Now that the weekend is here, it’s time to simplify the grind. Instead of splitting sides/totals and player props into separate pieces, my weekend columns will bring everything under one roof — a streamlined look at my favorite bets for the day’s slate. Fewer words, hopefully the same results. Keep reading for my NBA picks and predictions for Sunday, November 1.
RELATED: Check out the Pro Picks page for more selections from our talented VSiN hosts and analysts!
NBA Best Bets Today
PARLAY: Nets Alt +12.5 vs. Pacers & Raptors Alt +8.5 vs. Lakers (-118 – 1.5 units)
Nets at Pacers – 5:00 pm ET
Raptors at Lakers – 9:00 pm ET
I have leans on Brooklyn and Toronto today, but I couldn’t get there with either. Instead, in the spirit of an NFL Sunday, I’m essentially teasing both sides. I grabbed as many points with both as I could to get this close to even-money odds, and I’ll now hope my initial reads were simply close. I know a lot of people don’t like teasing — or doing so by playing alternate spreads — the NBA, as the amount of possessions makes it harder to justify. However, we have had some success with these over the years, and I’m not ready to go away from them yet.
With Brooklyn, I’m expecting a strong effort from this winless team, and that would go a long way against an Indiana squad which is currently without Tyrese Haliburton, TJ McConnell, and Ivica Zubac. Obi Toppin also happens to be questionable for the Pacers, meaning this is a shorthanded bunch.
As for Toronto, I just like the defensive makeup of the Raptors to slightly disrupt the Lakers. And I’m not worried about Toronto’s offense against Los Angeles’ defense, as I’m not worried about anyone’s offense against Los Angeles’ defense.
NBA Player Props Today
Neemias Queta Over 16.5 Points + Rebounds (-118) vs. Magic
Celtics at Magic – 3:30 pm ET
Mitchell Robinson will be out for Boston today, which means Queta goes back to being the unquestioned No. 1 center this evening. Last year, Queta averaged 18.5 points and rebounds as the team’s starting big, and I like him to finish with at least 17 combined points and boards later this afternoon. Orlando is a bottom-10 rebounding team right now, plus the team is just 23rd when it comes to defending at the rim. Queta’s skill set should be valuable against the Magic, who have been a little weak at center for years.
Yaxel Lendeborg Over 19.5 Points (-137 – 1.5 units) & Alt Points 25+ (+220 – 0.5 units) & Alt Points 30+ (+600 – 0.1 units)
Clippers at Warriors – 8:30 pm ET
The Warriors will be without Steph Curry and Draymond Green tonight. That should mean we’ll see a lot of Brandin Podziemski and Yaxel Lendeborg, and I’m playing the latter to have a big evening as a scorer. Lendeborg is coming off his worst game as a pro, scoring only six points after fouling out in a game in which he was clearly too excited to be going up against Luka Doncic. However, Lendeborg had scored at least 26 points in three consecutive games before that. He’s really figuring out how to use his size to his advantage when attacking the basket, plus he’s already a good shooter and an active off-ball player. Against one of the league’s worst teams when it comes to avoiding points in the paint, Lendeborg should thrive. He just needs to be smart defensively, as another game in foul trouble will destroy us.
Immanuel Quickley Over 22.5 Points + Assists (-122) vs. Lakers
Raptors at Lakers – 9:00 pm ET
Quickley has had at least 23 points and assists in three of the five games he has played this season, and he now goes up against a Lakers team with a lousy defensive backcourt. Los Angeles does have guys like Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams to defend the perimeter, but it’s likely they’ll be used on some of Toronto’s bigger bodies. That should mean that Quickley will have the ability to do some off-the-dribble cooking in this one, so I’m playing him to do some damage and help us hit that +8.5 mentioned earlier. PropsMadness has the Lakers as the seventh-worst defense in the league against lead guards.
Additional Plays (Late Adds, Teasers, Parlays, Futures)
Nothing yet.
