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 Monday, November 25th. 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 25th
NBA Best Bets Today – November 25th
Dallas Mavericks at Atlanta Hawks – 7:30 pm ET
Consider this that Bernie Sanders meme, as I am once again asking you to fade the Mavericks. Last night’s Miami moneyline play was the exact opposite of a stress-free victory, but I’m thinking this one will be a little more straightforward. Dallas will again be playing without Luka Doncic, but this time the team will be doing so on the second night of a back-to-back. The Mavericks are also playing their third game in four nights. Meanwhile, the Hawks haven’t played since Friday night, so they have had two days to rest. These are the spots I generally love to attack.
I also like that Atlanta has Dyson Daniels to throw on Kyrie Irving here. Daniels’ length and activity could frustrate the star guard. And the Hawks also have a ton of size on the wing, so that should allow them to do well against Naji Marshall and PJ Washington when the game slows down. Of course, there will be some easy Dallas buckets throughout this one, and the game will be played at a fast pace here and there. That’s just the way Atlanta plays. However, without Doncic, this is a matchup that should be rather favorable for the Hawks.
Atlanta can create offense against anyone, which is what comes with having Trae Young at point. So, the Hawks will get good looks against a good Mavericks defense. And Atlanta just needs to use the extra rest to its advantage on defense. The only reason I’m not laying the points is that this is Atlanta. I can see things getting weird late in the game. I’d rather pay up to not worry about margin of victory.
Bet: Hawks ML (-145 – 1.5 units)
NBA Player Props Today – November 25th
Toronto Raptors at Detroit Pistons – 7:00 pm ET
RJ Barrett has delivered for me on the NBA player props market throughout the year, so why not go to him again? The 24-year-old wing has a very low rebound total tonight, so it makes a lot of sense to go Over the number. Barrett is averaging 6.4 rebounds per game this season, so he regularly hits the six-rebound mark. In fact, he has done so in each of his last eight games. Barrett has also had at least six boards in 10 of his last 11 games. Now, Barrett will be going to work against a Pistons team that doesn’t exactly do a good job of keeping opposing wings off the boards. And that stems from having Tim Hardaway Jr. and Tobias Harris starting at the two forward spots. Detroit will also be without Cade Cunningham, who is a good rebounder for a lead ball handler.
Barrett also happened to have six boards when these two teams met on November 15th. That said, it’s worth dealing with the juice and taking the Over here.
Bet: Barrett Over 5.5 Rebounds (-130)
New York Knicks at Denver Nuggets – 9:00 pm ET
The Knicks are absolutely incredible offensively, but they’re just 19th in the league in adjusted defensive rating (113.6). And they’re especially weak when defending off-ball guards. That’s because they generally try to hide Jalen Brunson in that spot. Well, that should be a good thing for Christian Braun tonight. Braun is already having a great season for Denver, as he’s averaging 16.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. That means that his nightly averages are good for Overs on tonight’s total of combined points, rebounds and assists. So, I’m not getting cute with this one. I’m just firing him up to impact this game in a big way as a scorer, but I’m also expecting him to stuff the stat sheet a little. I also like that this is a home game, as Braun is averaging 17.1 points and 5.6 boards per game in Denver. So, he could hit this Over in those two categories alone. He plays with more confidence in Ball Arena.
Bet: Braun Over 20.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (-105 – 1.5 units)
Teasers/Parlays/Late Added Plays
PARLAY: Pacers ML vs. Pelicans & Grizzlies ML vs. Blazers (-145) – I’m not putting a ton on this two-team parlay, but I’ll try and win a unit on two teams I very much believe will win tonight. New Orleans is starting to get healthier, but the team is still without Jose Alvarado, Herb Jones, Dejounte Murray and Zion Williamson. Also, CJ McCollum and Yves Missi are questionable here. That’s just a lot to be missing against an Indiana team that will have most of its key pieces tonight. The Pelicans also 1-7 on the road this season, while the Pacers are 5-2 at home.
In the second game, it looks like Ja Morant will be back for Memphis, and the Grizzlies are taking on a Blazers team that will at least be without Donovan Clingan. However, several other important players are questionable. But without Clingan, Portland is missing a high-level rim protector that can play significant minutes in the middle. And the Grizzlies already have a big edge at the guard and forward spots. So, with this being a game in Memphis, I’d be stunned if the Grizzlies don’t win.
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2024-25 NBA Record: 76-63 (+12.35 units)
