Through the first week of NBA action, our NBA picks are hitting more than missing and we have another 10 games to help you get some winners.
Can Boston bounce back against Indiana? Can Washington finally win a game? Who will win the massive rematch between Milwaukee and Miami?
Find all of that out and more below in our NBA picks!
New York Knicks @ Cleveland Cavaliers – 7PM ET
Who would have thought that the Cleveland Cavaliers would be sitting at 3-0 with a win over the Philadelphia 76ers under their belt. Well here we are and they have a very winnable matchup to move to 4-0.
New York started the season with competitive losses against the Pacers and Sixers before breaking through for the biggest upset of the season so far. The Knicks defeated the Milwaukee Bucks by 20 points with Julius Randle putting up 29 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists in the win to move to 1-2 on the season.
Cleveland has started perfectly this season and it is in big part to Collin Sexton and Andre Drummond. The third-year guard is averaging 27 points on 59.3% shooting while Drummond has three consecutive double-doubles to be averaging 20.3 points and 14.7 rebounds.
The Knicks look weak defensively, especially at center, allowing opposing big men to get double-doubles in three straight games and Drummond should be licking his lips in this one.
We are backing Drummond to have a big one here and help get Cleveland over the line.
NBA Pick – Cleveland Cavaliers (-160).
Golden State Warriors @ Detroit Pistons – 7PM ET
Golden State finally has their first win on the board after a last second shot by Damion Lee gave them a 129-128 lead for the win.
It has been an ugly start to the season for the Warriors, but Steph Curry scored 36 points in that one in his first big game of the season. Four other Warriors scored in double figures but Golden State still looked extremely ordinary against a lacklustre Chicago Bulls outfit.
The Warriors have given up at least 125 points in three straight games and might have gotten lucky with their scheduling to get a Detroit side on the second night of a back-to-back.
Blake Griffin didn’t play in last night’s matchup with Atlanta, obviously a precaution with him intending to play against the Warriors. Jerami Grant had another great scoring game while Josh Jackson relished the increased opportunity with 27 as well.
This is a tough one as both sides have looked terrible to start the season, but Golden State have the taste of victory now and Kelly Oubre Jr and Andrew Wiggins can’t keep shooting as bad as they are can they?
NBA Pick – Golden State Warriors (-173).
Boston Celtics @ Indiana Pacers – 7PM ET
A rematch from Sunday night sees the Celtics and Pacers go head-to-head in Indiana once again. The Pacers came out one-point winners in that one after a Domantas Sabonis layup with 8 seconds left put them ahead for good to have a 3-0 record in the first week.
Sabonis has started the season incredibly with two double-doubles and a triple double to average 24.3 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists. Malcolm Brogdon had 25, 5 and 5 on Sunday as the Pacers rested Victor Oladipo and are expecting him back in the lineup for their second meeting.
Boston on the other hand has had an interesting start to the year, defeating Milwaukee in game one before falling to Boston and now Indiana. The Celtics would hate to start 1-3 and will be looking to make amends for Sunday’s performance. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are averaging 26 and 25 points through the first three games and will need all of that and more to turn the result around here.
We think that they will be able to do that and get some more help from the supporting cast as well, with Boston getting some revenge.
NBA Pick – Boston Celtics (-121).
Toronto Raptors @ Philadelphia 76ers – 7PM ET
The Toronto Raptors have started the season in disappointing fashion with losses to New Orleans and San Antonio from their first two. They now travel to Philadelphia to face the 76ers, the team with the best home record from last season.
The Raptors had six in double figures, including two above 20 but weren’t able to slow down the Spurs in their five point loss on Saturday evening. The Raptors were one of the best defensive teams from last year but have given up 113 and 119 points and come up against a Philly team that will be looking to make up for their first loss of the season on Sunday night.
Joel Embiid was a late out with back tightness in the loss and should be back against the Raptors, which will provide a big boost to the Sixers. Both Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris have started the season a bit slower than they and Philadelphia would have liked and that was evident with Embiid missing.
Provided he is back in the lineup, Philadelphia should be winning this one against a Toronto team that seems to be missing a spark and edge they have had previously.
NBA Pick – Philadelphia 76ers (-121).
Chicago Bulls @ Washington Wizards – 7PM ET
Chicago and Washington face off in a contest that will see one of them notch their first win of the season.
The Bulls haven’t shown much in terms of defense so far this season, allowing at least 124 points in each of their first three contests. Sunday against Golden State was the first time they pieced everything together on offense with four starters scoring 20+ points, led by Zach LaVine’s 33.
Washington hasn’t been much better, losing to Philadelphia before dropping a back-to-back set against the Magic. Russell Westbrook missed the second leg of that pair of matches, but he has two triple-doubles from his two games and Bradley Beal is averaging 33 points from his three.
While both teams are 0-3, Washington has played all three against sides that played in the playoffs last season while Chicago has faced just one. The Wizards have playoff aspirations and they can get on the winners’ list in this one.
