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 Monday, February 3rd. 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 3rd
NBA Best Bets Today – February 3rd
Indiana Pacers at Utah Jazz – 9:00 pm ET
Things have gotten pretty ugly for me when backing the Jazz lately, but I’m not letting a few bad results get in the way of a handicap. The reality is that Utah is 12-4 against the spread and 8-8 straight-up when facing Eastern Conference opponents this year. Also, under Rick Carlisle, Indiana is 4-7 both SU and ATS as a road favorite of 6.5 to 12 points. The team is also 2-18 SU when playing on the road after a win by six or less under Carlisle.
There’s also the fact that the Jazz just aren’t playing terribly lately. Utah’s -3.6 net rating over the last 15 games is a big improvement on the team’s season-long net rating of -7.3. Also, Indiana has a road net rating of -1.7 this season, and the team is just 12-12 when playing on the road.
The Jazz should also feel quite good about the on-court matchups. Tyrese Haliburton doesn’t play nearly as well on the road as he does at home, and Utah has a few guards that can really change games offensively. So, the Jazz might do better in the backcourt battle than people think. Also, the Lauri Markkanen versus Pascal Siakam matchup should be something of a wash, and Walker Kessler can definitely do some good work against Myles Turner.
I just don’t see this being a game the Pacers will win convincingly, and I actually think this is a game the Jazz will believe they can win outright.
Bet: Jazz +7.5 (-110 – 2 units) & Jazz ML (+240 – 0.5 units)
NBA Player Props Today – February 3rd
Atlanta Hawks at Detroit Pistons – 7:00 pm ET
I’m going to continue going to Tobias Harris to go Over his point totals until I see a real reason to stop. Over the last three games, the big wing is averaging 17.3 points per game. It’s clear that his confidence is growing. J.B. Bickerstaff has also rewarded him with three straight games of playing at least 31 minutes. Well, Harris should continue to find ways to score in the mid-post area, and he’s definitely capable of punishing some weaker forwards around the basket. And it’s only a matter of time before he also gets his 3-point shot going. Harris is just 2 for 18 from deep over the last four games, and he’s too good of a shooter for that to continue. Perhaps tonight is the night it starts to click for him. Atlanta is giving up more made 3s per game (14.4) than all but two teams in the NBA. Harris should have plenty of open looks, and I think he’s going to bury them. But it is nice to know that he has been going Over tonight’s mark without having the 3-ball going.
Bet: Harris Over 14.5 Points (-105 – 1.5 units)
New Orleans Pelicans at Denver Nuggets – 9:00 pm ET
Nikola Jokic has gone Over 1.5 made 3s in six of his last seven games, and the league MVP is coming off a game in which he attempted seven triples. That said, the 29-year-old is pretty clearly getting his shots up. And even when he is bit shy about launching them, he’s still capable of hitting multiple 3s because of how accurate he is from deep. With that in mind, I’m playing Jokic to hit at least two 3s against the Pelicans tonight. I actually do think that Jokic is going to work mostly around the rim in this one, as there’s nobody on New Orleans with the size to prevent him from getting as close to the basket as he wants. But Jokic did hit two 3s against the Pelicans back on December 22nd, and he’s also a 55.1% 3-point shooter in Ball Arena this season. So, while I’m expecting him to do all sorts of damage in other facets of the game, I do feel good about him cooking a little with his 3-ball.
Bet: Jokic Over 1.5 Made 3s (-115)
Phoenix Suns at Portland Trail Blazers – 10:00 pm ET
I lost on Bradley Beal to go Over 20.5 combined points, rebounds and assists in a meeting with the Blazers on Saturday, but our VSiN NBA prop bet analyzer shows that Beal has regularly gone Over tonight’s total. And I maintain that Beal has been playing rather well in his bench role with Phoenix, and he hasn’t really taken the type of cut in playing time that people think. Beal played 30.9 minutes per game in January, and that’s more than enough time for him to fill up the stat sheet. Also, while Beal only had 13 points and three assists against the Blazers last game, he did have 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists against them back on November 2nd. It’s also highly likely that Beal will look to be a bit more aggressive tonight than he was last game. In fact, that should be expected of all of the Suns players. And if everybody plays with a little more juice, Beal will benefit and turn in a solid performance.
Bet: Beal Over 19.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (-115)
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: Knicks ML vs. Rockets & Spurs Alt Spread +10.5 vs. Grizzlies (-108 – 2 units) – The Knicks won’t have OG Anunoby tonight. That’s obviously a massive blow, as Anunoby is one of the better two-way players in basketball. However, with New York coming off a home loss to a shorthanded Los Angeles team, the Knicks are going to come out with some intensity here. And even without Anunoby, the Knicks are the kind of team the Rockets should struggle with. New York obviously isn’t great defensively, but the Knicks have more firepower than the Rockets can even dream of. And Houston is just 12-15 SU on the road this season, and New York is 15-11 at the Garden.
As for the second game, I’m taking a few extra points with the Spurs and doing a light-fade on a Grizzlies team that just won a very tough game in Milwaukee last night. I can’t see Memphis finding the energy it needs to blow out San Antonio after that. However, I will note that there’s a lot of risk involved in this play, as Victor Wembanyama is questionable for the Spurs. If he’s not out there, I’ll feel much worse about this.
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2024-25 NBA Record: 222-213-2 (+7.73 units)
