Another day of NBA action means another day of tough decisions for bettors. To help you make the best bets today, the BetQL editors have picked a few of their favorite NBA bets below using key trends, data and picks from the BetQL NBA model.
One trend to note is that the BetQL NBA model is on fire, going 356-223 (62%) on all picks rated ⭐⭐⭐ and higher in the past 30 days for a total return of $2,488 on $100 bets! 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!
Dan Karpuc: Lakers +4.5 at Cavaliers
It’s scary how much I like this bet, but Anthony Davis, LeBron James and Russell Westbrook have seemingly figured things out over the last handful of games. Per ESPN Stats & Info, AD’s 40 made field goals over the last two games were the most of any NBA player in the last 20 seasons along with Kobe Bryant, who did it twice in that span. L.A. has won and covered the spread in five of their last six games, while Cleveland has gone 2-3-1 ATS (3-3 SU) over their last six. I like L.A. at +4.5 a lot even if the Cavs' Jarrett Allen plays, but if he sits, I love the Lakers at that number. Davis is playing at an historic level, this will be a homecoming for LeBron on national television and Russ is dominating as a scorer and facilitator off the bench, so I’m very high on the visitors in this one as they look to get closer to .500.
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Brad Pinkerton: Lakers +4.5 at Cavs
This is a matchup of two teams traveling opposite directions right now. After a strong start to the season, the Cavaliers are just 5-10 ATS in their last 15 games, going 7-8 SU in that stretch. Oddly enough, that skid started immediately after a 14-point win over these Lakers on Nov. 6. Only these don't look like the same Lakers now, going 8-2 SU and ATS in their last 10. While I'm not ready to fully trust the Lakers quite yet, I do love the idea of LeBron getting 4.5 points in another return to Cleveland, on a roll and looking for revenge. The Lakers' +165 moneyline at BetRivers looks pretty enticing, too, but let's see some lineups first.
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Kate Constable: Nuggets 1Q ML
Can you tell I like to target first quarters? I played the Warriors 1Q yesterday and that lost after the Pacers started unexpectedly strong, but I’m going back to the well today and backing the Nuggets early. Denver puts up a ton of points in the first quarter. They rank second in the league with just over 32.0 points per Q1 and are second in net rating. The Nuggets also have the rest advantage over the Mavs, who played last night and had to travel to Denver. And lastly, in their last two outings, Denver didn’t come ready to play and ended up losing both of those games to the Hawks and Pelicans. I expect a much more engaged group tonight from the start.
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Lucy Burdge: Mavericks +4.5 at Nuggets
The Mavericks have covered the spread in their last two games and the Nuggets have failed to cover in their last two, so I like the Mavericks to cover as the underdog here. Plus, some trends in their favor to cover this spread are that Jason Kidd is 21-9 ATS avenging a same-season loss while coaching Dallas, while Mike Malone is just 25-42 ATS versus teams who attempt 39 or more 3-point shots per game while coaching Denver.
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