Our free NBA Picks are out for Sunday, October 24th, 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!
Charlotte Hornets @ Brooklyn Nets – 4pm EDT
Two nights after beating the 76ers in Philly, the Brooklyn Nets return home to begin a six game home stand. They kick that off by hosting the Charlotte Hornets, who are yet to taste defeat this season after beating the Pacers and Cavs in their opening two games.
Tim Newton
While this may look like a simple victory for the Nets, Charlotte and Brooklyn played in their third game last season with the Hornets coming out on top. Brooklyn relies on being able to out-score their opponents, rarely focusing on the defensive end, and that is exactly how Charlotte plays as well. Through their first two games, the Hornets have scored 123 points each time, indicating that they can put points on the board.
The positive for Charlotte is that they have already had four different players score 25+ points, being LaMelo Ball, Gordon Hayward, Miles Bridges and Kelly Oubre Jr. With Ball running the show, Charlotte is playing at a fast pace that is allowing them to get some points up, but the worry is that Brooklyn plays that way as well and will also have the two best players on the court.
James Harden and Kevin Durant are averaging over 50 points per game between the two of them so far this season, and they were able to lift Brooklyn off the mat in their come from behind win in Philly on Friday. The Nets outscored the Sixers by 11 points in the final period, winning 114-109. To be able to bounce back from a disappointing opening night performance to beat a very good side is a positive sign for where this Brooklyn team is heading.
I think Brooklyn will win this game, purely due to their class and level of play being better than the Hornets, but there is no value in a -370 moneyline play. Instead, I am taking the over for this clash, as both sides can score 120+ with ease and the line is set at just 231.5 for the game.
Tim’s NBA Pick: Over 231.5 (-110)
Denis Kirilov
The Brooklyn Nets welcome the Charlotte Hornets to the Barclays Center to start us off this Sunday. The Hornets are off to a great start after they won their two opening games for the season, defeating the Indiana Pacers and the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, their team is far from the class that is represented in Brooklyn. James Harden and Kevin Durant are enough for the Nets so that they can easily win such games.
The Nets are entering into this match after making a great fourth quarter comeback against the Philadelphia 76ers. They were trailing by 10 points with just five minutes to play before Aldridge and Durant put some points on the board and turned the game in favor for the Nets, winning 114-109. KD finished the match with a triple-double (29 points, 15 rebounds, and 12 assists) which made him the most valuable player in Friday night’s game. I truly believe that Harden, Durant, and Griffin will be hard to stop in this upcoming fixture. Although the Hornets consist of players like Gordon Hayward, Miles Bridges, Terry Rosier, Mason Plumlee, and LaMelo Ball, I don’t think they will be given a chance in this game. Hence, I am going all the way with the Brooklyn Nets covering their spread.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Brooklyn Nets -8.5 (-110)
📼 20 points / 8 assists / 7 boards for The Beard in Philly 📼 pic.twitter.com/2x3CYPNlLV
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) October 23, 2021
Michael Lantz
After a brutal defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks to open the 2021-22 season, the Brooklyn Nets bounced back with a convincing win against the Philadelphia 76ers in Philly. Kevin Durant notched a triple double and Lamarcus Aldridge gave a vintage 23-point performance to help lead them over one of the league’s top teams. They now host the Charlotte Hornets in their home opener, a team that’s off to an offense-heavy 2-0 start.
On paper this is the ideal recipe for a Brooklyn victory, but one of the Nets’ biggest problems has been playing down to an opponent. Early on and healthy, the Hornets have a lot of guys that are capable of going on big tears. Currently, the Nets sit as pretty big favorites to win, but they don’t always have the most tense home-court advantage. It’s better than the media makes it out to be, but it still is a very winnable place for visiting teams. I think Brooklyn pulls off a victory, but it’ll end up being surprisingly tight; so I’ll take the Hornets to beat the spread.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Charlotte Hornets +8.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
Points, points, and more points are in the forecast in this one. With Charlotte, having LaMelo Ball, Kelly Oubre, and Gordon Hayward means a near certainty of a fast-paced offense that has the ability to score points at a high clip. Add in Terry Rozier and Miles Bridges, if they’re playing well, and the Hornets can put up 120 a night, easily.
