We have plenty of games to choose from in the National Basketball Association on Saturday night, including a nationally-televised game between the Chicago Bulls and the Denver Nuggets on NBA TV. We won’t consider a play in the Phoenix Suns-Philadelphia 76ers game, with a tip-off at 1 p.m. ET. We’ll focus on the nighttime slate instead.
After a 1-2 night on Thursday, which should have gone the other way if the Utah Jazz could play defense, we’ll try and get back on track Saturday night. Let’s get started!
Get instant alerts when a line reaches your target via the BettingPros App >>
Saturday’s Best NBA Bets
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All wagers are for 1 unit
Los Angeles Lakers at Orlando Magic
The Magic return home for just the second game this season after a four-game Western Conference road swing. Orlando concluded the road trip with the aforementioned win in Utah on Thursday night, as Paulo Banchero hit a layup with just 14 seconds left. The Jazz then misfired on a 3-pointer attempt with four seconds left to help Orlando to a rare win in Salt Lake City.
Now, the Magic will see a familar face, as they just faced the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Monday night. L.A. held out for a 106-103 victory, but Orlando cashed at most shops as a 3.5-point underdog as the Under (219.5) connected.
The Magic hit 40% (38-of-95) from the field, while also hitting 40% (14-of-35) from behind the arc. Orlando had six players with 10 or more points, while seven different players hit a 3-pointer.
The Lakers knocked down 53% (42-of-79) from the floor, while managing just 30% (8-of-27) from downtown. Orlando hung in the game with a plus-5 turnover ratio.
Los Angeles has cashed the Under in three of the first five games, including the first meeting with Orlando, and the team’s only road game which ended in regulation on Oct. 24 in Denver.
Orlando cashed the Under in the first three games of the season, including the only home game of the season against the Houston Rockets on Oct. 25. The Under has cashed in two straight meetings between these teams, with Los Angeles winning the past seven meetings. The Over has hit in the past three meetings in Orlando, however. Still, based on the first result, and recent trends, the arrow points to an Under result Saturday.
Bet: Under 219.5 (-110)
Sacramento Kings at Houston Rockets
The Kings are 2-0 straight up and against the spread against the Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz, while losing at home and on the road against the Golden State Warriors. It seems as long the Kings aren’t facing the Dubs they’re going to be just ok.
The Rockets dropped the first three games of the season, and Houston also failed to cover, too. Houston finally got into the win column with a 128-119 victory against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, cashing as a 3.5-point favorite.
Sacramento has won six straight meetings in this series, while posting victories in eight of the past nine in the series. As impressive as that is, the Kings are also 5-1 ATS in the past six meetings, and 7-2 ATS in that nine-game span, too.
In addition to playing the Kings on the road, the Over has cashed in six consecutive meetings in this series. Both teams have split the Over-Under in four games to date, but the lean is to the Over based on series trends. Take Sacto and go high on the total for a nice same-game parlay opportunity.
Bet: Kings -3 and Over 221 (+277)
Chicago Bulls at Denver Nuggets
The Bulls head to the Mile High City having dropped the past two games, including a road trip to Dallas against the Mavericks. In fact, Chicago has won just once in the past three outings, while hitting the Under in the previous two road games, and the past three games overall.
The defending champs posted a 125-114 win against the aforementioned Mavs, cashing the Over. However, the total had gone low in the first five games for the Nuggets. It’s just six games, but Denver is looking like it’s in championship form again.
The Nuggets lead the NBA in field-goal percentage at 51.1%, although the free-throw shooting (67.4%) can use a lot of work. Defensively, Denver is allowing just 105.3 PPG to rank 4th, while limiting the opposition to 44.4%, which is good for 6th. The Nuggets are holding teams to just 32.0% from behind the 3-point line, too.
The Under cashed in both meetings between these teams last season, while going a perfect 3-for-3 in the past three meetings overall. Go low in the Mile High City.
Bet: Under 216.5 (-110)
Go premium to view top prop bets based on Cover Probability, Expected Value & Star Rating >>
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | RadioPublic | Breaker | Castbox | Pocket Casts