Sunday’s NBA action may be light on games, but it is full of value. There are only three games on the slate but it features a couple of teams that aren’t being valued properly this season. Here are a few of my favorite plays for Sunday.
Sunday’s Best NBA Picks
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Detroit Pistons at Brooklyn Nets
The Pistons have gotten off to a rough start on the season with a 1-5 record straight up (SU) and 3-3 against the spread (ATS). It’s just a continuation of the last five years where they’ve been perhaps the worst team in the league. Coming off of a blowout loss to the Knicks at home, it’s hard to imagine backing them on the road, but here I am.
As bad as things have looked for Detroit, a big reason they’ve struggled is because they’ve had one of the toughest schedules in the league in the early season. By Net Rating, they’ve had the third-most difficult schedule early in the season. Most metrics indicate this is a much better team than they’ve been the last few seasons and they have much more veteran depth than previously.
For Brooklyn, they’ve looked pretty good going 3-3 SU and 5-1 ATS. However, their Net Rating sits just 20th in the league, only one spot better than they were last year. This is a great time to fade a surging Nets team that hasn’t been any better and an even better time to back a Detroit team that is getting a little ease in a tough early-season schedule.
Pick: Pistons +4 (-110)
Orlando Magic at Dallas Mavericks
It’s been a bit of a nightmare week for the Orlando Magic. A promising first week turned south as the Magic have gone 1-3 SU and 0-4 ATS in their last four. To make matters worse, they’ve lost all-star Paolo Banchero to an oblique injury for the foreseeable future. Sunday’s matchup versus a talented Dallas Mavericks team is not something they need right now.
Dallas has been led by a strong offense that features Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson. They rank third in offensive rating and are scoring 110.8 points to start the season. They’re a team that shoots a lot of threes and makes them at about a league-average clip. Dallas is a matchup nightmare for teams that struggle to defend the perimeter.
Luckily for Orlando, they are a very stout defensive unit. They rank third in defensive rating and while the loss of Banchero should be felt on the offensive end, they won’t feel it as much on the defensive end. Their defense is predicated on preventing threes. While they’ve had some bad luck on opponent makes this year, it’ll work itself out over time. I like Orlando to be able to get Dallas off their game offensively and do just enough to keep this one close.
Pick: Magic +7.5 (-105)
