Monday’s NBA action features an NBA Cup Final rematch between the Milwaukee Bucks and Oklahoma City Thunder – so you know we have to bet on it!
There are 10 games in the NBA tonight, and I’ve got a little something for everyone in today’s best bets – one player, one total, one side and a Houston Rockets-New York Knicks same-game parlay.
Here’s a full breakdown of each of Monday’s plays.
Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
These teams combined for just 178 points in their NBA Cup Final meeting, and the Thunder have the No. 1 defensive rating and scoring defense in the league.
So, seeing the total in this game all the way up at 232 is a little shocking.
Sure, the Thunder have hit the OVER in the majority of their games this season, but Milwaukee is just .500 – 4-4 to the OVER on the second night of a back-to-back this season.
In addition to that, there’s a chance that both teams end up sitting some players in this game. Milwaukee likely will sit Khris Middleton on the second night of a back-to-back, and OKC has listed Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso as questionable.
OKC is allowing just 104.7 points per game this season, and it’s only had five games since Jan. 1 (out of 15) that have gone over 232 combined points. I’ll gladly take the UNDER on Monday night.
Jalen Brunson 5+ Assists
Jalen Brunson had eight dimes in his first meeting with the Rockets this season, and he’s averaging a career-high 7.5 assists per game.
In 48 games this season, Brunson has five or more assists in 42 of them! He’s an easy leg to add to this parlay.
Mikal Bridges 12+ Points
With OG Anunoby out for this game, I’m buying Mikal Bridges as a scorer.
So far this season, Mikal Bridges is averaging 18.1 points per game while shooting 49.3 percent from the field and 36.3 percent from 3. The 3-and-D wing leads the NBA in minutes per game and is taking over 15 shots per game – a role that could expand if Anunoby sits on Monday.
Bridges has 12 or more points in 41 of his 49 games so far in the 2024-25 season.
Amen Thompson 7+ Rebounds
Amen Thompson is averaging nearly 11 rebounds per game as a starter this season, and he’s picked up seven or more boards in 11 of his last 13 games. With the Rockets listed Alperen Sengun as questionable and ruling out Fred VanVleet and Jabari Smith Jr., Thompson should get all the minutes he can handle against New York.
Portland Trail Blazers wing Toumani Camara is one of their more intriguing young pieces, and he’s averaging 10.1 points while shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 35.1 percent from 3-point range.
Over his last 17 games, Camara is averaging 12.5 points on 9.5 shots per game, clearing 9.5 points in 12 of those matchups.
The Blazers wing also had 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday and he’s matched up with them again tonight. If the usage is there, Camara is a solid bet at this number.
The Indiana Pacers are hitting their stride at this point of the season, winning eight of their last 10 games and looking a lot more like a team that made the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2023-24 season.
This is a solid matchup for Indiana, as Utah has not been nearly as good at home as it has been in past seasons. The Jazz are just 9-11 against the spread as home underdogs and 4-17 straight up at home – the worst home record in the Western Conference.
Utah ranks 29th in defensive rating and 28th in net rating, and it’s going to have a hard time keeping up with a top-10 offense in Indiana.
The Pacers (8-2 in their last 10 games) have really turned things around on the road after a brutal start to the season. The Pacers are 5-5 against the spread as road favorites and they’ve covered in 11 of their last 12 road games.
I’ll gladly lay the points with the Pacers here, as they’ve won 10 of their last 13 games by double digits.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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