Happy Friday, basketball fans! Nick Marro here, providing you with my best bets for today’s (12/23) 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.
Some bad injury luck helped land us on a brutal 0-3 last time out, so we fell to 14-19 on the young season. As we head into the new year, I’m confident our luck will improve as the season progresses and we get more data. We have a solid slate of NBA action tonight, so I’m eager to see if we can build some momentum heading into the new year.
MLB Season Record: (57-51)
NBA Season Record: (14-19)
Overall 2022 Bets Record: (71-70)
San Antonio Spurs @ Orlando Magic @ 7:00 EST
Nick’s Pick: Orlando Magic, ATS -6.5 (-110)
Orlando is 11-6 Against the Spread (ATS) as a Home Team this season. In spite of their poor public perception, they rank 9th in the NBA Rebounding Rate, as they carry a league average 57.5% True Shooting rate.
The Spurs come into this game, having flown into Orlando last night in the second half of a back to back. They have a league worst -9.6Adj. Net Rating. They rank 28th in Offensive Efficiency and 30th in Defensive Efficiency. Neither of these teams are that impressive, but a well-rested Orlando team should cover the -6.5 point spread at Home (-110).
Chicago Bulls @ New York Knicks@ 7:30 EST
Nick’s Pick: New York Knicks, ATS -5.5 (-110)
The New York Knicks are one of the hottest teams in the league right now. In spite of a cold start, they come into this match-up with a 17-13-2 record ATS on the season. They rank 7th in the league in Adj. Net Rating, 6th in Turnover Ratio and 8th in Defensive Efficiency.
The Chicago Bulls are 14-16-1 ATS on the season. They rank 21st in the league in Adj. Net Rating and they have lost each of their last four games played, outright. Given the current form of these two teams, I like the Knicks to cover the -5.5 point spread at Home (-110).
Dallas Mavericks @ Houston Rockets @ 8:00 EST
Nick’s Pick: Dallas Mavericks, ATS -6 (-110)
The Dallas Mavericks haven’t been good Against the Spread this season, but they rank 4th in strength of schedule to date. They rank 9th in Offensive Efficiency, 9th in True Shooting Percentage, and 11th in Adj. Net Rating.
The Houston Rockets meanwhile rank 28th in the NBA in Defensive Efficiency. They rank 27th in the NBA in Adj. Net Rating., 29th in Turnover Ratio, and 28th in Effective Field Goal Percentage. The Mavericks should be healthier here than they have been recently. I like them to cover the -6 point spread here on the Road.
-Nick Marro
Twitter: @NickMarroDFS