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Free NBA Picks Today for Thursday, November 4th, 2021

The NBA season is finally here! With so many games on each day, we have selected the top five games and made our best NBA predictions for Thursday, November 4th.

Free NBA Picks Today for Thursday, November 4th, 2021
Picks & Predictions
Thu 4th November 2021

Our free NBA Picks are out for Thursday, November 4th, 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!

Philadelphia 76ers @ Detroit Pistons – 7pm EDT

One night after taking care of the red-hot Bulls, the Philadelphia 76ers turn their attention to the flailing Detroit Pistons. Philadelphia, who are 6-2, are only favoured by 6.5-points over the Pistons, with there being every chance that Joel Embiid rests on the second night of a back-to-back set. 

Denis Kirilov

The Philadelphia 76ers are on fire after they picked up 4 wins at home against some of the best teams in the NBA. Their victory over the Chicago Bulls with 103:98 proved once again that the 76ers are here to play their hearts out. The consistency within the team is what makes Philly so deadly in the eyes of their opponents. They scored 30 points off the bench, while Bulls’ bench players put up just 13 points. Their upcoming fixture against the Detroit Pistons promises to be an easy one as they are 1-6.

Detroit will be struggling this season, but that’s no surprise as they have set their ambitions on the future and not on the present. They hope to slowly build a competitive team who will bring joy more frequently in Michigan. Jerami Grant, Saddiq Bey, and Kelly Olynyk will have difficulties in outscoring and outplaying Joel Embiid, Seth Curry and the player who is on fire in their last two games, Georges Niang. Having all in mind, I think this game will be easily taken by the 76ers who might as well go beyond the 20-point mark when it comes to winning margin in the end. 

Denis’ NBA Pick: Philadelphia 76ers -6.5 (-110)

Michael Lantz

The 76ers are coming off a big win against a Bulls team that’s on the rise. After a game of rest, the 76ers were thrilled to have Joel Emboif back in the lineup. But even with Tobias Harris’ absence, the reset of the team picked it up, including big performances from Seth Curry and George’s Niang.

The Sixers now travel to the “Motor City” to take on a young Pistons team. Detroit’s season is going as expected; they’re off to a 1-6 start. Cade Cunningham’s first two games have gone poorly, he’s scoring 4 points per game and shooting 13.6% from the field. He’ll undoubtedly improve, but he’s in no way helping the Pistons immediately. Detroit has a fun young team that simply is not ready to win yet. Even at home, I don’t expect them to match up well against the 76ers.

Michael’s NBA Pick: Philadelphia 76ers -6.5 (-110)

Noah Dunlap

This one shouldn’t be close. Philadelphia has continued to improve as we progress throughout the season, with Joel Embiid playing as expected, and the team also getting help from Seth Curry, Georges Niang, and Tobias Harris when healthy. Add in that they are coming off of a huge win over the Eastern Conference leading Chicago Bulls last night, and the Sixers come into this one with supreme confidence. 

For Detroit, the future is where their focus should lie. This team, as currently constructed, isn’t ready to win many games in the NBA, and they’ve played exactly as expected so far this season. Number one overall pick Cade Cunningham has shown his youth, as his play through two games has been abysmal, which is to be expected, and the supporting cast doesn’t hold much hope in this one. Take Philly with ease, and with the line sitting relatively low, I like the value with that being the play. 

Noah’s NBA Pick: Philadelphia 76ers -6.5 (-110)

Utah Jazz @ Atlanta Hawks – 7:30pm EDT

The Atlanta Hawks weren’t able to match it with Brooklyn last night and now they have to travel back home, dust themselves off, and host the 6-1 Utah Jazz. The Jazz will be looking to add a third straight win heading into this clash, but the Hawks are still a perfect 3-0 at home this season. 

