The 2024-25 NBA season is in full swing. 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 27th. 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 27th
NBA Best Bets Today – December 27th
Cleveland Cavaliers at Denver Nuggets – 9:00 pm ET
The Cavaliers have won five games in a row and have simply been a wagon all year long. Cleveland has also had three full days of rest since earning a 124-113 win over Utah. So, the Cavs will have a big advantage in the freshness department here. The Nuggets played a late game on Christmas Day, losing 110-100 against the Suns. However, I can’t help but think that you’re getting some great value on Denver moneyline here.
While Cleveland’s season-long net rating is +11.3 and Denver’s is just +2.8, you have to factor in the home/away numbers a little. And the Cavaliers’ net rating drops to +7.3 on the road. Meanwhile, the Nuggets’ net rating rises to +3.6 at home. Also, Denver started this season extremely slow, but the team has found it recently. The Nuggets are 5-2 both straight-up and against the spread over their last seven games, and they have a net rating of +9.7 in that span. This is starting to look a little more like the Denver team we all know and fear, even if the group still needs a little something in order to become a legitimate title contender again.
Of course, the Cavaliers beat the Nuggets 126-114 when the two met in Cleveland a couple of weeks ago. But Nikola Jokic and Mike Malone have now had a chance to see this Cavaliers team. They should be able to make some sound adjustments to their gameplan. Also, Malone has found a rotation formula that works, and that includes a heavier dose of Russell Westbrook. The former MVP has been brilliant lately. But perhaps more importantly, Jamal Murray looks like a dude again. The guard was a shell of himself early in the year, but he had scored at least 20 points in four straight games before scoring just 13 on Christmas Day.
There’s a reasonable chance none of the above matters. Cleveland can absolutely win this game. However, I definitely feel like Denver has a 50-50 shot of winning this one at home. So, this is a simple play on the number. But I do think that by the end of the season, the Cavaliers will be a little closer to the rest of the Eastern Conference in the standings. And I also believe the Nuggets will be in the mix for home-court advantage in the first round. I say all of that to say that I’m not sure there’s much that separates these teams. So, give me plus-money odds on Denver, which is 274-126 SU at home under Malone.
Bet: Nuggets ML (+130 – 1.5 units)
NBA Player Props Today – December 27th
New York Knicks at Orlando Magic – 7:00 pm ET
Tristan da Silva has scored at least 15 points in four of his last five games, and I feel pretty good about him reaching that mark again. The reality is that the rookie is extremely polished, so he can beat defenses in a number of different ways. He’s clearly a trustworthy 3-point shooter, as he is 10 for 27 from deep over the last five games. But he also has a nice overall game, as he can get to the basket, draw fouls and score against smaller wings in the post. That said, if da Silva is going to continue playing close to 40 minutes each night, he’s going to score his fair share of points. And the 23-year-old has played at least 36 minutes in three of his last four games. Da Silva also scored 20 points when he faced the Knicks on December 15th, so it’s not like this matchup gave him too much trouble last time. And while New York does have plenty of excellent individual defensive players, we have seen all year that the group has its troubles as a whole. So, I’m going with da Silva to go Over 12.5 points to win 1.5 units, but I’m also putting a half-unit on him to score 15 or more.
Bet: Da Silva Over 12.5 Points (-122 – 1.5 units) & da Silva Alt Points 15+ (+145 – 0.5 units)
Parlays/Teasers/Late Added Plays/In-Season Futures
Suns ML (-116 – 2 units) vs. Mavericks
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2024-25 NBA Record: 136-124-1 (+13.50 units)
