NBA Odds, Picks & Predictions: Wednesday (11/13)
The NBA slate includes 11 games. However, none of today’s games will be NBA Cup matches. The next NBA Cup games will take place on Friday.
With that out of the way, I’ve added two of my favorite bets of the night in the NBA. Tail along below.
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Wednesday's Best NBA Bets
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
New York Knicks vs. Chicago Bulls
We hit on the Knicks last night. Now they’ll play the second game of a back-to-back against the Chicago Bulls. New York has become one of the most efficient offenses in the NBA. The Knicks have scored 121.3 points per 100 possessions and have added a 56.6% effective field goal percentage with only 12% of turnovers.
The Bulls should keep the Knicks away from the foul line. But Chicago is also the worst team in the NBA at forcing turnovers. The Knicks should be able to keep turnovers down, resulting in more shot attempts.
On the other hand, the Knicks haven’t been an elite defense this season. Yet, they proved last night that playing good defense is still in their blood. The Knicks held the 76ers to 99 points, the second of three games in which they held an opponent to under 100 points. They’ve done the little things right, like limiting offensive rebounds and foul shots.
The Bulls are very weak at those two things anyway. That’s why Chicago has scored just 109.6 points per 100 possessions. That won’t get the job done on the road. Back the Knicks at -8.5.
Pick: Knicks -8.5 (-110)
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
The Pelicans and Thunder are both dealing with significant injuries. The Pelicans will be without Jose Alvarado, Zion Williamson, Jordan Hawkins, Herbert Jones, and CJ McCollum. On the other hand, the Thunder are currently without Chet Holmgren, Jaylin Williams, and Isaiah Hartenstein.
The Thunder have overcome the injuries so far. However, the Pelicans have not.
New Orleans has scored only 109.3 points per 100 possessions. The Pelicans have shot an effective field goal percentage of 51.1%, which is 25th in the NBA.
Meanwhile, the Thunder have limited teams to just 103.6 points per 100 possessions. Opponents have shot a league-worst 50.1% effective field goal percentage against the Thunder this season. The Thunder are also leading the NBA in turnovers on defense with 19.2%.
New Orleans should at least grab a bunch of offensive rebounds. After all, the Thunder have played small ball since Holmgren went down. But that’s about all the Pelicans will achieve.
In addition, the Pelicans have allowed 120.2 points per 100 possessions and have allowed a 57.7% effective field goal percentage. That’s literally the worst rate in the NBA, defensively.
That said, I’ll ride the Thunder at -14.5. The Pelicans have looked terrible analytically.
Pick: Thunder -14.5 (-115)