Denis Kirilov

The Utah Jazz will have to face one of their most convenient opponents from the East, the Atlanta Hawks. They are up 5-1 in their last 6 matches between each other and will be looking to extend this gap. The team from Salt Lake City is leading the Western Conference with 6 wins and 1 loss, that came up against the Bulls away from home. They have been literally demolishing the rest of the NBA as the only other team that came up close to beating them was Sacramento. However, they were denied by Rudy Gobert and Hassan Whiteside, while on the other end Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley finished off the job.

The Atlanta Hawks played a tough match against the Brooklyn Nets which ended up with a loss, 108-117. Trae Young is still out of his top condition, but this should not be the priority of the Hawks at the moment. They should focus on the team as that’s what will win them the games and not a single player who will be useless when he will be past his peak. Mitchell versus Young will be the main matchup and having in mind the current situation, I would go with Utah’s shooting guard. Bojan Bogdanovic (Jazz) also feels like the better option at the moment than Bogdan Bogdanovic (Hawks). That being said, I am choosing the Utah Jazz all the way. 

Denis’ NBA Pick: Utah Jazz (-118)

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Michael Lantz

After the Atlanta Hawks seemed to get back on track after a big game against the surging Washington Wizards, they fell to a Brooklyn Nets team determined to show they’re the best in the conference. Atlanta now heads home, to a city that’s on cloud nine right now thanks to the Atlanta Braves winning the World Series.

The Hawks hope to emulate those championship ways, but at 4-4 they’ll need to start making things happen soon. Their opponent is last season’s Western Conference one seed,the Utah Jazz. The Jazz hope to retain that  ranking for a second straight year and with such a balanced squad it’s hard to imagine anyone going against them. Utah at -118 at home is just too good to pass up for this one. 

Michael’s NBA Pick: Utah Jazz (-118)

Noah Dunlap

With Atlanta coming off of a road loss last night to the Brooklyn Nets, they now return home to take on the Utah Jazz, which unfortunately for the Hawks, isn’t any easier in terms of the matchup. Trae Young continues to lead the way for Atlanta, and without improvement from his supporting cast, I don’t see the Hawks, who sit at 4-4 on the year, finding their footing in a much improved Eastern Conference. 

Utah, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to have any of the issues that were just mentioned about Atlanta. Rudy Gobert is playing extremely well, they’re still getting solid production from Donovan Mitchell, Mike Conley, and Bojan Bogdanovic, and I just don’t see where the advantage is for the Hawks to somehow come out on top in this one. Look for Gobert to dominate down low against Clint Capela, and I expect Donovan Mitchell to play just as well, if not better than Trae Young, and you can expect the Jazz to get the win at home. 

Noah’s NBA Pick: Utah Jazz -1.5 (-110)

Boston Celtics @ Miami Heat – 7:30pm EDT

The Boston Celtics look to complete the Florida-sweep, travelling to South Beach to take on the Miami Heat, one night after beating the Magic by 13. Boston has gotten off to a rocky start so far this season, even resulting in player-only meetings being held, while the Heat are flying and on top of the conference with a 6-1 record. 

Denis Kirilov

The Boston Celtics are heading to their second straight game away from home. They managed to get a comfortable 92-79 win over the Orlando Magic, which put an end to their 3-game losing streak. Their opponent this time will be none other than the Miami Heat. Miami leads the East with a 6-1 record and until now, they are the most dominant team in the league. The sheer balance between their defense and offense is what makes the difference in most of their games. The Heat are delivering on both ends and are showing solid improvement from the last season.

The Celtics’ key players are finding it hard to have a match without at least one bad quarter. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are struggling from the 3-point line as they even occasionally miss wide open shots. Although Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo and the rest on that “hot-looking” Miami Heat roster can be lethal from the field, I still think it’s quite risky to pick the option for “over points” in their games, as they are conceding just 98 points on average. That’s why I will pick under for this match.  

Denis’ NBA Pick: Under 215 (-110)

Michael Lantz

It seems like just yesterday that the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics were the league’s biggest rivalry. Fast forward to 2013, and Miami is the best team in basketball and the Celtics are struggling to float despite the hardest efforts from Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. 

