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 Friday, February 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 February 7th
NBA Best Bets Today – February 7th
San Antonio Spurs at Charlotte Hornets – 7:00 pm ET
In De’Aaron Fox’s first game with the Spurs, San Antonio beat Atlanta 126-125 in a game with a total of 243. The Spurs had gone Over the total in nine of their previous 11 games heading into that one, and it just feels like this is going to continue to be an Over team moving forward. Having Fox running pick-and-rolls with Victor Wembanyama, with all the talented players they have around them, should make San Antonio a top-10 team in the league offensively. Fox’s presence will also mean a more up-tempo pace from the Spurs moving forward, and the team isn’t great defensively. That said, I like San Antonio to go Over in tonight’s meeting with Charlotte.
The Hornets have mostly leaned towards being an Under team with Charles Lee on the sidelines, but they did play a game in which they combined to score 238 with the Wizards as recently as Monday. They can be sucked into an up-and-down contest, and that can especially be true if LaMelo Ball is on the floor. Well, Ball is listed as questionable for this game, which is a big upgrade considering we haven’t seen him since January 27th. If he’s out there, he’s going to want to try and win a shootout against this new-and-improved Spurs squad.
Bet: Over 228 (-112)
NBA Player Props Today – February 7th
San Antonio Spurs at Charlotte Hornets – 7:00 pm ET
Considering I like the Spurs and Hornets to play a high-scoring game, looking to some player props makes a lot of sense. Well, one of the ones I like is for Chris Paul to go Over 6.5 assists. While Fox is now the lead guard in San Antonio, the Spurs still have a healthy amount of respect for what Paul brings to a team. They’re going to continue to run some offense through the future Hall of Famer, and we saw that against the Hawks on Wednesday. In that game, Paul ended up finishing with nine dimes. And NBA.com’s Second Spectrum data actually had him with an adjusted assists total of 10.0. That means the total number of passes that led to buckets, free throws or secondary assists. With that in mind, Paul is still making plays for his teammates. And I’d be surprised if he doesn’t do it again against a somewhat unorganized Charlotte defense.
Bet: Paul Over 6.5 Assists (-135)
Philadelphia 76ers at Detroit Pistons – 7:30 pm ET
In January, Kelly Oubre Jr. averaged 17.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game for the Sixers. That’s a combined 27.8 points, rebounds and assists per game, and that’s well over tonight’s total of 20.5. Well, Oubre hasn’t slowed down too much in February. So far, the lefty wing is averaging 14.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. So, he’s still doing a really good job of putting up numbers. The big concern is that Joel Embiid will be playing tonight. And when Embiid was on the floor against the Mavericks on Tuesday, Oubre only had nine points, six rebounds and three assists. But I’m not all that concerned with that one performance. Sure, Embiid is going to cut into the usage rate for everybody, and Paul George being healthy also means less Oubre touches. However, Oubre is still a player that can knock down 3s, make plays in transition and do some damage as a cutter. And he’s always going to be active on the glass. So, I feel pretty good about him continuing to stuff the stat sheet.
I also like Oubre to knock down at least two 3s in this game. The 29-year-old is a streaky shooter, and he’s only making 29.1% of his 3s this season. But one thing Embiid and George do help with is getting Oubre open looks. Defenses are going to ignore him now. And Oubre is still shooting 4.2 triples per game, so he’s getting his shots up. At +164 odds, that’s good enough for a flier from me.
Bet: Oubre Over 20.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (-125 – 1.5 units) & Oubre Over 1.5 Made 3s (+164 – 0.5 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: Heat ML vs. Nets & Suns ML vs. Jazz (-127 – 1.5 units) – I’m parlaying two moneyline favorites tonight, with the first one being the Heat to beat the Nets. Of course, Miami is just 13-14 on the road this season, and this Brooklyn team can be feisty. However, the Heat have won four of their last six games, and they’re no longer being weighed down by the Jimmy Butler drama. This team can now focus on basketball, and I’m confident they’re going to do some good things the rest of the season. That starts with this meeting with the Nets. Miami has an adjusted net rating that is 5.9 points higher than Brooklyn’s per 100 possessions, according to Dunks & Threes. And while I normally care about home/away numbers, Brooklyn doesn’t have a true home-court advantage.
In the second game, I’m taking the “toxic” Suns to earn a home win over the Jazz. Honestly, Utah is a much stronger team than people think, and this is a game that would really scare me if it was being played in Salt Lake City. But for as messy as things have gotten in Phoenix, the Suns essentially stayed put at the trade deadline. And they’re hoping to make a push for a playoff spot. While that might not seem likely anymore, this team is good enough to beat the Jazz outright. At home, Phoenix has a net rating of +1.8. Meanwhile, Utah’s road net rating is -6.4. Also, the Suns are just a lot more talented than the Jazz, and they should feel like they need to win this game. So, I don’t see effort being an issue for Phoenix.
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2024-25 NBA Record: 234-223-2 (+14.16 units)
