Free NBA Picks Today for Monday, October 25th, 2021

Free NBA Picks Today for Monday, October 25th, 2021
Mon 25th October 2021

Our free NBA Picks are out for Monday, October 25th, 2021! Make sure you check our NBA Picks before the action kicks off.

Look below to find our free NBA Picks for the five best games on today’s schedule!

Boston Celtics @ Charlotte Hornets – 7pm EDT

After defeating the Nets and keeping their undefeated season intact last night, the Charlotte Hornets host the Boston Celtics, who also managed to pick up the win yesterday. That was Boston’s first win from three attempts, but is it a sign that they may have turned things around? They will need to test that theory against a red-hot Charlotte side, so let’s see what our experts have come up with. 

Tim Newton

I’m pretty happy to ride the hot hand here and stick with the Hornets, who FanDuel currently have as underdogs, despite being undefeated and at home for this clash. In their first two games, the Hornets offense was the game winner for them but last night they relied on their defense, restricting the Nets to just 95 points, including just 17 in the last quarter, when the game was on the line. 

LaMelo Ball is definitely the leader of the side, and he had 18, five and five last night, but the talking point has been Miles Bridges. In his last two games, Bridges has dropped 30 and 32 points respectively. He is scoring lots and doing it efficiently, which is only benefiting the rest of the Charlotte offense, with guys like Cody Martin and Ish Smith being able to score in double figures off the bench.

However, last night’s win was such a high and this is a relatively young team, meaning they could be due for a low performance against an experienced Boston side. The best bit about the Celtics’ win last night is they beat the Rockets by 10 despite Jaylen Brown being on the sidelines. Brown is battling some knee soreness and the Celtics are being over-cautious with him through the early parts of the season, but he is still just a game time decision for tonight’s clash. 

However, with the negative, there was a positive. Brown’s absence allowed Jayson Tatum to finally arrive in the 2021/22 season, putting up 31 points and nine boards on 50% shooting from the floor. If he can continue that sort of effort, it will go a long way to helping Boston win, but will he have the same support tonight, given the 35-year-old Al Horford was his second best player?

Horford is very likely to miss tonight’s clash due to his age and load management, meaning the Celtics may be very undermanned if Brown doesn’t play. Even if he does, the Hornets are playing that well right now, I think they are a good bet to start the evening. 

Tim’s NBA Pick: Charlotte Hornets (-104)

Denis Kirilov

The Charlotte Hornets started off their campaign in the best way possible – 3 wins out of 3 games. Not only this, but they also defeated some of the best teams in the league, like the Nets and the Pacers. They suffered a 68-point defeat against the Mavericks in their last preseason game and this brought up several concerns for the management and the fans. However, they managed to shut every critics’ mouth and are on a mission for a 4th consecutive win for the season.

The Celtics, on the other hand, fought well against the Knicks, but eventually lost after two overtimes. Later on, they lost in TD Garden to the Toronto Raptors by a 32-point margin. However, they managed to break this misfortune against the Rockets yesterday after beating them away from home. Jaylen Brown will miss tomorrow’s game against the Hornets and this might be very decisive for the outcome of the match. Since I cannot choose between the two sides, I will go with the “under” bet. Although Miles Bridges is on fire so far, LaMelo Ball shot some air balls against the Nets and with Jaylen Brown sidelined, I don’t see who will come up huge and help the total go over the line that is set for this game.

Denis’ NBA Pick: Under 224.5 (-108)

Michael Lantz

After the first week of the season, one of the pleasant surprises has been the resilience of the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets are showing they’re for real; in all three games they’ve staged come from behind victories, propelled by explosive second halves on both ends of the floor. They won’t be able to depend on being “comeback kids” the entire season, but for the time being they’re doing an excellent job of putting the league on notice. 