The same goes for Brooklyn, however, as James Harden and Kevin Durant are averaging a touch over 50 points a night between them, and against a Charlotte team that lacks elite defense, look for Harden and KD to have big games on the offensive end. While the Nets are favored in this one, there’s no way of knowing which Nets team actually shows up, which makes the easy play taking the over.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Over 231.5 (-110)
Boston Celtics @ Houston Rockets – 7pm EDT
Who would have thought that the Boston Celtics would start the season 0-2 and come into this clash on the back of a 32 point thumping at the hands of the Raptors. They now get on the road for the first time this season, facing a Houston Rockets side that easily took care of the Thunder on Friday night.
Tim Newton
While the Rockets come into this one with much better form, considering there was a 65 point differential in outcomes for these two sides’ last games, I am happy to stick with the Celtics for this clash. Yes, Houston enjoyed a 33 point win two nights ago and get to stay at home for this clash, but they played the Thunder. OKC will be the worst team in the league this year, again, and a big win over them is nothing to write home about.
Meanwhile, the Celtics have had a disastrous opening week, losing to the Knicks in double overtime on Wednesday, despite a 46-point night from Jaylen Brown, before getting thumped at home by a re-building Toronto side. Where does that leave them heading into this clash? Given they have Jayson Tatum and Brown on their side, Boston is never a team to be doubted, especially against a Houston side that is playing for draft picks and will be looking to be sellers as the season rolls on.
In saying that, the combination of Christian Wood and Kevin Porter Jr is extremely exciting. Yes, Jalen Green was their #2 pick in the draft but he is still quite raw and will need some developing. That leaves the heavy lifting for Wood and Porter Jr, who are coming off a game where they put up 29 points/14 boards and 20 points/9 assists respectively.
That play is good enough to match it with this Boston side, given how they have played so far this season, but is it good enough to match it with Boston’s best. I’m expecting the road trip to help galvanise the Celtics squad and I pick them to get Ime Udoka’s first win as coach.
Tim’s NBA Pick: Boston Celtics (-215)
Denis Kirilov
The Boston Celtics started off the season in a pretty inconsistent way. They were leading in most of their game against the Knicks, but a couple of good runs from the team from the “Big Apple” worsened Boston’s situation and they eventually lost after overtime. They were favorites against the Raptors in their second match, but they got swept by 32 points. Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart were the main reasons for this outcome as they couldn’t find a way to help their team throughout the whole game. Jaylen Brown, himself, recorded 46 points and 9 rebounds in the opener against the Knicks, so it was probably just a bad night for him.
The Rockets won’t be title contenders as they are building their post-Harden team literally from scratch. However, they promise to be a team that will be able to make some upsets from time to time. They started off the season with a 126-104 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, but they found a way to make up for it by defeating the Oklahoma Thunder by 33 points in their next game. However, I believe that their roster is still young and would definitely have troubles against more experienced teams like the Celtics. Therefore, I am choosing Boston to win this game.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Boston Celtics (-215)
Michael Lantz
The Celtics dropped their first two games, losing a double OT matchup to the Knicks and then getting blown out by a Pascal Siakam-less Raptors squad. Major questions are already arising of this Boston squad that has so much star potential. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are both so young and so good, one has to think they are so close to being arguably the NBA’s top duo. But they continue to underperform, and the Celtics faithful are trying not to panic.
Luckily they get a potentially huge break against the Houston Rockets. After trading all-NBA talent James Harden to Brooklyn, the Rockets took a nose dive to the top of the NBA draft. They selected Jalen Green, who has shown major positives, but so far the bulk of the offense has come from Chrisitan Wood (who if not for injury probably would’ve been the league’s most improved player) and Kevin Porter, who after getting dropped from Cleveland has found new life in H-town.
Despite the Rockets being a team on the rise, I can’t see the Celtics dropping to an 0-3 record so I’ll take them straight up.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Boston Celtics (-215)
Noah Dunlap
Despite a 33-point win over OKC a few nights ago, it’s important to know that Houston still isn’t very good this year. Don’t be fooled into thinking otherwise.
