NBA Betting Guide: Lines, Trends & Picks For Friday, Dec. 2

NBA Betting Lines, Odds & Picks for Friday

After a boring Thursday night in the NBA, thanks to just one game on the schedule, we're back to our regularly scheduled programming with an 11-game slate tonight. With lots of exciting matchups on deck, scroll down to see which picks I like and which ones show good value with our model.

One trend to note is that the BetQL NBA model has been on fire early in the season, going 552-368 (60%) on all picks rated ⭐⭐ and higher in the past 30 days for a total return of $3,714 on $100 bets! BetQL subscribers can see more betting trends and all of our best bets, including player props, with star ratings for every game.

Take advantage of BetQL's free trial and see all of today's best NBA bets, plus what the model is projecting for this week's NFL, NHL, and NCAA football and basketball games! Start your free trial today!

Pelicans at Spurs Prediction

The New Orleans Pelicans (13-8 SU, 11-10 ATS, 12-9 O/U) are on the road tonight taking on the San Antonio Spurs (6-16 SU, 9-13 ATS, 11-11 O/U). 

The Spurs are bad. The Pelicans are good. The only reason this spread isn’t double digits is because C.J. McCollum and Brandon Ingram are both questionable for New Orleans. I don’t really care whether they play or not because the Pelicans still have one very large, important piece and that’s Zion Williamson. Williamson should have himself another monster game, especially because San Antonio’s interior defense is pretty soft. Their starting center Jakob Poeltl is likely out for this game, which is going to make the Spurs' rotations in the front court pretty thin, so Williamson and Co. should be able to take advantage.

My lean: Pelicans -7

Bulls at Warriors Prediction

The Chicago Bulls (9-11 SU, 10-9-1 ATS, 8-12 O/U) continue their six-game road trip tonight with a matchup against the Golden State Warriors (11-11 SU, 9-13 ATS, 13-8-1 O/U).

I played against the Bulls on Wednesday night against the Suns, which was a winner, and I’m going to do the same tonight. After allowing Devin Booker to score 51 points in just three quarters, it’s clear that Chicago needs to clean a few things up defensively. I’m just not sure this is the matchup that’s going to allow the Bulls to get back on track in that regard. Chicago gives up a ton of 3s, allowing opponents the second-highest 3-point percentage in the league. That’s not a great sign when the Warriors have Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole launching from deep each night. Plus, the Warriors have won the last 10 meetings with the Bulls and are 7-0 against the spread in their last seven home games against Chicago.

My lean: Warriors -7

Rockets at Suns Prediction

The Phoenix Suns (15-6 SU, 12-8-1 ATS, 9-11 O/U) welcome the Houston Rockets (5-15 SU, 10-9-1 ATS, 10-10 O/U) to The Valley on Friday night as they close out their short, two-game homestand. 

The Suns dominated the Bulls on Wednesday and I like them to do the same to the Rockets tonight. That being said, I’m going to play on Phoenix early in this game to avoid any backdoor cover with this large of a spread. The Suns are one of the best first-quarter teams in the league. They know how to get out to fast starts and set the tone early in games. Overall, they’re 12-9 against the spread in the first quarter and 8-5 ATS in the first when at home. Tonight they are going up against a Rockets team that ranks 26th in the league in opponent's first-quarter points and 29th in opponent's first-quarter field-goal percentage. Not to mention, the Suns are a far superior team talent-wise and should be able to suffocate Houston early. 

My lean: Suns 1Q -3.5

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