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 Saturday, December 7th. 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 7th
NBA Best Bets Today – December 7th
Oklahoma City Thunder at New Orleans Pelicans – 7:00 pm ET
The Pelicans finally have some big-time players back in the fold. When they take the court tonight, Dejounte Murray, Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III will all be active. This is not the same team that we saw early in the season, and I’m a little surprised the oddsmakers have such a big spread on this one. In fact, we just saw this group earn a good win over Phoenix. I’m a little nervous about how rookie Yves Missi will do against Isaiah Hartenstein. However, New Orleans has good matchups at every other spot. I’m interested in seeing who Willie Green puts on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Perhaps he will start with Murray, but Jones would be a good option. And the Pelicans shouldn’t get killed elsewhere if they do opt to put their best perimeter defender on the Thunder star. But overall, it’s time to start treating New Orleans a little more like the team that made the playoffs last year. Of course, not having Jose Alvarado, Zion Williamson and Jordan Hawkins hurts. However, the team should be used to Williamson being out by now. Oklahoma City is also 0-5 against the spread versus teams that average 9.0 or more steals per game this season. You can make the Thunder uncomfortable with good ball pressure.
Bet: Pelicans +8.5 (-105 – 1.5 units)
Memphis Grizzlies at Boston Celtics – 8:00 pm ET
The Celtics are coming a nice win over the Bucks last night, but it was a battle for 48 minutes and they now have to quickly turn around and play one of the best teams in the Western Conference. Memphis is also an absolute pain to play against. The Grizzlies are seventh in the NBA in adjusted defensive rating (110.0) and they really defend the 3-point line. This season, opponents are shooting just 33.9% from 3 against Memphis. That’s the fourth-best mark in basketball. With that in mind, I think the Grizzlies will be able to do a good job of slowing down the Celtics. And I trust Memphis to be good enough offensively to keep this one close, even if the team can occasionally struggle from deep. The Celtics are also just 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games, and they’re facing a Grizzlies team that is 8-3 both SU and ATS versus Eastern Conference opponents. Also, under Joe Mazzulla, Boston is just 33-37-1 ATS versus teams that average at least 116.0 points per game.
Bet: Grizzlies +6.5 (-108 – 2 units)
NBA Player Props Today – December 7th
Denver Nuggets at Washington Wizards – 7:00 pm ET
Carlton Carrington’s minutes have been somewhat inconsistent lately, but he has played a combined 64 minutes over the last two games. If the rookie does flirt with 30 minutes tonight, he should be able to turn in a solid performance. This Nuggets team is one that I like to attack with lead guards, as Denver isn’t very good when it comes to defending opposing ball handlers. The Nuggets also have a defense that is designed to force opponents to take mid-range jumpers, and that’s generally what good defenses do. But Carrington is very comfortable pulling up off the dribble, so he’ll take advantage by burying some jumpers near the paint. He’ll also surely rack up some assists, as Denver is giving up more assists per game (30.0) than anybody in the NBA. On top of that, he has good size for a guard and can chip in with some rebounds. The only reason I’m not going bigger on this is the minutes situation.
Bet: Carrington Over 19.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (-120)
Dallas Mavericks at Toronto Raptors – 7:30 pm ET
P.J. Washington is averaging 8.5 rebounds per game this season, and he has had at least eight rebounds in 11 of the 18 games he has played this season. With that in mind, I don’t see any reason not to take him to reach that mark tonight. Toronto is a bottom-10 team when it comes to defensive rebound rate (70.1%) this season, so the Mavericks should have some success when it comes to offensive rebounding. Also, this game should be played at a relatively fast pace, meaning a few extra possessions that could end with Washington rebounds. I’m not overthinking this. I’m going Over.
Bet: Washington Over 7.5 Rebounds (+100)
Parlays/Teasers/Late Added Plays/In-Season Futures
Pistons +8.5 (-115) vs. Knicks – I flirted with taking this at 9.5 because of Jalen Brunson’s presence on the injury report, and I’m not passing at 8.5 now that Karl-Anthony Towns was added as questionable. Detroit has had two full days off heading into this game, so the team already has a big rest advantage. I also like that the Pistons will be thinking about a 30-point loss to the Knicks from back on November 1st. For a team that is a little more defensive-minded than anything else, that loss should sting and lead to a good effort here.
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2024-25 NBA Record: 100-91 (+5.97 units)