While I understand that Boston hasn’t played well this year at all, as they have a double OT loss to the Knicks to open the year, then getting dumped by an injury plagued Toronto squad, the talent is still there with guys like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who are capable of turning it on at any moment (Brown has already shown that this year). With Marcus Smart as a defensive anchor when he wants to be, I still think the Celtics talent rises to the occasion in this one, and we get the C’s with an easy win.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Boston Celtics -5 (-110)
Philadelphia 76ers @ Oklahoma City Thunder – 7pm EDT
While the Philadelphia 76ers will be kicking themselves for letting Friday’s blockbuster with the Nets slip out of their hands, they now get an opportunity to bounce back against the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight. The Thunder are yet to register a win through two games and look to be playing for lottery balls yet again, while the Sixers have championship aspirations on their mind, even if Ben Simmons is still on the sidelines.
Tim Newton
This looks to be a pretty straightforward pick here. The Sixers are a playoff team that finished with the best record in the East last season while the Thunder had the worst record in the league and are looking like they will again this season. OKC has scored just 86 and 91 points in their first two games, losing by 21 and 33 points respectively. They are now only getting 8.5 points in the spread and people think they are actually going to be able to cover?
I understand that Joel Embiid is a game time decision and likely to miss, but the Sixers are still more than an eight-point better team than the Thunder even without him in the lineup. The Sixers have made their roster to have good shooting and scoring help for their MVP candidate and the likes of Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey have shown they are capable of carrying the load. If Seth Curry and Danny Green, the latter in particular, actually hit some shots in this game then it will open things right up and the Sixers should show why they are still one of the best teams in the league. I am happy to take a punt on the Sixers to cover purely because they are the better team in the game and if Embiid does end up playing then this spread will balloon out even more than it is now.
Tim’s NBA Pick: Philadelphia 76ers -8.5 (-110)
Denis Kirilov
The Philadelphia 76ers are struggling with problems inside their team this season with the situation around Ben Simmons continuing to be uncertain. However, compared to some other NBA teams, they began their campaign in a pretty decent way defeating the Pelicans by 20 points. In their second game they were up against Kevin Durant and James Harden and came up just short of the final victory. They will be looking to make the Playoffs once again this year, but it might turn out to be more difficult than what the 76ers’ fans are expecting.
OKC, on the other hand, are off to one of the worst starts in the 2021/22 NBA season so far, if not the worst. They lost both their away games by more than 20 points. They are a young inexperienced team and players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey will need more time in order to find a way to be competitive enough against the big teams. However, this upcoming fixture promises to be intriguing as many key players will be missing for the 76ers. They will be without Andre Drummond, Ben Simmons, and Shake Milton while their superstar, Joel Embiid, is still questionable for the game. Having all this in mind, I expect to see a close match between the two teams that can go either way. Hence, I will choose the attractive option for Oklahoma covering the huge spread.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Oklahoma City Thunder +8.5 (-110)
“He’s still our brother.”
Joel Embiid still showing love for Ben Simmons before the Sixers’ home opener. pic.twitter.com/iwbnITiKiN
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) October 23, 2021
Michael Lantz
In their first two games, the 76ers took quick care of an injured New Orleans Pelicans squad and then were downed by rivals the Brooklyn Nets. They showed mixed signals as a squad in those games. The big question has been: have they missed Ben Simmons? Defensively, yes, Offensively, not necessarily. But it could be more than just Simmons missing on Sunday night.
Philadelphia could also be missing other big players including Joel Embiid. This could create a divine opportunity for OKC to grab win number one. As bad as the Thunder are poised to be, the NBA is always a peculiar place. 76er injuries could give this OKC squad the confidence they need. I think to play it safe and get the most out of your bets I’d go for OKC to at least cover.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Oklahoma City Thunder +8.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
OKC is bad, really bad. They could end up being historically bad. There’s a limited amount of talent on the roster, and what talent there is, is still extremely young and having to learn how to play at an NBA level, which is why they’ve lost their first two games by 20+ in each.
Meanwhile, Philly has been a mixed bag of feelings so far this season. They took care of business against a Zion-less Pelicans team, and then got dropped at home by Brooklyn. With Ben Simmons out (possibly for good in Philly), as well as the potential for Embiid to be out, I’m not sure that I trust Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey to lead the way for the Sixers. With that, take a chance and look for OKC to get their first win of the year, one of very few that they’ll find throughout the course of the season.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Oklahoma City Thunder (+300)
Golden State Warriors @ Sacramento Kings – 9pm EDT
The Sacramento Kings host the Golden State Warriors in a Pacific Division clash in a mix of dynamic point guards. The Kings will be very proud of their first two games, beating the Blazers and keeping it close with Utah, but will now face a Golden State side that is undefeated through two games and looks to be firing on all cylinders behind Steph Curry’s hot shooting.
