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 Sunday, December 15th. 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 15th
NBA Best Bets Today – December 15th
Dallas Mavericks at Golden State Warriors – 8:30 pm ET
Steph Curry is questionable with a neck injury tonight, but Golden State hasn’t played since Wednesday. With that in mind, it’s a little hard to believe he’ll miss this game, especially with Klay Thompson on the opposing team. And if Curry does play, getting 3.5 is too tough to pass up.
This season, Golden State is 7-4 both straight-up and against the spread at home. Meanwhile, for as good as Dallas has been this year, the Mavericks are just 6-8 ATS on the road. Also, the last time these teams met, Curry went nuclear in the final minutes to lead the Warriors to a 120-117 win. I’m just not sure that Dallas has a good answer for the flamethrower, as the team is good defensively but weakest on the perimeter. Meanwhile, the Warriors are fifth in the NBA in adjusted defensive rating, so they’ll take their chances of slowing down a Mavericks team that is fourth in the NBA in adjusted offensive rating.
Realistically, this play will look terrible if Curry is ruled out. But if he ends up being active, this line is going to move a little bit. So, I think it’s worth taking a shot, especially considering we have seen some solid Curry-less performances out of Golden State this year.
It’s also worth noting that the Warriors are 45-16 SU and 34-27 ATS when playing with three or more days of rest under Steve Kerr. They’re also 38-31 ATS as home underdogs under Kerr.
Bet: Warriors +3.5 (-115 – 1.5 units)
NBA Player Props Today – December 15th
Memphis Grizzlies at Los Angeles Lakers – 9:30 pm ET
The Lakers are giving up 13.8 made 3s per game, and opponents are shooting 36.9% from deep against them. This Los Angeles team can’t be trusted when it comes to defending the 3-point line, and that’s especially true when it comes to opposing power forwards. Well, the Memphis starting four just so happens to be Jaren Jackson Jr., who is shooting 35.7% from deep. Jackson comes into this game after having made at least three 3s in each of his last three games, making it hard to turn away from it here. Jackson went 2 for 7 from 3 the last time these teams played, which was back on November 13th. That was during a stretch in which the Lakers were playing competent basketball on the defensive end. That’s no longer the case. I think Jackson will get a bunch of clean looks in this one. Let’s just hope he buries some.
Bet: Jackson Jr. Over 1.5 Made 3s (-135 – 1.5 units)
Parlays/Teasers/Late Added Plays/In-Season Futures
PARLAY: Pacers ML vs. Pelicans & Timberwolves ML vs. Spurs (+110 – 1.5 units) – The Pacers have burned me on these this season, but I’m going to put some trust in them to win this one at home. The Pelicans aren’t quite as bad as people might think, but they’re missing a lot of bodies and there isn’t anywhere that they have a clear advantage over the Pacers. That said, Indiana should be able to win this one. The Pacers haven’t found their gear offensively yet, but they’re still capable of out-executing mediocre opponents. And in the second game, I just love what I’m seeing from Minnesota. The Timberwolves are back to being one of the league’s best defensive teams, and Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle are learning to co-exist offensively. All of that should be a little overwhelming for the Spurs.
QUICK NOTE: I’m monitoring the Grizzlies-Lakers game for the status of LeBron James. I’m actually hoping that he ends up playing, giving me a chance to get in on Memphis as -2 or so. I like the Grizzlies to win regardless of whether or not The King is out there.
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2024-25 NBA Record: 113-05 (+5.29 units)
