Happy Wednesday, basketball fans! Nick Marro here, providing you with my best bets for today’s (11/9) NBA slate. I plan to provide these ‘Nick’s Picks’ articles about twice a week for the entirety of the 2022-2023 season. I don’t like playing heavy juice, so all of my picks will be priced at line of (-150) or better. Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter with any questions.
We turned in a 1-2 record last time out on a couple of bad beats (one loss by a point and an Under lost in OT), but we can look to bounce back here on a massive slate. I recognize that some of you may know me better for MLB picks. As the seasons change, so will be the sport that I target for coverage.
MLB Season Record: (57-51)
NBA Season Record: (3-3)
Overall 2022 Bets Record: (60-54)
Portland Trailblazers @ Charlotte Hornets @ 7:00 EST
Nick’s Pick: Game Total, Under 220.5 Points (-110).
The Hornets are still without Lamelo Ball and Gordon Hayward and while the Blazers are getting healthier, they are still easing Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons back from their respective injuries.
The Hornets rank 28th in the NBA in Offensive Efficiency so far this season and the Blazers rank 25th in Pace. The total has hit the Under in eight of Portland’s last nine games on the road. The total has gone Under in eight of Charlotte’s last nine games at home and six of their last seven games played overall. While neither of these teams are really known for their defense, I like the Under here one the game total of 220.5 (-110).
Denver Nuggets @ Indiana Pacers @ 7:00 EST
Nick’s Pick: Game Total, Over 235.5 Points (-110).
The total has gone Over in six of Denver’s last seven games when playing on the road against Indiana. Additionally, the total has gone Over in six of Indiana’s last seven games when playing at home against Denver. Denver ranks 2nd in the NBA in Offensive Efficiency, and this improving Indiana offense now ranks 13th.
The game total of 235.5 is one of the highest numbers on the slate, but I still like the Over (-110) here considering the trends.
Detroit Pistons @ Boston Celtics @ 7:30 EST
Nick’s Pick: Detroit Pistons ATS, +12 (-110)
This pick is a risky one, but Detroit is 5-0 ATS in their last five games against the Celtics. This Pistons team is healthier than they’ve been all season, and while they rank dead last (30th) in the NBA in Defensive Efficiency the Celtics aren’t much better as they rank 24th.
Boston is still without Center Robert Williams, so it’s not all that surprising that they have almost an identical Rebound Rate as the Pistons (49.9 compared to 49.8 respectively). The Celtics will be hosting the Pistons here, but they have the longer way to travel as the Pistons are heading into Boston from Detroit and Boston is returning Home following a tight Road contest in Memphis. While I expect Boston should secure the win here, I like the Pistons to cover the 12 point spread (-110).
-Nick Marro
Twitter: @NickMarroDFS