Boston started the season with a devastating two-overtime loss to their rivals the New York Knicks. They were then absolutely embarrassed at home to a Pascal Siakam-less Toronto Raptors team. They finally got win number one on Sunday night against the Houston Rockets. That hasn’t put a stop to the concerns that surround this talented team that might have the best under-25 duo in the NBA (Jaylen Brown/Jayson Tatum). Yes they have a new coach in Ime Udoka, after years of Brad Stevens it might take the players a bit to adapt to a new system. That being said, there have constantly been questions about Boston’s toughness and their lack of having a dignified leader on the team. Now they must face a Charlotte team that has a good mix of young talent and able veterans including ex-Celtics players Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier (who will likely miss the game with an injury). Still,  I think Boston gets back into the swing of things and wins a close one on the road. 

Michael’s NBA Pick: Boston Celtics  (-112)

Noah Dunlap

Charlotte has arguably been the league’s biggest surprise this season, starting 3-0 with two big wins over Indiana and Brooklyn, as well as taking care of Cleveland between those two. LaMelo Ball has looked like a star, with Gordon Hayward and Miles Bridges giving quality minutes as well. Despite Charlotte looking like one the East’s best, playing on the second night of a back-to-back has its challenges.

Boston has been hit or miss so far this season, with a double OT loss to New York to open the season and a complete thrashing at the hands of the mediocre Toronto Raptors. They did get back on track yesterday with an easy win over the Houston Rockets. With Jaylen Brown being questionable due to knee soreness, and the C’s coming out for the second of a back-to-back, much like Charlotte, I question the energy and intensity that we’ll see in this one. With Boston getting the easier game on Sunday, as they took on Houston while the Hornets had the Nets, give me the Celtics by a nose. With the spread sitting only at 1 point, go ahead and take the better odds with Boston to cover. 

Noah’s NBA Pick: Boston Celtics -1 (-108)

Milwaukee Bucks @ Indiana Pacers – 7pm EDT

We have a Central Division showdown between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Indiana Pacers, with the Pacers looking to measure themselves up against last season’s Champs. The Bucks won two of their three games in opening week while the Pacers needed overtime against Miami on Saturday to secure their first win of the 2021/22 NBA season. 

Tim Newton

Jrue Holiday’s limited offseason, due to making it to the NBA Finals and then playing in the Tokyo Olympics, is taking its toll on his body and also the Milwaukee Bucks. He missed their 42 point loss to the Heat on Thursday night and is now listed as doubtful for this big clash in Indiana. Given Milwaukee have already confirmed that Brook Lopez will miss the clash, it opens the door for Indiana to come in and steal this one.

They have been pretty ordinary through their first three games, especially defensively, but managed to keep the Heat to just 91 points on Saturday, despite the game even going to overtime. That was the confidence-boosting sort of win that this team needed to kick-start their season, especially given five different players scored in double figures and both Domantas Sabonis and Malcolm Brogdon finished with double doubles. 

But can they slow down Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, who have looked extremely good in two out of their three games. I’m willing to forgive their blow-out loss to the Heat and look at the fact that Giannis has averaged 26.5 points, 11 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 2.5 blocks in their two wins, with Indiana having no one that can slow him down. Myles Turner is their best interior defender but doesn’t quite have the speed to match it with Giannis, and Sabonis definitely doesn’t have the speed to either. 

While I think that Indiana should keep this close, I worry that Giannis won’t be stopped in this game. Add in the fact that Khris Middleton finally found his groove in their last game, a 121-111 win in San Antonio, and the Bucks still have enough to stay on top of the Pacers and their terrible defense. 

Tim’s NBA Pick: Milwaukee Bucks (-146)

Denis Kirilov

The Bucks are travelling to Indianapolis to play against the Pacers, in what promises to be a very tight contest. The Pacers defeated a strong Miami team in overtime in their previous game, being a second consecutive overtime game for Indiana. Their opener for this season also came down the wire with Charlotte taking the victory by a single point in the end. The Bucks have already shown their two faces. They won the opening game for the 2021/22 NBA season against the Brooklyn Nets only to lose by 42 points in Miami just two days later. 

The current NBA Champions will be looking to seal their Playoffs spot as early as possible in the regular season so that they can give their best players some rest before the important postseason. The Pacers will need to fight for each game, since their team doesn’t have the depth that some of the rest in the East have. Having in mind that they played three close games so far, I believe that some players might not be fit enough for the game against the Bucks. That’s why I am choosing the Bucks to cover the spread all day long. 

