We’re more than halfway into the 2024-25 NBA season. I’ll continue 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 Wednesday, February 12th. 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 February 12th
NBA Best Bets Today – February 12th
San Antonio Spurs at Boston Celtics – 7:00 pm ET
The Celtics are just 9-17 against the spread in home games this season, and they’re also 5-12 ATS when playing Western Conference teams. On top of that, Boston hasn’t been reliable as a sizable favorite, going 8-11 ATS as a favorite of 3.5 to 9.5 points. The Celtics are also just 5-10 ATS as home favorites of 6.5 to 12 points. Meanwhile, the Spurs are 3-0 ATS in meetings with opponents with winning percentages of 70.0% or higher this season. So, San Antonio tends to rise to the occasion; Boston plays down to the competition.
On top of the trends favoring the Spurs here, this is also an on-court matchup that should give the Celtics some trouble. For whatever reason, Boston hasn’t been great against opposing centers this year — despite having a very good center rotation. That’s not what you want against Victor Wembanyama. With that in mind, I wouldn’t be surprised if the big man terrorizes them with his ability to score at all three levels. Also, the Celtics are going to be without Jrue Holiday in this game, meaning they’ll be without one of the best perimeter defenders in basketball. That said, whoever doesn’t end up being guarded by Derrick White could be in for a big game. That could be De’Aaron Fox or Devin Vassell. I’d guess the latter.
San Antonio is also going to be treating this like an NBA Finals game, as the team is still working to get into the Play-In Tournament field. This is also just a good test for this new-look Spurs group. But it’s just another night for the Celtics, who could struggle to match the intensity of their opponent. So, I’m going with the Spurs to cover the number as a big play, but I’m also sprinkling the moneyline. I think this will be a close game late.
Bet: Spurs +8.5 (-105 – 2 units) & Spurs ML (+290 – 0.5 units)
NBA Player Props Today – February 12th
Charlotte Hornets at Orlando Magic – 7:00 pm ET
The Kentavious Caldwell-Pope signing hasn’t quite worked out for the Magic. The 31-year-old was supposed to be the 3-and-D shooting guard that Orlando was desperate for, but he’s knocking down only 31.4% of his triples this season. However, just because Caldwell-Pope hasn’t consistently played well, that doesn’t mean he’s not capable of having a good night. And I really wouldn’t be surprised if he makes an impact tonight.
While Caldwell-Pope is 0 for 4 from 3 in two meetings with the Hornets this season, this is still a Charlotte defensive backcourt that can be guilty of leaving shooters open. So, Caldwell-Pope should get some good looks in this game. That’s why it’s hard not to like him to knock down two 3s at +140 odds. It might be easy to get lost in Caldwell-Pope’s 2024-25 shooting numbers, but he’s a career 36.5% 3-point shooter. He’s also coming off back-to-back seasons of shooting better than 40.0% from 3.
Bet: Caldwell-Pope Over 1.5 Made 3s (+140)
Detroit Pistons at Chicago Bulls – 8:00 pm ET
Tobias Harris is quietly on a bit of a heater, as he has scored 16 or more points in seven of his last eight games. The forward can be a hard player to watch — and social media definitely likes to dump on him — but he has been doing his job for Detroit lately. Tonight, Harris also happens to be facing a Chicago team that he has faced twice in this recent stretch. He had 16 against the Bulls on February 2nd, and he had 18 against them in just 25 minutes last night. Considering all of that, I don’t see any reason not to go to Harris to score 15 or more tonight. We’ll probably see a more spirited effort from Chicago, but Harris should be able to get his offensively. That’s especially true with him being 3 for 8 from 3 over the last two games. His 3-ball hasn’t been there recently, but he’s starting to regain confidence in the jumper. That’ll make it easier for him to hit his point total Overs.
Bet: Harris Over 14.5 Points (-118 – 1.5 units)
Additional Plays
This is where I’ll include any late added plays, teasers/parlays or in-season futures. Come back before tip if you don’t want to miss anything. It’s always possible I’ll add something to my card.
PARLAY: Kings ML vs. Pelicans & Jazz Alt +16.5 vs. Lakers (-103 – 1.5 units) – There were some rough moments in Sacramento’s win over Dallas the other night, but it was still a good road win for the Kings. Sacramento has now won back-to-back games, and one of them was a victory over this New Orleans team. Sure, that was a close game that was played at the Golden 1 Center, but it was also the team’s third game in four nights. The Kings also hadn’t had much time to get Zach LaVine comfortable in his new surroundings. With a big win and some more rest under their belts, Sacramento should be able to knock off New Orleans. The Kings are the better team on both ends of the floor.
To get the Sacramento moneyline down to a better number, I’m parlaying it with an alternate spread for Utah. I know the Jazz got their teeth kicked in by the Lakers the other night, but that was a home debut for Luka Doncic. The arena was buzzing and Los Angeles played with a ton of energy. It won’t be as easy in Salt Lake City, where it’s hard for road teams to win comfortably. And Will Hardy is an awesome offensive coach, so I think he’ll have the Jazz prepared to attack a Lakers defense that should be quite poor the rest of the season.
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2024-25 NBA Record: 242-236-2 (+2.19 units)
