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, November 23rd. 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 November 23rd
NBA Best Bets Today – November 23rd
Charlotte Hornets at Milwaukee Bucks – 8:00 pm ET
Milwaukee killed me with a strong effort against Indiana last night. However, this feels like a lot of points for the Bucks to be laying on the second night of a back-to-back. Charlotte actually beat Milwaukee a week ago, earning a 115-114 victory at the Spectrum Center. Of course, playing on the road against a Bucks team that now has Damian Lillard will de different. But as I noted in my story yesterday, there are some negatives when Milwaukee has Lillard. The team is much, much worse on the defensive end of the floor. Charlotte has the ability to exploit that, especially with LaMelo Ball handling the rock.
The Hornets are also just a competitive basketball team. They’re 9-6 against the spread on the season, and they’re 9-5 ATS when playing as underdogs. They’re also 4-1 both straight-up and ATS when facing teams that force 13.0 or fewer turnovers per game, so their offense operates at a high level when they’re not facing consistent pressure. And I don’t think they will tonight.
Bet: Hornets +8 (-112)
Golden State Warriors at San Antonio Spurs – 8:30 pm ET
This is the second night of a back-to-back for the Warriors, who fought extremely hard to earn a win over the Pelicans last night. Golden State could be a little fatigued after having played that tight game and then traveled to San Antonio. The Warriors also found out they lost a key rotation piece for the season, as De’Anthony Melton suffered a torn ACL. With all of that in mind, it’s not fair to expect Golden State to go on the road and beat a rock-solid San Antonio team.
I actually think the Spurs will win this one outright, but I’d rather +3 at -105 than the moneyline price being offered. This can easily be a tight game late, so it would remove a little stress. But overall, San Antonio has won and covered in back-to-back games, and the team is playing some good basketball. And that’s especially true of Chris Paul, who should also be very, very familiar with what the Warriors are running in this one. He spent last season with Golden State.
I also like that the Spurs will have Stephon Castle to stick on Steph Curry in this game. On top of that, Victor Wembanyama and Devin Vassell have a shot at playing tonight, so San Antonio could have some reinforcements on the way.
Bet: Spurs +3 (-105 – 2 units)
NBA Player Props Today – November 23rd
Memphis Grizzlies at Chicago Bulls – 8:00 pm ET
Ja Morant’s return is on the horizon, but he’s listed as doubtful tonight. So, this feels like another good opportunity to back Scotty Pippen Jr. to go Over his combined points, rebounds and assists. The young guard was scorching hot earlier in the month, but he has since cooled down. However, the Bulls are 28th in the league in adjusted defensive rating this year and first in the league in pace of play. Chicago is also weakest when defending the point guard spots, so Pippen should be able to get himself going a little offensively here. He also happens to be good at chipping in with rebounds, as he has a high motor. That should go a long way in a meeting with a Bulls team on the second night of a back-to-back.
Bet: Pippen Jr. Over 21.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (-120 – 1.5 units)
Teasers/Parlays/Late Added Plays
PARLAY: Knicks ML vs. Jazz & Lakers ML vs. Nuggets (-106 – 1.5 units): I like the Lakers to beat the Nuggets tonight, but I don’t want to lay the points. Even with Denver playing the second night of a back-to-back, it’s hard to trust Los Angeles to win by margin. That said, I’m parlaying the Knicks and Lakers together to get a better price. New York isn’t in the best spot against Utah, but the team really should win this one. The Jazz are miserable defensively, so the Knicks should generate easy looks all night. And while New York’s defense isn’t great, it’s not like Utah’s offense is all that threatening. As for Los Angeles, I’d just be surprised if JJ Redick doesn’t get the group back on track after an awful loss the other night. The Lakers are a slightly better offensive team than the Nuggets this year, and I think their motivation will help them look like the better defensive team too. This is also the exact type of game that Redick was brought in for. The Lakers have been unable to get over the hump against teams like the Nuggets. He’s surely aware of that.
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2024-25 NBA Record: 69-61 (+6.36 units)