Denis’ NBA Pick: Milwaukee Bucks -3.0 (-110)

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Michael Lantz

Indiana started phase two of the Rick Carlisle era with back to back one point losses, including a game in which they blew a 21-point lead to the Charlotte Hornets. In game three, they also headed to overtime, where they exploded on offense, outscoring the Miami Heat by 11 in the extra period and ultimately winning the game 102-91. This made up for an atrocious third quarter where they managed just eight points in the full 12 minutes. It was the third straight game where Indiana has come out absolutely stale to start the second half. They need to change this immediately if they want to succeed in an Eastern Conference that looks the strongest it has in years. 

Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Bucks are coming off a solid win against a pesky San Antonio Spurs team, which comes after a blowout loss to a Miami Heat team that they’ve started to build up quite a rivalry with. The Pacers then went and beat that same Miami team in the aforementioned OT game Saturday night. Personally I’m worried about Indiana’s disastrous third quarter record so far, especially when facing arguably the league’s best player in Giannis Antetokounmpo. With so much offensive firepower on both squads I’m going to pick the over, but I also feel that Milwaukee walks out of this one victorious. 

Michael’s NBA Pick: Over 228.5 (-110)
Michael’s Bonus NBA Pick: Milwaukee Bucks -3.0 (-110)

Noah Dunlap

Which Milwaukee team shows up? That’s the real question surrounding this matchup. The defending champions opened the year with a solid win over Brooklyn, and then came out and got destroyed by 42 two nights later. 

Indiana, on the other hand, has already played two OT games this season, which makes me question how much energy they bring to the table in this one. Keeping in mind that based on everything we’ve seen so far this year, much like water being wet, one thing we can be assured of is that this Pacers defense is atrocious, and I lean heavily into thinking the Bucks roll in this one. 

Noah’s NBA Pick: Milwaukee Bucks -3 (-110)

Washington Wizards @ Brooklyn Nets – 7:30pm EDT

One night getting thumped by the undefeated Hornets, the Brooklyn Nets look to brush themselves off by hosting the Washington Wizards tonight. While this is Brooklyn’s fourth game of the season, sitting with a 1-2 record, this is only Washington’s third and they will like to keep their undefeated record intact. 

Tim Newton

While the Wizards remain undefeated through two games, their two wins have come by beating down on a terrible Toronto side and getting some unusual scoring to outlast a terrible Indiana defense. They now travel to Brooklyn to face a very good Nets side that will be looking to respond after a home defeat to the Hornets last night. 

Despite 38 points on 70.8% shooting from Kevin Durant, the Nets only managed to score 95 points against a Charlotte defense that gave up 122 to the Pacers and 112 to the Cavs in their first two games. The lack of offensive depth, especially with Kyrie Irving out of the lineup, is on full show at the moment. James Harden only managed 15 points on 37.5% shooting and then no one else managed to reach double figures for the game. As good as Kevin Durant is at scoring, he doesn’t have the ability to carry an entire team that is underperforming.

So does that mean that Washington, who comes in off a two night break while Brooklyn is backing up after last night, can take advantage in this matchup. Well, Bradley beal missed their 135-134 overtime win over Indiana on Friday and is still only questionable for this clash, meaning that Spencer Dinwiddie and Kyle Kuzma will need to shoulder the load again. 

They actually did a fine job of that against the Pacers, as Dinwiddie finished with 34 points, nine assists and six boards while Kuzma had 26 points and 11 boards. 

However, Dinwiddie will now be matched up against James Harden and Kuzma will be matched up with Kevin Durant, with Brooklyn winning those matchups 99 times out of 100. The Wizards bat deeper than the Nets, but I’m expecting Brooklyn’s top end talent to be enough. 

Tim’s NBA Pick: Brooklyn Nets (-360)

Denis Kirilov

The Washington Wizards will try to continue their hot streak with another win, this time against a top contender for the NBA Championship, the Brooklyn Nets. Washington recorded two wins to start off this season, against Toronto and Indiana. Spencer Dinwiddie and Kyle Kuzma were the main contributors in these two games as Montrezl Harrel also managed to put up big numbers. The Brooklyn Nets are off to a bad start this year losing to the Bucks in the opening game and to the Charlotte Hornets at home in their previous match.

