The 2024-25 NBA season is underway. Make sure you check out the fantastic work of Jonathan Von Tobel, who will be writing NBA deep-dive features for us twice per week this year. And try to listen to A Numbers Game every morning, as Kelley Bydlon often dishes out his favorite NBA picks. But I’ll be 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, December 13th. 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 December 13th
NBA Best Bets Today – December 13th
Washington Wizards at Cleveland Cavaliers – 7:00 pm ET
This game might not be all that close. The Cavaliers are very big favorites. However, I do think there’s going to be a lot of points scored by both teams. This season, Cleveland is third in the NBA in adjusted offensive rating (117.2) and eighth in the league in pace (100.8). Meanwhile, Washington is 29th in the league in adjusted defensive rating (117.1) and fourth in the league in pace (103.4). For whatever reason, this Wizards team welcomes shootouts, even though it isn’t efficient enough offensively to keep up in those games. But that should lead to a highly productive night from the Cavaliers. And Washington is capable of scoring enough to help Over bettors cash.
I know these teams combined to score just 205 points when they met in Cleveland on December 3rd, but they also combined to score 251 points when they met in Washington on October 26th. The truth is probably somewhere in between.
The Over is also 18-7 in games Washington has played as a road underdog under Brian Keefe. It’s also 5-2 in the games the Wizards have played against teams with winning percentages of 70.0% or higher in that span, and you can also add a 19-8 mark in meetings with teams that average at least 116.0 points per game. Meanwhile, the Over is 9-5 in the 14 games Cleveland has played as a home favorite under Kenny Atkinson.
Bet: Over 232 (-110)
San Antonio Spurs at Portland Trail Blazers – 10:00 pm ET
This season, the Blazers are 7-4 against the spread at home. They’re also facing a Spurs team that is 3-6 straight-up and 4-5 ATS on the road. San Antonio is also missing a bunch of players, as Stephon Castle, Keldon Johnson, Tre Jones and Zach Collins are all out this evening. Meanwhile, Portland should have some of its key bodies at the center position. Deandre Ayton, Donovan Clingan and Robert Williams III are all questionable. One would think that one or two of those guys will be ready. And the Blazers don’t have any big injuries on the perimeter. So, it’ll be a relatively healthy team that plays well at home taking on a banged-up team that struggles on the road. I’m taking the points and sprinkling the moneyline.
Without Castle, San Antonio is missing its best point-of-attack defender, meaning Portland’s guards should be able to consistently get downhill and get two feet in the paint. From there, good things should happen — even with Victor Wembanyama lurking as a rim protector. And overall, the Blazers have a little more shot-making juice on the perimeter, as Shaedon Sharpe and Anfernee Simons are both capable of getting hot. I’d also be surprised if this is isn’t a big Jerami Grant game, as I like the matchups he’ll have on the wing.
Portland’s bench unit should also be big here. With San Antonio missing guys, Scoot Henderson and Deni Avdija should be able to narrow gaps or stretch leads against a weakened Spurs bench.
It should also be noted that San Antonio’s -2.1 net rating on the season might not be horrible, but the team’s net rating on the road is -6.4. This Spurs team plays much closer to the level of the Blazers when playing away from home, and the differences in the injury reports tilt the scales in favor of Portland.
Bet: Blazers +3.5 (-110 – 1.5 units) & Blazers ML (+140 – 0.5 units)
NBA Player Props Today – December 13th
Charlotte Hornets at Chicago Bulls – 8:00 pm ET
Vasilije Micic has played at least 34 minutes in each of the last three games. Micic is also averaging 15.0 points, 9.3 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game over the last three games. The 30-year-old is benefitting from LaMelo Ball and Tre Mann being out, and there’s really no reason to expect him to slow down. Micic is a solid scorer as a lead guard, he sees the floor well and he is aggressive on the glass. That said, I expect him to keep posting big numbers until Charlotte’s young guys are back, and tonight shouldn’t be any different. The Bulls are 28th in the NBA in adjusted defensive rating this year, and they’re also second in pace. I have called the Chicago matchup a “guard’s dream” all year long. That doesn’t change just because the guard is somebody a lot of fans might not be familiar with. Also, I hope people tune in if they tail this. Micic is a fun player to watch. I’m hoping he gets dealt to a contender at the deadline.
Bet: Micic Over 24.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (-115 – 1.5 units)
Parlays/Teasers/Late Added Plays/In-Season Futures
PARLAY: Sixers ML vs. Pacers & Timberwolves ML vs. Lakers (-128 – 1.5 units) – The Sixers are pretty close to full strength right now, and they’re facing a Pacers team that is struggling at the moment. Indiana badly needs Aaron Nesmith or Ben Sheppard back. The Pacers are missing the glue guys that were so important to last year’s squad, and I’m not going to be able to back them against great teams until they’re back. And I have mentioned throughout the year that Philadelphia is now a solid team to bet on. The Sixers have to take every game seriously because of their slow start. Meanwhile, the second game is pretty straightforward. The Timberwolves are back to looking like a top Western Conference team. They have won four of their last five games, and the loss was a second-straight road game against the Warriors. It was always going to be tough to beat them twice. But they’re locked in on both ends now that Mike Conley is back to orchestrate the show. Meanwhile, the Lakers look broken defensively, and LeBron James is out tonight. Perhaps LeBron’s absence will help with the defense. But Los Angeles will miss his ability to score and make plays for others.
Grayson Allen Over 11.5 Points (-105 – 2 units) vs. Jazz
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2024-25 NBA Record: 110-99 (+9.63 units)