Tim Newton
After Steph Curry had a poor shooting performance on opening night, he was first to be his own harshest critic and say he needed to shoot better moving forward. Well, he certainly did that on Friday, coming out in the first quarter to shoot 7/7 from the field for 25 points. He ended up with 45 points for the game, along with 10 rebounds, helping guide the Warriors to a 115-113 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
On the other side of the ball, Sacramento has a quick, dynamic point guard of their own but they have been led by Harrison Barnes through the opening two games of the season. De’Aaron Fox is the team’s leader but Barnes has put up 36 and 25 points through the first two games, making 10 threes over that stretch. Buddy Hield has also embraced his ‘sixth man’ role to put up 17 and 24 points through the first two games, also connecting on 10 triples.
But is this enough to match it with a red-hot Golden State side? I think the Warriors will be one of the last teams left when we get deep into the postseason and they should simply be winning a game like this. They have the perfect mix of shooting, defense and youth that should match it with the Kings and be able to run over the top in this clash. While Curry may not go off for 45 again, between him, Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole, the Warriors have a good enough scoring punch that should see them come out on top tonight.
Tim’s NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors (-156)
Denis Kirilov
Golden 1 Center will host the game between the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings. The Golden State Warriors are on a 7-game winning streak (including pre-season) and they are looking to extend it. The hosts from Sacramento will have the last word as they proved so far that they can be quite competitive during this season. They outsmarted the Trail Blazers in their opening game, winning 124-121, before causing troubles for the Utah Jazz, up until the last Quarter. However, in the closing moments of both games, Sacramento crumbled under pressure and conceded several quick runs without an answer.
On the other hand, the Warriors started off the season with two important victories against the teams from Los Angeles. They defeated the Lakers due to the greater consistency they had in their team. Also, Steph Curry contributed to the final victory with his triple-double. In the second game, Chef Curry was “cooking” throughout the whole game, scoring 45 points and adding 10 rebounds. Although it will take some time before we can see another Warriors’ team that will be 100% healthy, I believe that Curry can carry them through mist and darkness. Therefore, I’ve got no other option, but to choose the moneyline for Golden State Warriors.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors (-156)
Michael Lantz
After an L.A. sweep, Golden State is feeling like the 2015-19 versions of themselves. Even better, Klay Thompson isn’t even back yet. Do Golden State have one more championship left in them?
The Warriors take on the Sacramento Kings in a battle of Northern California’s two lone squads. Sacramento got a hard-fought win against Portland and unfortunately followed that with a loss to last season’s top ranked Utah jazz. As a team trying to prove they’re playoff worthy, a big win against the Warriors would definitely impress. Their speed will definitely keep the Warriors on their toes, especially without the perimeter defense of Thompson, but I think Golden State accepts the challenge and wins this one by more than 3.5.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors -3.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
Golden State has looked really good so far this season, with wins over both LA squads, and now they look for a win over the northern CA team, the Kings. With Steph bouncing back from an off-night in the opener, by going for 45 points on Thursday night, look for him to keep the momentum going and have a big game.
Sacramento has also looked decent so far this season, with a win over Portland to open the year, followed by a respectable loss to last year’s best regular-season team in the Utah Jazz. Even with the Kings playing well so far, they’re still young, and I have doubts as to whether they’re ready to step up in a game against a team with the kind of experience that GS brings to the table. I think this one ends up being close, with the Warriors getting the win, so stay away from the spread and just punch the Warriors moneyline.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors (-164)
Memphis Grizzlies @ Los Angeles Lakers – 9:30pm EDT
One night after knocking off the Clippers, the Memphis Grizzlies will look to complete the LA-sweep when they take on the Los Angeles Lakers tonight. Memphis has scored 252 points through two games, winning both of them, while the Lakers have given up 236 points through their first two, losing both. Can the Lakers finally get win number one or will the Grizzlies continue their winning ways?
Tim Newton
This is a tough game to pick, as you’d think the Lakers have to turn things around and come up with a win, especially given the Grizzlies are on the second night of a back-to-back. However, I haven’t seen anything from LA that makes me want to trust them in this clash. After blowing a lead to the Warriors on opening night, the Lakers responded by getting blown out by Phoenix, the same side that eliminated them from last season’s playoffs.