Both teams are finding it hard to get on fire during the game and this might play a vital role in the outcome of the upcoming fixture. Kevin Durant and James Harden are demotivated and this wouldn’t have a positive impact on the team for the long-term. Kyrie Irving and Blake Griffin will miss the game for the Nets, while Bryant, Hachimura, and Winston will be sidelined for the Wizards. On top of that, Bradley Beal is uncertain about the match. That’s why everything drives me towards one direction – the “under” for this game. 

Denis’ NBA Pick: Under 229.5 (-112)

Michael Lantz

So far it’s been a new season, same story for Brooklyn. Their defense has looked awful, Steve Nash seems lost and doesn’t have legitimate rotations down, and (thankfully) Kevin Durant has been playing like an All-NBA first team talent. It’s a long season and Brooklyn are so gifted across the board that there shouldn’t be any real reason for worry yet. That doesn’t mean it shouldn’t momentarily be frustrating for Nets players and fans alike.

On the other side of the ball, the Washington Wizards are becoming a lot of fun to watch. The pieces they added in free agency and the Russell Westbrook trade are finding new life in the nation’s capital. Kyle Kuzma has been a double-double machine, and former Net Spencer Dinwiddie is stepping up as a dependable scorer alongside Bradley Beal. In Dinwiddie’s return to Brooklyn, expect him to be playing with a lot of heart. Both teams might be missing key players, but that can almost make things more unpredictable with this Brooklyn squad that sometimes finds themselves playing down to opponents. Brooklyn currently sits at favorites at (-360), which especially after tonight, seems a bit too favorable. I think they pull off the win but feel more comfortable picking Washington to cover.

Michael’s NBA Pick: Washington Wizards +8.5 (-110)

Noah Dunlap

I like what I’ve seen from the Washington Wizards this season, as they sit at 2-0 on the young season. Bradley Beal is, not unexpectedly, leading the way, but getting substantial contributions from Spencer Dinwiddie, Kyle Kuzma and Montrezl Harrell. And while I understand that Brooklyn has looked shaky to start the season, without Kyrie Irving to play the point, something about this team makes me feel that they are going to get it turned around sooner rather than later. 

Look for KD to step up when the Nets need him most, and Brooklyn to run away with an easy win against a depleted Washington team, in a game that I think may jumpstart the season for the Nets. 

Noah’s NBA Pick: Brooklyn Nets -8.5 (-110)

Orlando Magic @ Miami Heat – 7:30pm EDT

After stunning the Knicks, in New York, last night, the Orlando Magic now stay on the road to face their Florida rivals, the Miami Heat, tonight. That was Orlando’s first win for the season, from three tries, while Miami will be looking to bounce back after an overtime loss in Indiana on Saturday. 

Tim Newton

While a six-point win over the Knicks was impressive last night, Orlando needed a monster 29 point, 16 rebound and eight assist night from Cole Anthony to get there, and I’m picking that won’t happen again tonight. That is an extremely impressive performance from the second-year point guard, and he did have five other Orlando players score in double figures along-side him, but all of that resulted in just a six point win and they now have to back it up again tonight.

I’m also picking the Heat to bounce back from a terrible performance on Saturday, managing just 86 points in regulation, albeit keeping Indiana to the same total, but then losing the overtime period 5-16. Tyler Herro has been the shining light through two games, putting up 27 and 30 points, but he will need better and more consistent help offensively if Miami are to win. Not one player for the Heat shot better than 50% against the Pacers with Butler needing 22 shots, going at 31.8%, for his 19 points. 

Butler is one of the more competitive players in the game and will know how much a win would mean to the side, not wanting to dip below 0.500 through the early stages. Orlando’s win was impressive, but they are young and inexperienced, which can lead to inconsistent performances, which I’m expecting tonight. In saying that, the Heat are laying 14 points in the spread and these Florida-rivalry matchups are typically kept close, meaning the better play may be a FanDuel Same Game Parlay, with the Heat to win but the Magic to cover, getting better than even money for that.

