After a brief hiatus over Christmas, I’m back with my NBA best bets column to bring us into the New Year.
New Year’s Eve brings us a ton of teams on the second leg of a back-to-back, including the New Orleans Pelicans, who are a part of one of the plays for Saturday’s action.
Plus, I have a plus money player prop to ride one of the hottest hands in the NBA at the moment.
Let’s close 2022 out with a bang! Here are today’s picks:
NBA best bets record to date
NBA best bets today
- Los Angeles Clippers -3 (-110) vs. Indiana Pacers
- New Orleans Pelicans-Memphis Grizzlies OVER 233 (-110)
- Luka Doncic to Record a Triple Double (+350)
Los Angeles Clippers -3 (-110) vs. Indiana Pacers
The Los Angeles Clippers are looking to close their road trip out with a win, after splitting the first four games.
Los Angeles’ losses came to the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics, so I think this line of just three points is a little short with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George both healthy.
The Clips are going to want to slow the pace (22nd in the NBA), especially since Indiana has put together a few big scoring nights in their last few games.
Los Angeles has an elite defense (third in the league in defensive rating) which should slow down this Pacers attack. The Pacers have been solid as home dogs this season, but Los Angeles is now 6-5 ATS as a road favorite.
Kawhi and PG should be too much for Indiana to handle on defense.
New Orleans Pelicans-Memphis Grizzlies OVER 233 (-110)
I don’t want to lay points with the Memphis Grizzlies here since New Orleans has won five straight, but there is a ton of value on this total.
The first meeting (without Zion Williamson) between these teams finished with 215 points, but the second was all the way up at 243.
Memphis ranks 10th in the league in pace, one spot above New Orleans (11th). Both of these teams are top-10 in the league in points per game, and the Grizzlies jump from ninth overall to sixth when they are at home.
The Pelicans are in the second leg of a back-to-back, but they’ve hit the OVER in that situation three times in four games this season. Also, the Pels have cleared this line in five of their last six games and 21 times in 35 games.
This matchup should bring a ton of fireworks, so I’ll gladly take the OVER at anything under 235.
Luka Doncic to Record a Triple Double (+350)
Luka Doncic has put up back-to-back triple-doubles for the Dallas Mavericks, and he’s got a shot to put up a third against a San Antonio Spurs team that ranks dead last in the NBA in defensive and net rating.
The Spurs also allow the most assists per game in the NBA, which should allow Doncic to get his teammates involved early and often.
Dallas has struggled against the spread as a road favorite this season, so I don’t expect this game to get out of hand as fast as some may expect. Luka has at least a double-double in four of his last five games, and he’s finished with at least eight or more assists and eight or more boards in five straight.
With Dorian Finney-Smith and Josh Green out, Dallas will lean on Luka even more. Why not take him to get a third straight triple double at some favorable odds?
Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.
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