The NBA is hoping to put past an ugly night that saw both Draymond Green and Nikola Jokic ejected — albeit for different reasons. A nine-game slate featuring then old and the new, as LeBron James‘ Lakers are in San Antonio taking on Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs. James is questionable with a calf injury. After a 1-1 night, we return with the best NBA bets, including one side and one total for the later action.
Best NBA Bets Today: +EV NBA Side and Total for Dec. 13
Best NBA Side: Nets-Suns
The Suns burned us last night on our side, but it does appear Kevin Durant will play against the Nets. Brooklyn comes into a tough spot sitting in mediocrity and battling an old foe in Durant. The Suns aren’t in a much better spot overall but get a nice boost with both Bradley Beal and Durant back in the lineup. This is Game 2 of a five-game road trip for the Nets, so it’s not in the easiest part of the schedule either.
It’s a back to back for Phoenix, but there’s no concern about Durant playing deeper into this game, at least with any minutes restriction. The Nets look like they were cooled off in Sacramento on Monday, this after winning six of their past eight games. It’s also a homecoming for both Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson — the two players dealt to Brooklyn to help secure Durant. The revenge narrative is a tough one here, as one side has a duo upset at their now diminished playoff chances, the other is a guy who was forced to play with James Harden and Kyrie Irving.
OddsShopper has the Suns at -4.5 on BetMGM, laying a little less juice than other books.
Best NBA Total: Knicks-Jazz O/U 230.5
It is always good to target an under featuring teams missing key players. While it looked like Lauri Markkanen remained out for the Utah Jazz, he was upgraded to probable. John Collins remains out with an illness. Mitchell Robinson is sidelined with a ankle injury for the Knicks. These are impact players for different reasons, but it’s not going to help this game going over the total. Markkanen alone isn’t adding 30 more points to an existing total. Thanks to OddsShopper, there’s plenty of value with a total that hasn’t moved much since any injury news.
The Knicks are sixth in the NBA in defensive points per game, giving up just 109.7 points per contest. It’s not going to be easy for the Jazz to break through this Knicks team, scraping to get a win on the road. The Jazz have dropped three straight, winning just three of their last 10 games overall. It’s been a season marred by injuries and a lack of any true cohesion. While the Jazz are back end in both offensive and defensive points per game, the Knicks won’t be able to take advantage as a team. This is more likely a big night for Julius Randle or Jalen Brunson while the total stays comfortably under 231 points.
OddsShopper found under 230.5 at FanDuel.
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