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 Monday, December 2nd. 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 2nd
NBA Best Bets Today – December 2nd
Los Angeles Lakers at Minnesota Timberwolves – 8:10 pm ET
Brooklyn Nets at Chicago Bulls – 8:10 pm ET
I usually bury my moneyline parlays at the bottom of this story, as I know nobody really turns to people like me for those types of bets. However, tonight’s NBA slate is barren. There’s only four games on the card. All of them feature favorites of at least 7.5, and I don’t have any strong feelings on either the sides or the totals. That said, I’m just firing up a two-team parlay with two teams I like to win but don’t necessarily trust to win by decent margins.
The first team I’m rolling with is the Timberwolves. I know I have been going to Minnesota a lot, but that’s because this team is much stronger than its record — and the narrative surrounding the group. The Timberwolves are seventh in the NBA in adjusted defensive rating, and Dunks & Threes has the group fifth in predictive Defensive EPM. This is still a very good team on the defensive end of the floor, and it’s the offense that Minnesota needs to figure out. However, that’s perfect for a meeting with Los Angeles. The Lakers have been one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA for weeks, so the Timberwolves should be able to generate some offense in this game. That is especially true considering Los Angeles is playing the second night of a back-to-back, and yesterday’s win over Utah ended up being a hard-fought battle. The Lakers could be a little fatigued, and this is a nightmare of a matchup for that. Los Angeles is also 0-4 straight-up when facing teams that make at least 36.0% of their 3s this season. Meanwhile, Minnesota is 72-41 SU as a home favorite under Chris Finch.
The Bulls are the second team in this parlay, and they’re admittedly a little harder to trust. However, this is a tough spot for the Nets. Brooklyn is just 5-7 SU on the road this season, and this is the team’s third game in four nights. It’s also the second leg of a back-to-back. Meanwhile, Chicago has had two full days of rest. And under Billy Donovan, the Bulls are 23-20 SU when playing with two days of rest. They’re also 60-34 SU as home favorites under him. On top of that, Chicago is 53-19 SU when facing teams that are outscored by at least 3.0 points per game under Donovan. For as average as this Bulls team has been over the years, they generally take care of the teams they’re supposed to beat. Also, Chicago’s 29th-ranked defense in adjusted defensive efficiency is the team’s major weakness. But Brooklyn doesn’t have Cam Thomas tonight, so the Bulls will be bailed out a little on that end of the floor.
PARLAY: Timberwolves ML & Bulls ML (-134 – 1.5 units)
NBA Player Props Today – December 2nd
New Orleans Pelicans at Atlanta Hawks – 7:30 pm ET
Dejounte Murray struggled a little against the Knicks on Sunday. While he finished with 10 points, eight rebounds and five assists, he was just 5 for 17 from the floor and 0 for 6 from 3. Murray also finished below tonight’s combined points, rebounds and assists total of 25.5, as he landed on 23 with New Orleans losing by 33 points. However, if the game was a little closer, Murray probably would have gone Over the mark. And that’s impressive considering how poorly he played offensively. I’d be shocked if he turns in another offensive performance like that tonight.
Atlanta is just 21st in the league in adjusted defensive rating this season, and the team also plays at the third-fastest pace in the league. On top of that, the Hawks are weakest defensively at the point guard position, and Murray should have some chances to directly attack Trae Young here. When you combine that with the fact that Murray should be plenty comfortable in this building, you’re probably looking at a nice bounce-back spot for the Pelicans guard. This is also a bit of a “revenge game” for him, as Atlanta chose Young over Murray after the failed experiment with the two.
The only thing I’m a little concerned about is that this could be another blowout loss for New Orleans. But Murray should be able to go Over this mark if he just plays decent basketball for three quarters.
Bet: Murray Over 25.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (-114)
Parlays/Teasers/Late Added Plays/In-Season Futures
Nothing yet.
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2024-25 NBA Record: 89-80 (+6.27 units)