Tim’s NBA Pick: Same Game Parlay – Miami Heat win / Orlando Magic +14 (+139)

Denis Kirilov

The Orlando Magic have just found their way to their first win for the season. They managed to defeat the Knicks in Madison Square Garden after a great 4th Quarter. Cole Anthony had one of the best performances of his career scoring 29 points while adding 16 rebounds and 8 assists. However, given they are young and inexperienced, they will struggle a lot this season, but at the same time learn much throughout the campaign.  

The Heat disappointed in the previous game against the Pacers, since they came into that match in high mood after demolishing the Bucks by 42 points on Thursday night. Tyler Herro is on fire so far for Miami as he scored 27 points against the Bucks and 30 points against the Pacers. Moreover, Jimmy Butler, Duncan Robinson, Bam Adebayo and P.J. Tucker are all ready to shine at any moment. For me, the difference between the classes in the two teams is obvious and I don’t expect anything else than an easy win for the Heat. 

Denis’ NBA Pick: Miami Heat -14 (-110)

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Michael Lantz

In a battle between Florida’s two teams, the young Orlando Magic are looking to ride the momentum of their away victory against the New York Knicks and give one of the league’s strongest teams, the Miami Heat, an equally tough time. 

After two blowout losses against the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks, the Magic got redemption against the Knicks Sunday night, thanks to second-year player Cole Anthony’s 29 points. Meanwhile the Miami Heat hit a road bump in Indianapolis, losing to the Pacers, but not after they came back to take them to OT. They were also without newly-added veteran point guard Kyle Lowry who would hopefully be back against Orlando. Whether he is or isn’t, I still expect Miami to take care of business at home, but can they cover a spread that currently sits at 14 points? It seems high, especially against a Magic team that just won on the road, but I think Maimi will be playing tough after an unfavorable road loss. 

Michael’s NBA Pick: Miami Heat -14 (-110)

Noah Dunlap

Despite Orlando getting its first win of the year, on the road against the Knicks at MSG, this is still, quite frankly, a bad basketball team. They’re young, inexperienced, and have a lack of talent that’s going to cause them a lot of problems this season. 

On the other side, Miami has played surprising basketball, based on what we saw last year, as they’ve come out and resembled the Heat squad that made the NBA Finals two years ago. This is opposed to the team that struggled to compete against virtually anyone last year. Following their overtime loss to the Pacers, look for the Heat to catch back on fire (see what I did there?) and get a big win over their in-state rival. With the spread sitting at 14 currently, I think that’s too big to take them to cover, so take what you can with the moneyline and be happy. 

Noah’s NBA Pick: Miami Heat (-1200)

Portland Trail Blazers @ Los Angeles Clippers – 10:30pm EDT

Despite both making the playoffs last season and coming into this year with a renewed hunger for success, the Portland Trail Blazers (1-1) and Los Angeles Clippers (0-2) have stumbled out of the gates. While the Clippers are yet to win this season, the Blazers head to LA with some confidence after their 134-105 win over the Suns on Saturday night. 

Tim Newton

This is one of the toughest games to pick on the card, given the inconsistencies in Portland’s two games, along with the fact that the Clippers are yet to fire this season. In saying that, LA would have won their season opener if it wasn’t for 45 points from Steph Curry, but they now face another dynamic, shoot-first point in Damian Lillard, who also takes things very personally when it comes to matchups with Paul George. 

Admittedly, Lillard hasn’t performed to his full ability, putting up just 19.5 points on 40% shooting through Portland’s first two games, but it has allowed CJ McCollum to step up, averaging 31 points on 55.8% shooting, while connecting on 12 triples in just two games. McCollum led five different Portland players to score in double figures against Phoenix on Saturday, in a game that saw them win by 29 points. That was a big upgrade from their home loss to Sacramento three nights earlier, but where does that leave us when analysing this matchup. 

