Our free NBA Picks are out for Sunday, October 31st, 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!
Sacramento Kings @ Dallas Mavericks – 3:30pm EDT
We kick off the day’s proceedings with the Dallas Mavericks hosting the Sacramento Kings. Both sides are currently 3-2, however the Kings are coming off consecutive strong wins while the Mavericks suffered a 31 point defeat on Friday.
Denis Kirilov
The Sacramento Kings will go to Dallas in order to try to extend their winning streak to three games. They defeated in their previous away matches the Phoenix Suns and the New Orleans Pelicans. They are also 3-0 on the road this season and this further proves the top condition the whole team is at. The Kings suffered two losses at home against two of the best teams in the League – the Jazz and the Warriors.
On the other hand, the Mavs are having moments of ups and downs throughout those five opening games. They won against the weaker opponents, but when they needed to face teams like the Hawks and the Nuggets, they crumbled. They lost by 26 points to Atlanta and by 31 points to Denver in Colorado. Something doesn’t feel right in the team led by Luka Doncic, but they will have the whole season to figure that out. As of now, I am reluctant to pick the Kings as the final winner of this game due to the top form of their key players like Harrison Barnes, De’Aaron Fox, and Richaun Holmes. Additionally, if Buddy Hield has a good night against the Mavs, he will make their task so difficult that Luka will need to enter his beast mode and I don’t think that will be possible.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Sacramento Kings (+180)
FINAL: Kings defeat Pelicans 113-109
👑 @hbarnes 18 pts, 12 reb
👑 @swipathefox 23 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast
👑 @Rich_Holmes22 21 pts, 6reb pic.twitter.com/fcInQqBzOb— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) October 30, 2021
Michael Lantz
On Friday night, the Dallas Mavericks showed they can be one of the NBA’s great enigmas. After a season opening loss against the Atlanta Hawks, the Mavs seemed to have adjusted and were on a roll to the top of the Western Conference. Until they met a hobbled Denver Nuggets team. The Mavs were embarrassed by a Nuggets team on Friday that was without Jamal Murray and had a Nikola Jokic that went out early in Tuesday’s matchup against the Jazz. There were once again concerns about Dallas’ star player Luka Doncic’s supporting cast. Luka had a rough game and there was no one around to back him up. If Dallas wants to be more than just a first rounded one and done they really need some more help.
Meanwhile, the Sacramento Kings are on a little spree; since their loss to the Golden State Warriors they’ve won back-to-back games against conference opponents. Their high powered offense has received major outstanding performances from the usual suspects including Buddy Hield and De’Aaron Fox but they’ve also received a much needed bump from Harrison Barnes, who hit the game winning shot against the Phoenix Suns and then followed that game with a double-double performance against the Pelicans. Because this Kings core has come together nicely, I’ll at least predict them to cover against an unpredictable Mavs team.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Sacramento Kings +5 (110)
Noah Dunlap
No one knows what to make of this Dallas Mavericks team. We all know about Luka Doncic and his greatness, but currently you do have to have questions surrounding his supporting cast. They’ve played well for much of the year, but against the two best teams they’ve faced so far this season, Atlanta and Denver, they’ve gotten absolutely destroyed by both, including falling to an injured Denver squad by 31 on Friday night.
For Sacramento, they’ve played well as of late, entering this one on a two-game winning streak. They’ve gotten good minutes from expected players like De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield, but arguably the best player on this roster so far has been Harrison Barnes. Due to the back and forth nature of Dallas this season, I know many are reluctant to take them in this one, but following Friday’s embarrassing loss at Denver, I look for Dallas to rebound in a big way. Give me Dallas to not only win, but also cover the spread.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Dallas Mavericks -5 (-110)
Portland Trail Blazers @ Charlotte Hornets – 7pm EDT
We have some inter-conference action as the Portland Trail Blazers head East to take on the Charlotte Hornets tonight. Charlotte has been one of the more exciting teams to watch so far this season, but Portland is coming into this one on the back of two straight wins, by 19 and 20 points respectively.
Denis Kirilov
The Charlotte Hornets host the Portland Trail Blazers in their 3rd home game this season. The previous two were as close as they can get. Both matches came down the wire as the first one was won against the Indiana Pacers by the slimmest of margins, while the second one was lost to the Boston Celtics after overtime.
On the other hand, the Trail Blazers are coming into this game after two huge wins at home against top-tier teams like the Memphis Grizzlies and the LA Clippers. Damian Lillard is way out of form at the moment, but he can at least rely on his teammates. CJ McCollum is Portland’s man from the start of the season and Jusuf Nurkic is also ready to be a monster in the paint.