While the Heat’s home-court advantage is nice, it’s definitely not a game changer. The Heat fans are known for their tardiness and aren’t normally seen as a massive threat. That being said, Boston has had no solution for handling playoff caliber teams—especially on the road. I truly believe the Miami Heat are basketball’s best team right now and until they show me something to prove otherwise, they’re my pick. I also will go for the over in this one. Both teams have defensive studs, but both offenses have shown they’re capable of scoring 100+ routinely. 

Michael’s NBA Pick: Same Game Multi – Miami Heat Win / Over 215 (+156)

Noah Dunlap

Don’t expect many points in this one. Boston’s core has by and large struggled so far this season, as more often than not, the Celtics shooting this year has been shaky to say the least. Jaylen Brown has played well, but the shooting percentage has been lower than he would like, and the same can be said for Jayson Tatum. They do play decent defense, or at least they can in theory, even though they haven’t shown much of it this year. But in a game like this, with the offensive production potentially looking like it could be facing a defense that actually tries to stop it, I do like the C’s to try to make up for it on the opposite side of the floor, putting in a better effort defensively than they’ve shown previously this year. 

As for Miami, they currently lead the Eastern Conference, and up to this point, they look like the class of the conference. With Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, and Bam Adebayo all playing well, they bring a balanced attack that is extremely hard to stop. But more importantly, they also play really good defense. They force their opponents to take possessions deep into the shot clock, limiting the number of possessions we see per game. That’s why the easy play in this one, with two teams that play above average defense most of the time, or at least can, is the under. 

Noah’s NBA Pick: Under 215 (-112)

Houston Rockets @ Phoenix Suns – 10pm EDT

After falling to the Lakers in consecutive games, the Houston Rockets now head to the desert to take on the Phoenix Suns. While Houston is yet to win a game on the road this season, Phoenix has won their last two overall and looks like getting back to the form that saw them make it to the NBA Finals last season. 

Denis Kirilov

After facing four tough opponents (the Lakers, Jazz, Mavericks, and Celtics), the Houston Rockets will play against another strong competitor in the face of the Phoenix Suns. The team from Texas is on a 5-game losing streak and by looking at their schedule it’s not expected this to end soon. They are 1-6 right now and they will focus their efforts mainly on building the team and getting as much experience as possible. The Houston Rockets are fighting until the end, but the lack of certain qualities is crucial for the outcome of their matches.

The Suns are having their ups and downs in their opening games for the 2021/22 NBA season. However, they gained back some of the lost confidence with two wins in their previous matches against the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New Orleans Pelicans. Chris Paul is piling up assist after assist, while Deandre Ayton averages double-double so far with 13.8 points and 11.4 rebounds per game to his name. However, the smoothness is missing as they have troubles putting in these clutch shots which will further make their games easier. This is the main reason why I will trust the Rockets in covering the spread. 

Denis’ NBA Pick: Houston Rockets +10.5 (-110)

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Michael Lantz

After a heart-breaking loss against the Sacramento Kings, 110-107, the Suns have started to turn it around. They’ve won vital games against the Cleveland Cavaliers and New Orleans Pelicans and in those matchups received an array of scoring from a Suns team with plenty of depth.

The Suns next matchup comes against the Houston Rockets. The Rockets had the second overall pick after last season and weren’t expected to be much of a threat this year. They may be 1-6, but they have a fun group of guys to watch. This includes Christian Wood, who scored a double-double in a two-point loss against the Lakers, and Jalen Green, the number two pick who scored 24 points in the tight loss. Despite the Rockets young scoring team, I’ll take the Suns to win at home 

Michael’s NBA Pick: Phoenix Suns -10.5 (-110)

Noah Dunlap

Houston has started the season 1-6, which isn’t all that unexpected. Especially when you keep in mind that they’re currently in the midst of a stretch of their schedule in which they play five of last year’s Western Conference playoff members, and the Golden State Warriors, who made it to the Play-In game, and now look like one of the best teams in basketball. There is some talent on this Houston roster, but it’s young, and it’s going to be a year or two before you’re able to see that youthful talent put together meaningful results. 

