As the NBA's return continues to roll out some of the biggest and best matchups, Wednesday night in the league will be no different with our first full 10-game slate ahead for fans to indulge in.
With an ESPN doubleheader on deck between Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks visiting a short-handed Philadelphia 76ers (who will be without Joel Embiid and Paul George) in their home opener at 7:30 p.m. ET.
After that, James Harden and the Los Angeles Clippers will play host to Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns at 10 p.m. ET for their first regular season game in their new home, the Intuit Dome.
With 5 player prop bets, a spread pick, and one targeting the total; our experts provide their NBA picks for Wednesday, October 23 below. Let's see what they have in mind in their expert NBA best bets today!
Best NBA Bets Today
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7:30 P.M. | |
| 7:30 P.M. | |
  | 7:30 P.M. | |
  | 7:30 P.M. | |
  | 8:00 P.M. | |
  | 9:00 P.M. | |
  | 10:00 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. | ||
Magic vs. Heat Picks
By Joe Dellera
The Miami Heat take on the Orlando Magic and it’s a pairing of two of last year’s slowest teams. I expect a grinding defensive battle. The key here is that Miami is healthy to start the year and they can run a fairly deep rotation with their starting core 4 of Butler, Bam, Rozier, and Herro. I expect this to limit Herro’s opportunities.
Last year when playing with Bam, Butler, and Rozier he saw his Usage decline and he hit his 24.5 PA line in just 2/10 while avg 22.4 PA. The biggest swing was Rozier, with whom he scored 3.23 points fewer per 100 possessions and while he saw an assists bump next to Rozier, that was more than cancelled out by playing next to Jimmy Butler. Considering the healthy Heat and the expected Pace, I’m grabbing under 24.5 PA.
Pick: Tyler Herro Under 24.5 PA
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Bam Adebayo is projected by Yahoo fantasy to make 15 threes this season and he's just even money to make one to start the year in the sportsbooks.
I don't think he'll put up the same volume per minute he did in preseason or in the Olympics, but it's gonna take people a while to adjust to this reality — Bam will shoot and make threes this season.
Even last year, he ended the regular season 14-of-28 from deep across his last 17 regular season appearances. He'll likely hit enough to where this gets juiced not too long from now, so I'll be on his three until that time comes.
Pick: Bam Adebayo Over 0.5 Threes
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Cavaliers vs. Raptors Picks
By Eric Gaston
In the season opener, the Raptors will be at home at host the Cavaliers. Immanuel Quickley signed a lucrative five-year year contract in the offseason that places him as the starting point guard for Toronto.
The Raptors will be without RJ Barrett tonight, which means more responsibility for Quickley to be aggressive and get his points. He will be matched up against a backcourt of Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell, who aren't the best defenders. Look for Quickley to start off the season strong.
Pick: Immanuel Quickley Over 21.5 Points
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Bucks vs. 76ers Picks
By Eric Gaston
The 76ers start their season at home, but without both Joel Embiid and Paul George. I think its safe to believe that the Bucks want to start their season out strong, especially after last season not going the way the team would like. That starts with Giannis leading the charge and being one of most dominant players in the game.
After missing the last two postseasons, there's a sense that some are underrating the Bucks. But going into another season with Damian Lillard, things should improve, and there's a likely motivation to remind the league the Bucks shouldn't be underestimated in any sense. It all starts tonight for Giannis.
Pick: Giannis Antetokounmpo Over 28.5 Points
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Bulls vs. Pelicans Picks
By Chris Baker
I rate both these defenses poorly as the Pelicans are going to try and play without a Center by starting Herb Jones at the 5. Herb Jones is a terrific defender but he is not a center and I rate the other 4 pelican starters as mostly negatives on defense.
I expect the Bulls to be a bottom-5 defense this season as Nikola Vucevic is completely cooked and offers virtually no rim-protection. They will likely be starting all three of Josh Giddey, Zach Lavine, and Coby White, all guys with small frames who struggle on the defensive end to put it nicely. Their bench is filled with young guys or poor defenders besides Lonzo Ball, who we shouldn’t really expect to play a ton of minutes here anyway.
Additionally, the Bulls ranked 2nd in pace and 2nd in three point attempt rate in the pre-season which is good to see as they’ve been slow-team that has ranked bottom-5 in three point attempt rate over the past few years. The Pelicans will also to be able to get up a ton of threes with Herb Jones at the Center.
This should be and up and down game with little defense so I will play this over up to 226.
Pick: Over 224.5
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Grizzlies vs. Jazz Picks
By Joe Dellera
The Jazz take on the Grizzlies on Wednesday and this line is a bit light for Lauri, especially with the news now that Jaren Jackson Jr is going to be missing the opener.
Lauri exceeded this line in 58% of games last season while averaging 23.2 points per game. I think the Jazz are going to be in the Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper sweepstakes this year but we should still see Lauri play when he is healthy, especially in the home opener. Lauri saw an uptick in his scoring at home as well and averaged 24.2 ppg at home last year.
Here, I expect Lauri to get his shots up in what should be a fast-paced game with Ja Morant back at the helm for the Memphis Grizzlies. Couple this with the likely reliance on Zach Edey at the 5 for Memphis and we should see a bit of a mismatch for Lauri to exploit if the Grizzlies need to play in a drop or try to put Santi Aldama on Lauri.
I'll back Lauri Markkanen to exceed 21.5 points and would reduce risk but find it playable at 22.5 as well.
Pick: Lauri Markkanen Over 21.5 Points
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Warriors vs. Trail Blazers Picks
To start the year we have to get back to the basics. 6 is the most important number for NBA betting as it is the most common outcome the last 3 seasons. With this line being at -5.5 some places like BetMGM and ESPNBet, and 6 at most other books, the 5.5 is worth picking up simply because the value of the number it likely closes at.
This line did open at Warriors -3.5, so I am playing it small for half a unit as I am a bit late to the party. This concept of key numbers can also be applied to the Cavaliers and possibly Rockets for Wednesday's 10 game slate.
Pick: Warriors -5.5
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