The National Basketball Association (NBA) has seven games on the schedule Saturday. We have one matinee tip-off between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Charlotte Hornets at 1 p.m. ET, which we will ignore. Instead, we’ll focus on the evening slate.
Let’s get that bankroll in the black with our best NBA picks for Saturday, December 7.
Saturday’s Best NBA Picks
NBA odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All NBA picks are for 1 unit
Denver Nuggets (-1000) at Washington Wizards (+660) | O/U 230.5 (-110/-110)
The Nuggets (11-9) and Wizards (2-18) meet in the nation’s capital, as Denver looks to get back on track.
Denver has alternated losses and wins in each of the past nine games dating back to November 17 in Memphis. It is coming off a 126-114 loss in Cleveland, failing to cover for the third straight game. Denver is also amid a 3-7 against the spread (ATS) skid in the past 10 games since November 15.
Despite its erratic showings lately, the Nuggets are still a double-digit favorite on the road against the lowly Wizards. Denver is 2-1 ATS this season as a double-digit favorite, including 1-0 ATS in its only previous game favored by 10+ points on the road.
Washington has dropped 16 straight games since October 30 after a 2-2 straight up (SU) start. The Wizards were trampled by the Dallas Mavericks, 137-101, failing to cover as a 13.5-point underdog. They’re just 1-4 ATS in the past five games while going 3-12-1 ATS during the 16-game skid. It is 2-8-1 ATS in 11 games as a double-digit underdog this season, too.
It’s an exorbitant price to back Denver on the Moneyline, risking 10 times your potential return. That’s a mere $10 profit for every $100 risked, and nobody needs money that badly. Even if you were to toss Denver into a multi-leg NBA or cross-sport parlay, it simply doesn’t make much sense and takes a lot of value out of your ticket.
Denver has cashed the over in 13 of the past 18 outings, while it averaged 117.9 points per game (PPG) to rank seventh in the NBA while hitting 48.6% from the field and 38.7% from behind the three-point line. Both of those marks rank in the top five in the league. Defensively, the Nuggets have struggled, allowing 116.8 PPG to check in 24th, while allowing teams to hit at a 47.0% clip. Teams are also hitting 36.6% from behind the three-point line.
Meanwhile, Washington is awful offensively, going for just 106.7 PPG, while hitting triples at a 31.3% clip, 29th in the league. However, defensively, the Wizards are horrific, allowing 123.6 PPG to rank 29thy, while allowing teams to hit triples at a 37.8% pace.
Let’s back the Nuggets laying the points. The strongest play is to go over.
Picks: Denver Nuggets -14 (-110) & Over 230.5 Points (-110)
Memphis Grizzlies (+205) at Boston Celtics (-250) | O/U 238 (-110/-110)
The Grizzlies (15-8) and the Celtics (19-4) lock horns at TD Garden in Boston.
Memphis heads into Boston with a lot of confidence, picking up victories in seven of the past eight games, while going 6-2 ATS. The under has cashed in three of the past four games for the Grizzlies, too, including its 115-110 win over the Sacramento Kings last time out on Thursday with a total of 243.
For Boston, it has won three straight games, but the Celtics are just 1-4 ATS in the past five outings and 2-8 ATS across the past 10 games. The under has cashed in three of the past four games, too, including a 111-105 non-cover and under (229) result against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday.
The Celtics are playing on no rest, which has been a good thing. Boston is 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS in four games on the second end of a back-to-back, with the over/under going 2-2 in those four outings. The Celtics are just 1-2 ATS in three games against Western Conference teams this season, though, while the over is 2-1 in those outings.
The Grizzlies have had many more cross-conference matchups this season, going 8-3 SU/ATS in 11 games, while the over is also 8-3 in this game. That includes 5-0 SU/ATS in the past five games against the Eastern Conference, while the over is 5-0 in those games. I am not ready to take the Grizzlies straight up, but Memphis and the points with the over is quite attractive.
Picks: Memphis Grizzlies +6.5 (-110) & Over 238 Points (-110)