Phoenix just continues to wind their way through the early part of their season in a lackluster manner. We know the talent is there, as they made it to last year’s Western Conference Finals, but currently they aren’t playing all that well and they look somewhat bored along the way. Even though the Suns have looked mediocre so far this season, I think being at home against a team that isn’t as talented, and is in the middle of a five game road-trip, is going to be enough to get them the win. I’m not comfortable about the number, going either way, however, so play this one safe and get what you can with the Suns moneyline. 

Noah’s NBA Pick: Phoenix Suns (-560)

Oklahoma City Thunder @ Los Angeles Lakers – 10:30pm EDT

The Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder for the second time in just over a week, with the latter causing the upset in their first meeting. However, since that meeting the Lakers have strung together three straight wins while the Thunder have dropped back to back road games. 

Denis Kirilov

The Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder will face each other once again in Staples Centre on Thursday night. The previous game finished with an upset in favour of the Thunder who managed to get past the Lakers with 123-115. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Darius Bazley came up clutch in the last quarter and got the win for their team. Their shots from the 3-point line were going in and the Lakers didn’t have an answer to this as Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, and Anthony Davis were simply missing from everywhere. Westbrook and Anthony were below 20% from behind the arc.

However, the main difference between now and then is the fact that LeBron James is back for the Lakers. He was sidelined due to a minor ankle injury, but should be on almost 100% for the game as he came up huge against the Rockets with a double-double (30 points and 10 assists on 62% shooting). I think that his presence will be felt in the match and it might be the game-changer the Lakers need at the moment. The Thunder came up short against the Clippers on Monday and against the Warriors on Sunday. I think that the critical point was the match against the Clippers where they wasted a 9-point lead in the last minutes of the game. That’s why I will go with the Lakers covering the spread as I am expecting a big revenge from LeBron James and his teammates

Denis’ NBA Pick: Los Angeles Lakers -12.5 (-110)

Michael Lantz

Upon their first matchup, I figured the Oklahoma City Thunder were going to be a cake walk for the L.A. Lakers. Unfortunately, I was quite wrong. Sure, the Lakers were without LeBron James in that matchup, but based on talent, they had no excuse to lose, and on top of that be outscored in the third 41-23. This time they’ll hopefully be at full-strength and ready to play. 

The Lakers have won three in a row, all since their loss against OKC. They’ll be happy to face this OKC team at home, where they hope to have a better result than last time. Meanwhile, that win against L.A. is OKC’s lone victory on the year. They hope to give the Lakers another battle in a matter of weeks, but I feel the Lakers won’t let another slip up happen —no matter who is active and who isn’t. I’ll take the Lakers to win comfortably, but I predict Shai Gilgeous Alexander to have a good game on OKC’s behalf. 

Michael’s NBA Pick: Same Game Parlay – Lakers -12.5 / Shai Gilgeous Alexander o22.5 (+294)

Noah Dunlap

Oklahoma City knocked off LA in these two teams last meeting. That won’t be happening in this one. OKC isn’t very good, as from a talent standpoint they’re quite simply one of the worst teams in basketball. In their upset win, they got lucky as none of the Lakers stars could hit the ocean standing on the beach, and it was also a game that saw LeBron sit out. With LeBron set to be back for this one, coming off a big night against Houston on Tuesday night,I expect this result to get back to looking more like what we’d all virtually be expecting from these two rosters. 

You can also expect the experience to play a part, as while the OKC Thunder are a young team who have pieces that may eventually turn into being an adequate team, they certainly aren’t there yet, while the Lakers are a roster put together of virtually nothing but current or former All-Stars. The Lakers win this one going away, and the 12.5 number doesn’t even seem safe in this particular showdown. 

Noah’s NBA Pick: Los Angeles Lakers -12.5 (-110)

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

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