The 2024-25 NBA season is in full swing. Make sure you check out the fantastic work of Jonathan Von Tobel, who will be writing NBA deep-dive features for us 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 Monday, December 23rd. 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 23rd
NBA Best Bets Today – December 23rd
Houston Rockets at Charlotte Hornets – 6:00 pm ET
The Rockets are just 2-5 against the spread in their last seven games. They also just played the Raptors in a game that went down to the wire last night. Houston emerged with a 114-110 victory, but having to travel to Charlotte for the second leg of a road back-to-back will be rough. Under Ime Udoka, the Rockets are just 6-13 straight-up on the second night of a back-to-back, and that includes a 2-7 SU mark when it’s two road games in a row. With that in mind, I like the Hornets to make tonight’s game close — and potentially win it.
It’s a bummer that Charlotte is missing Brandon Miller, as the team can use a little off-ball juice next to LaMelo Ball. But Ball should be able to will the Hornets to a decent offensive performance. The Rockets are a top-five team when it comes to adjusted defensive rating (107.6), but Ball has proven to be somewhat matchup-proof as an offensive engine. Charlotte just needs to come out with some energy defensively, but that should happen with the team having had two full days to rest.
It’s also worth noting that the Hornets are 7-6-1 ATS as home underdogs this year, and they’re also 7-5-1 ATS as underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points. They also tend to bounce back from awful offensive performances. On the year, they’re 4-1-1 ATS when coming off a game in which they scored 100 or fewer points.
Bet: Hornets +6.5 (-112 – 1.5 units) & Hornets ML (+205 – 0.5 units)
Detroit Pistons at Los Angeles Lakers – 10:30 pm ET
The Pistons have won three of their last five games, and they have also covered in four of their last six. Detroit is a solid defensive team, as the group ranks 18th in the NBA in adjusted defensive rating (113.6). The problem is that the Pistons are just 24th in adjusted offensive rating (110.3). The good thing about that is that this Lakers team makes bad defenses look good. Los Angeles has won three games in a row, but two of them came against a struggling Sacramento team. Let’s see how it looks against a Pistons team that has scored at least 125 points in two of its last three games. Detroit should be able to find the special sauce against this Los Angeles defense, and I trust the Pistons to get enough stops on the other end.
Realistically, this is a game in which Cade Cunningham should shine. He has turned into an awesome defender, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he takes the LeBron James assignment. And Detroit has some guards that can absolutely torch some of Los Angeles’ slow-footed perimeter defenders. I actually considered playing Jaden Ivey player props, but I would rather just lean on the Pistons to keep this thing close.
Bet: Pistons +6 (-110 – 1.5 units)
NBA Player Props Today – December 23rd
Brooklyn Nets at Miami Heat – 7:30 pm ET
Opponents are shooting 37.3% from 3 against the Nets, and only four teams in the NBA are doing a worse job of defending the 3-point line. Brooklyn also struggles a little when guarding good off-ball movers, making this a good matchup for Duncan Robinson. The 30-year-old has a pretty high 3-point total for tonight, but you’re getting plus-money odds to go Over. And it’s not like Robinson hasn’t had some three-make games lately. The guard has made at least three 3s in four of his last six games, and the two games in which he didn’t were games in which he averaged just 22.5 minutes per game. As long as Robinson flirts with 30 minutes tonight, he should torch the net. So, I’m taking a shot on this play.
Bet: Robinson Over 2.5 Made 3s (+118)
Minnesota Timberwolves at Atlanta Hawks – 7:30 pm ET
I’m seemingly one of the last believers in Julius Randle and this Timberwolves team. Minnesota has had a rough couple of days, but the team had been playing very well before that. And Randle was a big part of it. Well, I like the power forward to turn in a good effort against Atlanta tonight. The Hawks have some very intriguing defensive pieces, but they don’t really have anybody that can deal with Randle’s brute force. If Jalen Johnson ends up defending him for a majority of this game, Randle will put his head down and attack the basket. And when he does, he’ll either bump Johnson off for a bucket or draw a foul. Randle should also be able to contribute as a rebounder in this one. Again, his size is something that teams don’t often have to deal with at his position, as the league has mostly turned to thinner, lengthier forwards at the four spot. And bigger forwards have given the Hawks trouble.
Bet: Randle Over 26.5 Points + Rebounds (-125)
Parlays/Teasers/Late Added Plays/In-Season Futures
5PT-TEASER: 76ers -0.5 vs. Spurs & Pacers +10.5 vs. Warriors (+100 – 1.5 units) – The 76ers will have a full lineup tonight. Of course, Jared McCain is out indefinitely. However, the Big Three of Tyrese Maxey, Paul George and Joel Embiid will be active. That should be enough for Philadelphia to earn a home win over an average San Antonio team. The one thing I keep stressing with the Sixers is that they will play with a sense of urgency whenever they have enough players to do so. They dug themselves too deep of a hole not to. And overall, I believe Philadelphia is stronger than San Antonio both offensively and defensively. It’s a very, very small sample size, but the Sixers are outscoring opponents by 13.0 points per 100 possessions with the three stars together. It’s mostly because of elite defense, but the offense will come around.
As for the second game, the Pacers are on the second night of a road back-to-back, but they are clicking right now. Indiana has won four games in a row and five of its last six. And yesterday’s win was impressive, as the Pacers beat the Kings by 27 points in Sacramento. Indiana is just starting to get healthier, and the team is looking a bit more cohesive than it did earlier in the season. The Pacers haven’t quite reached the level they were at to end last year, but it isn’t too far away. Perhaps it will all come together when Aaron Nesmith returns. But for now, I think this team is good enough to avoid a double-digit loss against a Warriors team that has lost nine of its last 12 games. I know Golden State just earned a good road win over Minnesota on Saturday, but I need to see a bit more from the Warriors before believing they can win by a margin like this against a good team.
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2024-25 NBA Record: 127-116 (+11.26 units)
