The NBA Cup group stage will take center stage again today, so our staff of experts went down the list and identified the best betting value on the board for tonight's 8-game slate.
Our basketball betting experts have looked over the NBA odds and made 6 NBA picks for today's contests. Our NBA best bets and picks for Friday, Nov. 22 are below.
NBA Best Bets Today
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
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  | 10:30 p.m. | |
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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. | ||
Nets vs. 76ers
This is a simple bet for me.
Tyrese Maxey is really good and I'm getting him to score just 15 points. Sure, he just returned from injury and was inefficient in just 20 minutes of play. But the Nets are one of the league's worst defenses despite their overachieving play, we're not likely to have Paul George active, and Maxey should see volume for however long he's out there, as was the case against Memphis.
Maxey should have volume, and hopefully gets at least 25-ish minutes. He had 13 shot attempts in 20 minutes last time. If this is, say, 16 in 25 minutes, I like his chances of getting to 15.
Pick: Tyrese Maxey Over 16.5 Points (-125)
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Celtics vs. Wizards
By Joe Dellera
Jayson Tatum has been cooking with gas this season and is averaging 29.9 points per game with a 73% hit rate on this 27.5 points prop.
Tonight, Tatum gets a NBA Cup matchup against the lowly Washington Wizards who Boston should be trying to blow out while keeping their foot on the gas to improve their group point differential. While I have some reservations about just how much Boston cares about the NBA Cup title, they still shouldn’t have any issues taking care of the Wizards.
The Wizards play at the league’s fourth-fastest Pace with the league’s worst defense, per Dunks and Threes. There will be a plethora of opportunities for Tatum to cook against this defense.
Tatum has scored at least 25 points in 4/5 games against Washington the last two seasons, and even though he scored just 25 in the one game this season against the Wizards he still took 20 shots which is right in line with his season averages.
In blowout wins (15+ points), Tatum actually averages more points per game than his season average with a healthy 31.6 points per game. I like Tatum to exceed 27.5 points, with the additional upside if Boston truly tries to run up the score on Washington for the Cup standings.
Pick: Jayson Tatum Over 27.5 Points (-125)
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Mavericks vs. Nuggets
By Joe Dellera
Nikola Jokic has not played since Denver’s last game against Dallas on November 10 due to personal reasons and now should be ready to go for this game against the Mavericks.
Jokic pulled down 18 boards in that last contest on an insane 29 rebound chances. This season he is averaging 13.7 rebounds on 24.1 rebound chances. These numbers all jump at home too. At home he is averaging 14.3 on 24.4 chances.
He has a significant edge on the glass against both Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively tonight, and I have him securing over 14 boards in what should be a closely contested game. I’ll grab Jokic to exceed 12.5 rebounds.
Pick: Nikola Jokic Over 12.5 Rebounds (-130)
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Kings vs. Clippers
The Kings are gaining Domantas Sabonis, and the Clippers are losing Norman Powell.
I think the Clippers being a home underdog is dangerous to bet against, but to me, I think the Kings are just slightly better and justifiably favored.
Losing Powell isn't small, he's been outstanding, averaging over 23 points on 49/49/81. James Harden will pick up some of that, sure.
The Clippers have more defensive upside, but I like the spot for the Kings to steal one in L.A. after losing to the Clippers in Sacramento two weeks ago.
Pick: Kings Moneyline (-150)
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Mavericks vs. Nuggets
By Joe Dellera
Kyrie Irving will lead the Mavericks against the Nuggets today, as they will be without Luka Doncic for at least the next few games.
When Kyrie has played without Luka during the last two seasons, he has seen a sharp uptick in his scoring from 24.8 ppg to 29.8 points per game. In those eight games, he has 25+ points in five of them while scoring at least 20 in 7/8.
Considering Kyrie just dropped 43 against Denver with Luka, this is a great spot to back him once again. I’ll grab Kyrie to exceed 24.5 points and would play this at 25.5 as well.
Pick: Kyrie Irving Over 24.5 Points (-135)
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Kings vs. Clippers
Domantas Sabonis is back after missing two games due to a minor injury.
I'm taking over 35.5 points + rebounds + assists against the Clippers. Sabonis has cleared this in 10 of 13 played games this season and in three straight against Ivica Zubac. He even got 23-12-6 against the Clippers two weeks ago.
This number is a bit low, and per usual, Sabonis could warrant a longshot triple double sprinkle, seeing as how he has three this season and has been within three or fewer assists on three other occasions.
Pick: Domantas Sabonis Over 35.5 Points, Rebounds, & Assists (-110)
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