NBA Pick – Washington Wizards (-250).
Milwaukee Bucks @ Miami Heat – 7:30PM ET
The first leg of a back-to-back set between these sides sees two teams that have started in discouraging fashion.
Miami lost their opener to Orlando before getting over the line on Christmas Day against the Pelicans with Bam Adebayo leading the charge with averages of 21 points and 7.5 rebounds. They have three full days of rest to come into this one and will need it as they host the side they eliminated in the second round of the playoffs last season.
Milwaukee will have a chip on their shoulder in this one as the Heat embarrassed them in the playoffs last season and are coming off a 20-point loss to the Knicks! The Bucks have a losing record (albeit 1-2), and will be looking to right the ship.
Khris Middleton is averaging 27, 7 and 6 while Giannis Antetokounmpo is putting up 26 points and 13 rebounds per night. Giannis will want to make amends for that playoff series where many thought he was disappointing, and the loss of Jae Crowder for Miami means they have one less big, tough body to throw at him.
Milwaukee to come out and make a statement in this one.
NBA Pick – Milwaukee Bucks (-221).
Orlando Magic @ Oklahoma City Thunder – 8PM ET
The Orlando Magic come into this with a 3-0 record and wins over Miami and Washington under their belt. They now travel to Oklahoma City Thunder who have a 1-1 record in the early stages of the season.
Nikola Vucevic is averaging 17 points and 12 rebounds for the side that has two players that are putting themselves in contention for some awards at the end of the season. Markelle Fultz is a lead contender for Most Improved, averaging 20.7 points 3.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists while Terrance Ross has been one of the hottest men off the bench with averages of 23.3 points on 51.2% shooting from the field with 10 threes from three games.
Oklahoma City is looking a lot more competitive than many thought, beating the Hornets and then losing to the Utah Jazz by just one point last night. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had another good game with 23 and 7, but Luguentz Dort had the hot hand with 26 points on 81.8% shooting.
While the Thunder have been competitive, the quick backup against one of the hottest teams in the NBA doesn’t seem like a recipe for success.
NBA Pick – Orlando Magic (-200).
New Orleans Pelicans @ Phoenix Suns – 10PM ET
A pair of sides coming off close wins to move to 2-1 on the season, New Orleans travels to Phoenix to take on the Suns.
An important win over San Antonio on Sunday saw New Orleans do it on the defensive end while Brandon Ingram continued his impressive start with 28 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists. Lonzo Ball and Zion Williamson combined for 34 points, 19 rebounds and 10 steals to support Ingram and will look to create some matchup issues for Phoenix.
The Suns won the second leg of their back-to-back set with Sacramento to make up for their loss in the first. Deandre Ayton managed to stay out of foul trouble and put up a 11-point, 15-rebound double-double while Mikal Bridges led five players in double figures with 22 points.
Bridges is typically known for his ability on the other end of the floor and will create issues for Ingram, but New Orleans plays with a fast, exciting pace and should be able to win this one.
NBA Pick – New Orleans Pelicans (+130).
Minnesota Timberwolves @ Los Angeles Clippers – 10PM ET
This seems like a pretty straightforward one with Minnesota looking terrible on Sunday against the Lakers, who were missing Anthony Davis.
Karl-Anthony Towns missed that game and will be missing this one as well with a dislocated wrist and Minnesota looked in all sorts without him. D’Angelo Russell had a disappointing performance in his first game as the lead man with just four points and three assists.
The Clippers had their own disappointing performance on Sunday afternoon, creating history by being on the wrong side of the biggest halftime margin in NBA history, 50 points. LA could only manage 27 points in the first half and ended up losing by 51 to the Mavericks.
The positive is that the starters didn’t play too many minutes and they are hoping to get Kawhi Leonard back for this one.
When a good team gets punched hard, expect them to get back up and punch even harder back. The Clippers could win this by a big margin.
NBA Pick – Los Angeles Clippers (-400).
Denver Nuggets @ Sacramento Kings – 10PM ET
After their 13-point victory over the Houston Rockets, Denver get on a plane and saddle up again against the Sacramento Kings.
That was the first victory of the season for Denver, who would be looking to continue on by enacting some revenge over the Kings, who beat them by two points in overtime in both sides’ opening games last week.
Three Sacramento players scored over 20 points in that one while Nikola Jokic had a 29-point triple-double. Denver’s downfall was Jamal Murray’s struggles, scoring just 9 points on 1-9 shooting in 34 minutes. In their two games since, he has averaged 22 points and was a driving force for the Denver win last night.
Sacramento has played a back-to-back set against Phoenix since then, winning one and losing one to sit at 2-1. They have used an even approach to offense, having at least five players score in double figures in all three games.
This one just feels as if Denver is going to be able to bounce back and get the win they wanted last Wednesday night.
NBA Pick – Denver Nuggets (-136).
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of PointsBet.