LeBron James, who had 25 points but just two rebounds, five assists and also five turnovers, was caughting jawing off at Cameron Payne while sitting on the bench, something that the self-proclaimed and widely regarded best player in the league should not be doing as his team drops their second straight game to start the season. Westbrook managed to be a bit more assertive against Phoenix, finishing with 15 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists, but still shot just 40% from the floor and got little help from his backcourt buddy, Kent Bazemore, who managed just four points on 1/5 shooting from the field.
Meanwhile, the Grizzlies were able to overcome a late scare from the Clippers, holding on for the 120-114 win. All five starters scored 17+ points while three of them reached 20, led by Ja Morant’s 28 points and eight assists. It was as good of a whole team performance as you could have asked for, but can they back it up again tonight?
Given Memphis went 15/36 from behind the arc in last night’s win, I expect them to be extremely competitive against the Lakers. Their shooting is one of their strengths and if the starting lineup can fire like it did against the Clippers, I expect them to at least cover considering they are getting 5.5 points in the spread.
Tim’s NBA Pick: Memphis Grizzlies +5.5 (-108)
Denis Kirilov
The Memphis Grizzlies stay in Los Angeles to face a Lakers’ team that is in desperate need of a victory. Frank Vogel’s superstar team lost their two opening games of the season against the Golden State Warriors and the Phoenix Suns. This once again proved that LeBron James and Anthony Davis would need further help and won’t be able to do everything alone. Rajon Rondo, Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony and the rest would need to level up their game and start playing as a team on both ends of the court.
The Grizzlies have just defeated the LA Clippers in a tight game in Staples Center and are looking to make it 2 out of 2 in this arena. Ja Morant was once again the main reason for their progress. Their team is still young, consisting of players like De’Anthony Melton, Jaren Jackson, Desmond Bane, and Ziaire Williams while Kyle Anderson and Steven Adams are contributing with their experience accumulated over the years in the NBA. However, I believe that it’s high-time for the Lakers to reveal their huge potential and if someone else, apart from James and Davis, finds a way to make a decent game, they would most definitely get away with the win. I suggest looking at the spread options as the moneyline odds for the Lakers seem pretty low.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Los Angeles Lakers -5.5 (-112)
Jaren Jackson Jr. seals the win for the @memgrizz 🔥 pic.twitter.com/WEK4BQgFwD
— NBA (@NBA) October 24, 2021
Michael Lantz
Oh boy, the Lakers—two games, two brutal losses with the last one involving a physical altercation between Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard. The Lakers talent is absolutely undeniable, but they’re still trying to figure out where everyone fits in. They were outplayed against Western Conference rivals the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns, but the last thing the “lake show” wants is to start a season that has such high expectations with an 0-3 record.
Meanwhile Memphis is a young team on the rise. They just outplayed the Clippers thanks to awesome performances from Ja Morant and De’Anthony Melton after an easy win against the Cavs in their season opener. Up next is a Lakers team that is hunting for a win. Memphis wants to prove they can consistently play with the big dawgs, like on Saturday night when they beat Paul George and the Clippers. This gives them a boost of confidence that they need going forward, especially against a juggernaut like the Lakers. L.A. is another team that will refuse to go 0-3, with the veteran experience I expect them to pull off their first win of the year, but for Memphis to beat the spread and keep it close.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Memphis Grizzlies +5.5 (-108)
Noah Dunlap
The Memphis Grizzlies have been a bit of a surprise this year, as they come into this one 2-0 on the year with wins over the Cavs and then on the road against the Clippers. Now they find themselves staying in LA for the second game of an LA back-to-back. While this would normally make me nervous, with a team as young as the Grizz are, they should be fine.
On the other side, I keep hearing that the Lakers are eventually going to piece everything together and get back on track, despite losing their first two games of the season in somewhat close fashion. The problem is that I’ve seen nothing to indicate that that is actually true, and I still think there’s some dysfunction in the LA locker room. The Lakers have more talent, but also more problems. They may win, but I don’t think they should be giving up 5.5 points in a game that I think comes down to the wire.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Memphis Grizzlies +5.5 (-108)
If you need more news, information and predictions, head over to our NBA hub page for all your basketball needs!
*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