The fans in Charlotte are definitely in for a treat from the beginning of the 2021/22 NBA campaign and this upcoming fixture promises nothing else. However, I personally think this game won’t be that close as the previous two at Spectrum Center, as I give my preferences towards the Portland Trail Blazers.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Portland Trail Blazers (-112)
Michael Lantz
After a 3-0 start, the Charlotte Hornets are coming back down to earth. Miles Bridges has taken a leap to stardom and Gordon Hayward continues to look like an all-star when healthy. The components are there for the Hornets to at least make some noise when it comes to the postseason picture, but they are certainly looking a lot more vulnerable than they did through the first three games.
Meanwhile the Portland Trail Blazers have been all over the place. They’ve had big wins and big losses, and have seldom had a healthy team or one that’s been firing at all cylinders. Luckily on Friday they got a win that pointed them in the right trajectory, as Damian Liilard looked more like his old self scoring 25 points, shooting 9-17 from the field and 5-7 from three. Dame has started slow before, so Blazer fans hope the performance he had Friday against the Clippers is the start of an otherworldly streak of scoring, like he’s put on before. I think Lillard will continue his run and his healthy (for now) teammates will compliment him greatly on the road.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Portland Trail Blazers (-112)
Noah Dunlap
It’s a tall order asking Portland to travel all the way across the country for a relatively early tip against a team that has been playing good basketball so far this season. Charlotte has hit a bit of a lull over the past few days, but with LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, and Gordon Hayward, you know they can turn it on again at any moment.
For Portland, they enter on a two game winning streak, with wins over Memphis and the LA Clippers, and following a slow start from Damian Lillard, they’re hoping that Friday night’s win was a jumpstart for the superstar guard. Add in CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic, and Portland is the more talented team in this one, but I still think it’s a big ask to get an early Sunday evening win against a decent team after traveling all the way across the country, so give me Charlotte to get the win outright.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Charlotte Hornets (-102)
Utah Jazz @ Milwaukee Bucks – 7pm EDT
This poses to be one of the best games of the first month of action as two of the best teams from their respective conference do battle. The Milwaukee Bucks will be looking to snap their two-game losing streak when they host the Utah Jazz, who just suffered their first defeat of the season.
Denis Kirilov
The Utah Jazz suffered their first defeat of the season yesterday against the Chicago Bulls. With this, there is no other team left in the NBA without a loss this season. This further suggests the unpredictability of the sport in the US. However, against the tired-looking team of the Bucks, I think the Jazz have the upper hand in this game.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton are simply not good enough for the Champions at the moment, as they are easily shut down by their opponents. Until the return of the other half of the main roster, they will definitely suffer in such games against top teams. The Jazz, on the other hand, started off the season with 4 straight wins and their players looked great. Bojan Bogdanovic, Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, Jordan Clarkson and Joe Ingles are all healthy and they are more than ready to extend the Jazz’ winning streak in the head-to-head matches to 4 wins. I believe they will do so mainly due to the healthier roster they have at the moment allowing them to make better rotations than the Bucks.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Utah Jazz (-118)
Hit ’em with the euro. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/JRxw2uED0a
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) October 31, 2021
Michael Lantz
A matchup between the Utah Jazz and Milwaukee Bucks gives NBA fans a potential NBA Finals preview. Unfortunately, Milwaukee is far from full-strength—they’ll be without veteran starters Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez who are major components in their championship roster. Milwaukee has shown great vulnerability without those two stars losing back-to-back games against inferior opponents (Minnesota Timberwolves & San Antonio Spurs).
They won’t have it any easier against a balanced Utah team, who are coming off a tough road loss against the Chicago Bulls. It was a tough loss against a good team, but the Jazz will take that away from home. They’ll look to rebound against the short handed defending champs. Expect them to take care of business even if Giannis Antetokounmpo has a massive game.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Utah Jazz (-118)
Noah Dunlap
Utah has been the best regular season team in basketball over the last two years or so. Behind the play of Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, and company, they just light up the regular season. That doesn’t mean they play great in the postseason, but this isn’t the postseason, so that doesn’t really matter.
For Milwaukee, being without Brook Lopez and Jrue Holiday has proven to be somewhat problematic, as Giannis and Khris Middleton are having a hard time carrying the team themselves. With little value difference between a cover and a moneyline win, take Utah to simply get the win on the road.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Utah Jazz (-118)
Detroit Pistons @ Brooklyn Nets – 7:30pm EDT
The Detroit Pistons will be very excited with the results from Saturday, as they were able to unveil Cade Cunningham for his debut game, and while it was far from a good performance, he helped them secure a win over the Magic. However, they have to back it up tonight against the Brooklyn Nets, who looked back to their best with a win over Indiana on Friday night.
Denis Kirilov
The Pistons travel to New York in an attempt to get something against the underperforming roster of the Brooklyn Nets. Kevin Durant and James Harden are finding it hard to carry the team as both of them will need some rest at some point. However, I don’t think this moment has already come and my personal opinion is that the Nets are still strong, but they will try to time their best days this season for the Playoffs.