Paul George has done a great job of shouldering the load without Kawhi Leonard, averaging 35 points on 56.3% shooting through two games, but the lack of consistent support will continue to plague the lineup. Eric Bledoe put up 22 points in the opener and looked like a solid second option for the season but followed it up by scoring just 12 against Memphis on Saturday. Paul George will have to do the heavy lifting, but will it be enough against Portland?

I definitely think the Blazers are in the box seat here based on how their team has played through the first two games, and their ability to have more options than just their main guy, which isn’t the case for LA. With the Clippers keeping both of their games close while Portland are coming off a win, I like the Blazers with the points for tonight’s clash.

Tim’s NBA Pick: Portland Trail Blazers +3 (-110)

Denis Kirilov

The Portland Trail Blazers are hoping to build on their good performance against the Suns in their upcoming game at the Staples Center. On the other hand, the LA Clippers are once again struggling with Kawhi in the team. They have lost twice already and things aren’t looking good for Paul George and his teammates. However, easier match-ups are coming for them as they are going to face Cleveland, Oklahoma, Minnesota, and Charlotte in their next games and they might decide to go easy on Portland.

The Blazers displayed a masterful performance against the Suns on Saturday winning 134-105 on the road. Damian Lillard is still hesitating from the 3-point line, but “Dame-Time” will inevitably show up at some point in the season. I am kind of uncertain about who might win this game, so I will go with a bit of a different option. I will choose Jusuf Nurkic to finish the game with a double-double. He regularly grabs more than 10 rebounds and if Portland decides to play through him, he can easily put up 10 points. The main reason behind this bet is the fact that teams like LA Clippers focus on guarding 3-point shooters like Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, while they occasionally leave the paint wide open throughout the game. 

Denis’ NBA Pick: To Record A Double-Double – Jusuf Nurkic (-120) 

Michael Lantz

After a tough opening loss to the Sacramento Kings, the Portland Trail Blazers put it in the past and absolutely dominated the defending Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns. For the second straight game they got an outstanding performance from CJ McCollum and, against the Suns, they also got some big scoring help from youngsters Nassir Little and Anfernee Simons, two individuals who will need to keep playing at a high-level if they have any hope of becoming a playoff threat. Then there’s Dame Lillard, who through these first two games has struggled a bit shooting. It’s not new for Lillard to struggle a bit early on before turning it up “Dame Time”. Just last season he finished his first game with only 9 points and followed that with a game where he shot under 40%. He ended up ok—being voted to his fourth All-NBA second team. 

The Clippers started their season by being victims of a classic Steph Curry performance. He lit them up for 25 points in the 1st quarter, and despite a valiant comeback, Steph hit some big shots late to put the Clippers away. L.A., who is without star-player Kawhi Leonard, is expecting to have role players step up while he is absent, as they did in last season’s playoffs. Unfortunately they followed that first game with a home loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, who came out hot in the second half. Paul George has been brilliant and the Clippers will need him to continue to be that way if there’s going to be inconsistencies elsewhere. I think they still find a way to gut out their first win of the year mainly because of the home-court advantage and I am going to put that in a FanDuel Same Game Parlay with McCollum to go over 3.5 threes, because he’s hit six in each of his first two games. 

Michael’s NBA Pick: Same Game Parlay – Los Angeles Clippers win / CJ McCollum over 3.5 made threes (+289)

Noah Dunlap

Both of these teams have been hard to predict so far this year, as Portland’s defense looked awful in their opener, but then played much better against the Phoenix Suns. The Blazers offense isn’t a question at all, as Dame and CJ McCollum are sure to keep the points coming. 

With LA, Kawhi Leonard is proving to be a key missing piece, as the Clippers defense has been awful this year, causing them to fall to an early 0-2 start. This horrendous defense, along with questions about paint play from LA, leads me to looking to Jusuf Nurkic for a big day, especially on the boards. I think he could have a big day offensively, but I question whether Portland is actually willing to run an offense through him. Take a chance for a good payout on a player prop, with Nurkic picking up at least 14 boards in this one. 

Noah’s NBA Pick: To Record 14+ Rebounds – Jusuf Nurkic (+350)

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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.

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