for this one to go over the total.
It would probably be wise to avoid this game like the plague until Donovan Mitchell’s status is confirmed, but the Utah Jazz are underdogs even though the Dallas Mavericks will be missing both Luka Doncic (ankle) and Kristaps Porzingis (knee) on Monday. Mitchell (leg) is questionable. The Mavericks are only two games behind Utah for the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference (would avoid the Clippers in round one), but they don’t seem like they are going to go for it. That means the Jazz should see this as an opportunity to shut the door and lock up the sixth spot, which would likely garner an opening playoff showdown against Denver. Utah is a mere 2-4 so far in Orlando, but its only particularly bad performance came against Oklahoma City back on Aug. 1. Head coach Quin Snyder’s team has since righted the ship–at least a little bit. Lean toward the Jazz.
No Doncic, no Porzingis, no problem? Not so fast. They are combining to average 49.2 points per game this season and Doncic is coming off a 36-point effort against the Bucks. Either Doncic or Porzingis has led Dallas in scoring in all five bubble contests. Utah is scoring plenty of points, but keep in mind its 134-132 setback against the Nuggets on Saturday went to double-overtime. It was 105-105 at the end of regulation. Look for this one to stay under the total.
These teams are tied coming into this one so it feels like it could be important even though we are in the bubble and both of these teams already knew they were in the playoffs. Thanks to T.J. Warren, the Pacers have been better since the restart than expected. With no Damontas Sabonis they needed someone to step up but I don’t think anyone saw this kind of explosion–he has scored 32+ in four of their five games. This will be a real test for him and the rest of the team a Miami has a number of solid defenders they can run at him. Miami has been up and down in the bubble. The Heat have lost their last two, including a disappointing loss against the Suns. They are going to play Indiana twice over the next three games, so it will be interesting to see if that influences them at all strategically–especially given they might be playoff foes. Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic are questionable for this one. If neither of them go then the pendulum really swings the way of Indiana. That seems likely. Take the Pacers.
If there is no Butler and no Dragic that dramatically impacts the Heat’s ability to score and gives them basically no presence in the lane. In short, they will be bombing away from three-way more often so unless you think they are going to be red hot shooting the under is the play here. Indiana is happy to play at a modest pace and even though Warren is peaking that does not mean the Pacers are a more dynamic offensive team. They are just smartly riding the hot hand. Take the under.
The Nuggets are not quite whole, but Jamal Murray is back and that is a very good thing for their chances. In the bubble Denver has been mostly good, relying heavily on Nikola Jokic and rookie Michael Porter Jr. It gambled on him in the draft knowing it could afford to be patient and it is now being heavily rewarded. He just might be the best player in this draft, as many thought he could be when we went to Missouri. Denver is catching the Lakers in a good spot here too. That is because L.A. has not looked good in the bubble. Sure the Lakers do not have much to play for, but losing three in row has been a bad look. Speaking of looking bad, what is up with Anthony Davis? He has scored below his season average of 26.0 ppg in all but one game in the bubble and twice he has been held to single-digits. LeBron James is LeBron James, but when Davis is a no-show the Lakers look a lot like last year’s Lakers and that is not a good thing. Take Denver.
Getting Murray back makes the Nuggets a much better offensive team. He is a streaky shooter for sure but they are better able to run when he is on the floor and he can be a really good finisher. I like it when they can run with him and then use Jokic when they are forced to work in the half court. Per the above, Davis is coming off a meek eight-point performance. That should amp up his desire a little and that will help the total. He is a tough cover for Denver. Take the over.
$100
As with all major sports, the NBA season was postponed amid the Covid-19 pandemic and on June 4th the NBA’s Board of Governors approved a competitive format for the comeback of the 2019-20 season. The remainder of the 2019/20 NBA season is to be played in a ‘bubble’ at a single-site campus at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.
22 teams will take part in eight seeding matches to determine the 16 teams, eight from each conference as normal, to participate in the 2020 NBA playoffs. The 22 teams were decided upon by giving each of the 16 teams currently in a playoff spot an automatic berth, plus any team 6 games or fewer back from a playoff spot.
Each team will play their eight seeding matches and the seven teams from each conference with the best records (regular-season games and seeding games) will have clinched a playoff spot. The 8th spot in each conference may require a play-in tournament to fill. If the team with the eighth-best record is more than four games ahead of the ninth-best record, then no play-in match is necessary, If the gap is four or fewer, then the eighth and ninth-placed teams in the conference will play for the final spot.
The NBA Board of Governors has set the date of October 13th as the latest possible date for the conclusion of the 2019/20 NBA season in an attempt to reduce the impact on the following 2020/21 season. Working backward from that date, they have released a schedule including seeding matches, potential play in matches, and a traditional 16-team NBA playoff bracket. All of the key dates can be found below.
22 teams qualified to play in the NBA seeding games with a shot at making the NBA playoffs. Those in playoff spots at the time the season was suspended, along with any team 6 or fewer games behind a playoff spot earned a spot in the NBA restart. The 22 teams that met that criteria are as follows;
Eastern Conference
Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic, Washington Wizards
Western Conference
Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns
The NBA is one of the few major North American sports to acknowledge that their games are wagered on – even partnering with MGM to be the official gaming partner of the league. This can only be considered as a good thing for NBA betting and professional basketball bettors. Much like hockey, there is no shortage of NBA predictions every single night from October to April and into the postseason.
There are 2,460 games to bet on during the season and our expert NBA predictions provide betting angles into every game. If you’re looking for the best NBA bets today we have you covered. Our NBA experts share their best free NBA predictions for every game.
We offer free expert NBA picks on every single day of the NBA season, even Christmas Day. The NBA season is an 82-game grind but our experts analyze every game to help you make the best NBA bets daily. Player matchups, rotations, injuries, travel schedules and referees, and many other factors are considered when finding the best daily NBA betting tips.
The Moneyline simply means you pick a winner of the game. NBA Moneyline bets are most valuable when wagering on two evenly matched teams. If you’ve got a team like Golden State who wins 70+ of their 82 games in a season, it’s not far fetched for the Warriors Moneyline betting odds to be listed at -650 or more. On the flip side, bets against these upper-echelon teams is a great way to maximize profits when they lose.
When you want to bet on an elite team but don’t want to risk $600 or more to win $100, our expert NBA picks against the spread are the way to go. NBA betting against the spread means you’re wagering not only on a team to win, but also to win by a certain amount of points. If we take our earlier example of Golden State being -650 on the Moneyline they will be around -10.5 against the spread. This means they have to win the game by 11 points or more for you to cash your ticket.
NBA picks against the spread are a great way to bet on underdogs too. Let’s say we go against the Golden State Warriors in the above example and we take the points. Our team can lose by 10 points or fewer points and we still win. This is where those ‘meaningless’ half-court shots at the buzzer turn from anguish into elation. They can also cause the upset and win the game outright.
NBA over/under betting is arguably the most exhilarating of all the North American sports. On any given night in the NBA, you might see an 85-81 contest in one game compared to a 218-205 score in another. NBA totals picks can be legitimately won or lost with one bad – or great – quarter. A lot of bettors enjoy NBA over/under free picks because every single offensive possession counts and it makes the games that much more thrilling to watch.
In addition to free daily NBA predictions, we also provide insight into NBA postseason betting. From best of seven quarterfinals matchups to the NBA Championship Finals, there’s nothing quite like the excitement of game seven in the series. In the NBA postseason home-court becomes an even bigger advantage but it’s important to make sure the lines reflect that. Our experts analyze every playoff game and give you their expert NBA predictions to help you make the best selections in April and finish off the season in profit.
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