The Detroit Pistons will be one of the weakest teams during this campaign in the NBA. They started off the season with four straight losses against teams from the caliber of the Brooklyn Nets. They eventually found a way to beat the Orlando Magic, with Detroit recording their first win of the season. Their fans are hoping many more will follow, but they also know the current situation within the team. Jeremi Grant, Kelly Olynyk, Saddiq Bey, and Josh Jackson are not on the level of KD and James Harden. I think this will be the first easy game for the Nets for this season as I am expecting a double-digit difference in the first half which will increase throughout the last two quarters.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Brooklyn Nets -12.5 (-110)
Michael Lantz
The Brooklyn Nets enjoyed having a vintage James Harden performance on Friday against the Indiana Pacers. After five games of Harden looking a bit off, he exploded for a 29/8/8 showcase that led Brooklyn’s finest to a win over a playoff caliber team in Indiana.
Brooklyn will play their fifth straight game at Barclays Center—this time against the Detroit Pistons. Detroit were the NBA’s second worst team last year, but they have an exciting young core. First overall pick Cade Cunningham made his debut on Saturday night, but it was pretty ugly. Despite a Pistons win, Cunningham only scored two pints and went 1-8 from the field and 0-5 from three in 19 minutes. He’ll get better, but don’t expect that to happen against a Brooklyn squad that’s aiming for league wide dominance.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Brooklyn Nets -12.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
Detroit is bad. Really bad. They had the second worst record in the league last year, and it doesn’t look like that’s changing this year, either. They’re young and inexperienced, and it’s sure to take for the potential that some of their roster has to actually gel together.
However, I’m not fully on board with Brooklyn by any means either. KD has looked good, but James Harden has had a rough year before finally coming alive Friday night, and I’m not sure that the supporting cast has shown enough for me to think they will run away with this one. Brooklyn wins, but with a relatively large spread, I’m hesitant that they manage to cover.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Detroit Pistons +12.5 (-110)
Houston Rockets @ Los Angeles Lakers – 10:30pm EDT
LeBron James returned to the lineup on Friday night and helped the Los Angeles Lakers to a big win over a young, inexperienced side. They now host another young, inexperienced side, the Houston Rockets. While LA have championship aspirations, the Rockets are looking to get some minutes into their young guns, including #2 pick Jalen Green.
Denis Kirilov
The Rockets will face the Lakers at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday in the last game of the night. The Lakers are off to a hesitant start of the season after suffering three losses out of six matches. They are way out of top condition at the moment as they even lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are one of the weakest teams in the League. However, they managed to pull themselves together in an important game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Even though the game was tied in the last quarter, the Lakers eventually prevailed by 12 points.
The Houston Rockets are struggling at the moment as they are into a 3-game losing streak. These losses came against good teams like the Celtics, the Mavs, and the Jazz. However, I don’t think a 32-year-old, Eric Gordon, will be able to lead his teammates to a huge upset in Los Angeles. Even if he manages to have a good game, his team still loses to opponents who have greater depth and experience in their squad. The Lakers are the epitome of these two words and I think they will finally please their audience with a monstrous performance winning by more than 20 points. However, I will choose them to only cover the spread for now.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Los Angeles Lakers -12 (-110)
On the 18th anniversary of their NBA debuts, LeBron and Melo combined for 50 points and helped notch the third #LakersWin of the season. pic.twitter.com/vN83inaBat
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 30, 2021
Michael Lantz
After an embarrassing loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder, where they squandered a massive lead, the Lakers bounced back with a big win against LeBron James 2x former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron has sat out the Lakers previous games against OKC and the San Antonio Spurs (which L.A. barely won), but he returned against his former squad to put on a vintage performance. We’ll see if the Lakers play him or rest him for load management against a less-than-stellar Houston Rockets squad.
Houston had the worst record in basketball last year and haven’t shown much improvement record-wise in this short season going 1-4. That being said, they have some exciting young talent that are playing with no real burden except to improve upon the 17 wins they had last season. They have some shining players including Chrisitan Wood and second overall pick Jalen Green. That being said, I don’t see them pulling an upset against the Lakers with or without LeBron at Staples Center. Let’s go with Lakers covering the spread for the best bang for your buck.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Los Angeles Lakers -12 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
This Lakers experiment is looking a touch shaky right now, as they’ve been hit or miss this season. As an example, they blew a huge lead against a bad OKC team, and then used an old-school LeBron performance to come out and take care of business against the King’s former team. However, the talent and experience is there, it’s simply a matter of whether they can gel and get things on the right track.
For Houston though, they were the worst team in the league last year, and I’m not sure much has changed in terms of their roster to keep them from being a bottom feeder again this year. They’ve had flashes from young guys like Jalen Green and Christian Wood, but overall the roster just isn’t good and I think they get exploited in a big way on the road Sunday night. Take LA and the points, as the Lakers cruise to an easy win.
Noah’s NBA Pick: LA Lakers -12 (-110)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
