As we head into Thursday's NBA slate on October 26, we're here once again with our NBA best bets today: expert picks for NBA Thursday's NBA on TNT doubleheader featuring the Philadelphia 76ers vs the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns vs the Los Angeles Lakers.
There are numerous storylines to monitor on Thursday, but first things first — let's dive into our expert best bets.
NBA Best Bets Today | Expert Picks for NBA Thursday
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
| 7:30 p.m. | |
  | 10 p.m. | |
| 10 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NBA Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
How to Bet NBA on TNT Thursday Doubleheader
76ers vs. Bucks
By Joe Dellera
Brook Lopez continues to be a defensive stalwart for the Milwaukee Bucks. However, his shooting prowess often goes unnoticed. With the acquisition of Damian Lillard and the gravity that he and Giannis Antetokounmpo bring, I expect there to be more opportunities for Lopez along the perimeter. This is also a strong matchup for Lopez, who has continually been a menace against the 76ers. In his past eight games against the 76ers, Lopez has averaged 2.8 3s on 6.3 attempts. In fact, he's made two or more 3's in six of those eight games.
The 76ers have a new head coach in Nick Nurse, but if we can glean anything from the preseason data, the 76ers allowed opponents to shoot 41.3% of their shots from 3-point range. Additionally, both Toronto and Philadelphia allowed opponents to shoot about 35% of their attempts from 3 last year, so in terms of defensive shot profile allowed by the coaching scheme, not too much should change from the past few seasons. At this price, it's too juicy not to take.
Pick: Brook Lopez Over 1.5 3s (+185)
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76ers vs. Bucks
With or without James Harden, the Philadelphia 76ers aren't stopping Damian Lillard, who'll be eager to have a meaningful debut with his new team, even if it was his second choice. Regardless, Lillard shouldn't need to average 30 points in Milwaukee, but we'll still expect plenty of those games as he continues to make use of the backend of his prime.
Pick: Damian Lillard Over 26.5 Points (-120)
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Suns vs. Lakers
By Chris Baker
UPDATE: I had originally bet the Lakers moneyline at -120, but that was before we knew that both Devin Booker and Bradley Beal would be out for the Suns. That doesn't change my side, but it does change how I'm betting this one. I snagged the Lakers -5.5 after the injury news, and I'm comfortable playing that to Lakers -6.
The Suns got the win on opening night, but it wasn’t because they played well, after all. Phoenix turned the ball over on an awful 19% of its possessions and shot relatively poorly outside of Devin Booker. The Suns' shot profile was bad as they attempted 57% of their shots from the mid-range. They were fortunate that the Warriors shot 24% from 3. The team was entirely unimpressive outside of Booker and Jusuf Nurkic and there were stretches where Booker was off the floor that I started to search the odds for the Suns to miss the playoffs.
The Lakers hung around with the Nuggets and got to the rim on 43% of their shot attempts, but weren’t able to win as the Nuggets had a 60% effective field goal rate and shot 41% from 3. I’m not super high on the Lakers, but at least they have a playable bench and some on-ball creators. The Suns are basically a trio of three elite mid-range shooters, Nurkic and a bunch of guys who are borderline NBA players. And two of those elite shooters are out tonight.
Pick: Lakers -6
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Suns vs. Lakers
The Lakers played with a lot of pace last season (sixth overall), but post-trade deadline — which is what I look to this early in the season — they dropped to 10th. Tuesday’s game against the Nuggets was a moderate 96 possessions, but this is more a play on the Lakers' defense and the low 3-point rate for each team. Los Angeles ranked 12th in Defensive Rating (113.2) last season, but had the third-best defense after the trade deadline. Three months under head coach Darvin Ham’s system has the Lakers playing better on rotations and communicating better on switches.
As for the offense, neither team shoots many 3s. Post-deadline last season, the Lakers were just 25th in 3-point rate, taking 32.2% of their shots from beyond the arc. The Suns didn’t shoot many more and ranked 22nd (32.6%). Even against a depleted Warriors' defense that was missing Draymond Green and started a 38-year-old Chris Paul, the Suns still only managed to score 108 points as the game sailed under the total of 235.
Devin Booker and Bradley Beal are both doubtful, which makes this even more of a play for me. If both are out, as I suspect they will be, I like the under down to 220.
Pick: Suns vs. Lakers Under 224
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