We’re nearing the end of the 2024-25 NBA season. I’ll continue giving out NBA best bets and player props here as often as possible, and I’ll also occasionally write up features on big news that shakes up the league. So, make sure you check out my work throughout the season. With that out of the way, let’s get into some NBA best bets and NBA player props for Friday, April 4th. Also, make sure you check out the picks page (linked right below) before games tip off. I occasionally add picks throughout the day.
MORE: Check out our Pro Picks page for everything our experts have on April 4th
NBA Best Bets Today – April 4th
Denver Nuggets at Golden State Warriors – 10:00 pm ET
I got a bad number on the Nuggets last night, as I played them at -142. However, I’m not scared off by the way the odds are moving. In fact, I added a unit at -104 this morning. I understand there’s a lot of love for Golden State after a big win over Los Angeles last night, but that victory doesn’t change the fact that this is an older team playing the second night of a back-to-back. Sure, the travel isn’t much of an issue with the Warriors staying in California for the two-game set, but all of their starters played big minutes last night. We also saw Jimmy Butler spend some time in the locker room with an arm injury, so who knows how he will be feeling here?
I’m also just not sure I see this being a good matchup for this version of Golden State. The Warriors really don’t have a good answer for Nikola Jokic, and Golden State’s lack of perimeter firepower could bail out an underwhelming Denver defense. The Nuggets just need to make sure they keep Stephen Curry from going absolutely insane. But they have done a good job of that this season, as Curry is shooting just 31.8% from the field and 27.6% from 3 in two meetings with the Nuggets.
The only thing that I see being problematic for Denver is the fact that Jamal Murray is on the injury report. However, I’d be pretty surprised if he doesn’t play. While the Nuggets don’t really have much upward mobility in the standings, they should be motivated to stay in the 3 spot. They shouldn’t want to see the Thunder until the Western Conference Finals, and an opening-round date with the struggling Grizzlies is possible where they are now.
Bet: Nuggets ML (-123 – 2 units)
NBA Player Props Today – April 4th
Phoenix Suns at Boston Celtics – 7:30 pm ET
I’m not sure what Bradley Beal’s role with the team would have been had Kevin Durant not injured his ankle, but Phoenix really has no choice but to throw him into the fire tonight. And while this is a tough a matchup, Beal really should be able to hit three assists — even if he’s on a minutes restriction. As a Suns fan, I find it infuriating that Mike Budenholzer puts the ball in Beal’s hands as often as he does, as the team plays its best basketball with Devin Booker running the show. But the reality is that Beal is going to get a ton of on-ball reps here. He has a usage rate of 22.1% this season, and that makes it hard to imagine him failing to find some teammates. Not only is Beal averaging 3.6 assists per game this season, but he’s also averaging 6.9 potential assists and 4.8 adjusted assists per game. He has been a solid playmaker all season.
Bet: Beal Over 2.5 Assists (-115)
Additional Plays
This is where I’ll include any late added plays, teasers/parlays or in-season futures. Come back before tip if you don’t want to miss anything. It’s always possible I’ll add something to my card.
PARLAY: Bulls ML vs. Blazers & Thunder ML vs. Rockets (+102 – 1.5 units)
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2024-25 NBA Record: 345-348-1 (+0.79 units)
