NBA Preseason Odds, Picks & Predictions: Sunday (10/6)
The 2024-25 NBA regular season is nearly here. What better way to get ready for the NBA regular season than to start your sports betting during the NBA preseason? That’s right, you can bet on the NBA preseason! Sure, there will be more opportunities to bet on the NBA regular season, but check out the new names and faces of the 2024-25 NBA season and help keep things interesting by placing some bets on the NBA preseason. We’ll guide you through the NBA preseason with picks and predictions for each and every game. Let’s dive into our top NBA preseason picks and predictions for today’s games!
NBA Preseason Odds, Picks & Predictions
Check out our top NBA preseason picks and predictions for today’s games.
Nuggets vs. Celtics
These two teams will square off again in Abu Dhabi after a preseason contest on Friday. The teams played to a pretty close 107-103 finish with Boston edging out Denver. The interesting thing to watch for here is how much playing time the starters will get. After getting about 20 minutes each on the Boston side, there’s a good chance you’ll see even less out of the starters. This means getting more minutes for the younger players. Denver only played their starters for about 15 minutes apiece, but I don’t expect to see much more from them either. On Friday, Denver led throughout much of the first three quarters of the game, but a strong finish to the third got Boston back into the game. Because of this, there’s value on taking Denver as underdogs again on Sunday. Their starters got more work in Friday and they’ll be more content with packing it in and heading back to the states.
Pick: Denver +3
-Ryan Rodeman
Knicks vs. Hornets
Karl-Anthony Towns is expected to make his Knicks debut tonight against the Charlotte Hornets in the newly renovated Spectrum Center. Heading into the season, the Knicks have one of the best rosters in the NBA, including a potential starting lineup of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikel Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Towns. That said, the bench might be weaker, but the Knicks are still looking to make a deal or two before the season begins. On the other hand, they'll play the Hornets, who have Miles Bridges, MIkel's brother. The Hornets won just 21 games last season and added Tidjane Salaun with the 6th overall pick. He has some potential, but he thinks he's not great at shooting. Therefore, I'll ride with the Knicks on the road at -4.5 (-115).
Pick: Knicks -4.5
-Jason Radowitz
Wizards vs. Raptors
The Washington Wizards will head to Monreal, PQ, in the NBA's Canada Series to take on the Toronto Raptors. This will be an exciting game, especially for the Wizards, who added three first-round picks from the most recent draft. We'll get to see Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington, and Kyshawn George. These are guys that could be franchise cornerstones in the future. Additionally, the Wizards also have Jonas Valanciunas, who was drafted by Toronto back in 2011. He was their most significant addition but probably doesn't move the needle in game one of the preseason. On the other hand, Toronto has Immanuel Quickley, Scottie Barnes, Bruce Brown, Ka'Kobe Walter, and Gradey Dick on the injury report. They'll already be shorthanded. Let's take the Under 223.5 (-120) here.
Pick: Under 223.5
-Jason Radowitz
Bucks vs. Pistons
There isn’t a matchup that could be more lopsided in what this game means to each team. After a couple of disappointing finishes in the Playoffs the last few years, Milwaukee is focused on getting back to April healthy. Results in the preseason mean very little to them. I wouldn’t be shocked if we see very little of veteran stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. Detroit, on the other hand, has a team full of young players with a new head coach that needs to learn how to play winning basketball. Although the wins and losses in the preseason don’t count toward the regular season, the habit of winning can start for a young team like Detroit, and they need the work. Expect to see a lot of these young Pistons throughout the preseason and in front of a home crowd on Sunday they should give a bunch of the young guys ample opportunity to figure out how their skills mesh on the court. You won’t likely get Detroit as a favorite often once the end of October rolls around, but as a short home favorite on Sunday, they’re still the right side.
Pick: Detroit ML (-110)
-Ryan Rodeman
Suns vs. Lakers
The Lakers already lost their first preseason game, 124-107, after a pitiful start, during which Los Angeles gave up 36 points in the first quarter. The Lakers didn't play Anthony Davis or LeBron James, but those two will likely play in tonight's game. Dalton Knecht scored 16 points on 7-for-13 from the field and looked very comfortable. However, nobody in the starting lineup had a +/-of better than 0. That should change with James and Davis inserted into the lineup. Meanwhile, the Suns could start Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, and Kevin Durant in this one. Those three weren't terrific when playing with one another last season. But with the addition of Tyus Jones at point guard, the Suns are in much better shape. They also added Mason Plumlee and now have a much more formidable starting lineup. This should be a close matchup, but it's probably unlikely that either team’s top stars will play a lot. I'll take the Lakers, who have more depth on the bench.
Pick: Lakers -1.5
-Jason Radowitz