Now that the In-Season Tournament is over after the Los Angeles Lakers are crowned the inaugural champions, it’s time to shift our focus back to regular-season basketball. Tonight, there are nine exciting games on the NBA betting slate. Let’s have our picks for each game and find the three best bets.
All the lines are taken from FanDuel.
Best NBA Betting Picks for Wednesday, December 13th
Philadelphia 76ers @ Detroit Pistons: 1H DET +7.5 (-110)
The Detroit Pistons have lost 20 straight and are going up against one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. This could be an uphill battle for the Pistons, but they have generally competed well at home in the first halves of games. They looked much better against the Indiana Pacers on Monday night. Philadelphia tends to start games slowly against weaker opponents. The Sixers’ complacency and the Pistons’ desire to end the win streak could keep this game close at halftime.
New Orleans Pelicans @ Washington Wizards: Zion Williamson over 25.5 points (-110)
Continue taking any front-court player who plays with power against the Wizards. Anyone with size, strength, and ability to drive to the rim lights up Washington’s non-existent interior defense. Zion Williamson should have a parade to the rim all game.
Charlotte Hornets @ Miami Heat: CHA +8 (-110)
Bam Adebayo is still out for Miami, and the Heat are 3-4 in his absence. They barely beat the Hornets in their previous matchup two days ago. Despite being short-handed, Charlotte has been feisty in their last five games. They can make things interesting again tonight. Can’t see the Heat blowing them out.
Atlanta Hawks @ Toronto Raptors: ATL +1.5 (-110)
Both of these teams are in free fall, having lost four straight. The Hawks, however, had a tougher schedule and have been playing better overall. They still have a top-5 offense in the league. The Raptors are still directionless, with a mediocre defense and a miserable half-court offense. This is a coin toss, but Atlanta is a little more trustworthy right now.
Memphis Grizzlies @ Houston Rockets: HOU -6 (-110)
The Houston Rockets are a really good basketball team. In the last week, they beat both the OKC Thunder and the Denver Nuggets. They have one of the best defenses in the league. The Grizzlies, on the other hand, are still a skeleton crew with a long list of absences that now include Marcus Smart as well. It’s hard to see the Memphis offense score enough on the Rockets. It should be an easy win for Houston.
Los Angeles Lakers @ San Antonio Spurs: LAL -2 (-110)
It is the second night of a back-to-back for the Lakers after they lost to the Dallas Mavericks last night. Yet, it’s difficult to pick the Spurs to win right now, who lost 17 straight, most of them in a deflating way. The Spurs will have the youth and rest advantage, but the Lakers still should be favored.
Indiana Pacers @ Milwaukee Bucks: IND +6.5 (-110)
This is a rematch of the In-Season Tournament Semifinals, where the Indiana Pacers defeated the Bucks 128-119. Milwaukee will want to get revenge, but the vibes in the locker room are not great right now. Players and head coach Adrian Griffin don’t seem to be on the same page as the team’s offense craters in the clutch. They also haven’t shown any capability of slowing Tyrese Haliburton down. The Bucks could win, but it should be a close one.
New York Knicks @ Utah Jazz: UTA +6 (-110)
The Utah Jazz suffered a few embarrassing losses over the last week as the absence of Lauri Markkanen has proven too much for them to overcome. Yet, their home-court advantage is still real, and they have generally performed much better there with a 6-5 record to back it up. There is a chance both Markkanen and Walker Kessler will be available to play. In that case, their chances of making things interesting against the Knicks are decent.
Brooklyn Nets @ Phoenix Suns: PHX -2.5 (-110)
The Suns are cursed. They may never have their Big 3 of Kevin Durant–Devin Booker–Bradley Beal play together. Now that Beal is back, Durant is unavailable to play. But they still had enough to dispatch the Golden State Warriors last night. On the second night of a back-to-back, they might have an uphill battle, but they still have enough as long as they have Booker healthy and playing to defeat the Nets.
Best bets:
Memphis Grizzlies @ Houston Rockets: HOU -6 (-110)
New Orleans Pelicans @ Washington Wizards: Zion Williamson over 25.5 points (-110)
Indiana Pacers @ Milwaukee Bucks: IND +6.5 (-110)
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