NBA Best Bets Today, 12/20: Picks, Predictions & Player Props - Friday
We can’t stop, won’t stop, we will gladly accept Meatloaf every day of the week! Even more so when The Well delivers on a double unit drop! That is exactly what happened yesterday, and now Fantasy Alarm NBA Best Bets has had five profitable days in a row!
As predicted in our NBA picks, Karl-Anthony Towns came back to a roaring ovation from the fans at the Target Center. He had 22 points at halftime, needing over 23.5 to cash the ticket. He ended with 32 points and 20 rebounds, making a loud statement about what the Timberwolves traded away.
Nikola Vucevic made two threes before the fourth quarter, and with a double unit bet the profit was 1.54 units. A great day of NBA best bets because ‘Two of Three Ain’t Bad’.
NBA Picks, Predictions & Best Bets Today, 12/20
There are only three games today and features a couple teams playing the second of back-to-back games. Due to that there are only a few NBA picks regarding player props available in certain games.
Not to worry as there are still three unit-stacking NBA best bets as we seek our sixth profitable day in a row.
Thunder vs. Heat Prediction: Total Over 215 Points (-110 on Bet365)
The Oklahoma City Thunder are playing in the second of back-to-back games. Luckily for them both were in Florida and it was not a far travel night. Tonight they are at the Kaseya Center playing against the Miami Heat, and it is expected to be a close game.
The Miami Heat lost their most recent match, but have won six of their last ten games. They also enjoy a +3.1 point differential, and are currently sixth in the Eastern Conference. The Thunder are first in the Western Conference and enjoy a +11.9 point differential. But due to their game last night the spread is virtually non-existent in a -1 advantage.
This is why the bet tonight is on the over team total. Although the Thunder are playing in back-to-back games, they should still be able to score. Their defense could be less than par, and that is what this bet is counting on. The Heat have a 8-4 record at the Kaseya Center and generally play better offense there.
The Thunder average 115.2 points per game and the Heat average 112.8. Together that is 228.0 points, and the line has dipped down to 215 points. Although they may not score their average, the prediction is for them to score over 215 points today. Put a unit on that to happen.
Bucks vs. Cavaliers Prediction: Cleveland -8 (-110 on Bet365)
The Bucks are going to be exhausted coming off a championship game, even with rest. Damian Lillard will sit out this match and it will put a lot of pressure on Giannis Antetokounmpo to score even more. This will be too much to ask for against the best team in the NBA.
There is also the possibility that Antetokounmpo does not play, in which case this line will jump even more. Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley are a fearsome foursome that can outscore any duo, and play shutdown defense with their front court.
The 8 points seem like a lot against a team that has won eleven of their last thirteen games, but the Cavaliers are the best team in the NBA. They are on a two-game win streak and have a 14-1 record at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. Put a unit on the Cavaliers to cover.
NBA Player Props & Other Picks Today, 12/20
As mentioned earlier the player props are really tight and with two games featuring a team that played last night, it could be unpredictable.
The game in which both teams had rest could see one team with up to three starters out. So we go back to a game we discussed earlier.
Thunder vs. Heat Prediction: Tyler Herro Over 21.5 Points (-115 on Bet365)
Tyler Herro is arguably the Miami Heat’s best offensive player. Jimmy Butler is the most well-rounded player, and Bam Adebayo is their best defensive player, but when Herro is healthy, he is their offensive spark. If the Heat are going to win tonight, he will need to be just that against a tough defensive team.
Herro is averaging 24.1 points per game this season and has 23 or more points in four of his last five games. He has attempted 12 or more field goals in all of his last ten games, and he is a lethal scorer from behind the arc.
Herro has attempted 9 or more three-point attempts in eight of his last ten games and has an amazing 41.3% success rate from long distance. The Thunder are going to be tired coming into this league and could sacrifice some of their defense. Look for Herro to score around his average tonight, and probably do it with three-point field goals.
Put a unit on him to deliver on this prediction.
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Bet Smart, Be Lucky - Iggy
*All odds accurate at time of writing and NBA best bets to be placed at 1 unit unless specified otherwise
Player News
Ivica Zubac had a productive outing, finishing with 27 points (11-of-15 FGs, 5-of-8 FTs), five rebounds, one assist and two blocks in the Game 5 loss to the Nuggets on Tuesday.
Zubac continued to score the ball well, finishing with a series-high in points on efficient shooting. However, Zubac’s usual impact on the glass was absent as he secured just five rebounds in Game 5 after tallying at least nine in the previous four, with his one assist also tying his lowest output of the series. Down in the series 3-2, the Clippers head back to Los Angeles for Game 6 on Thursday, where they face a must-win situation to keep their season alive.
James Harden concluded Tuesday’s Game 5 loss to the Nuggets with 11 points (3-of-9 FGs, 5-of-8 FTs), eight rebounds, five assists and two steals in 35 minutes.
Harden had a quiet night on Tuesday, barely cracking double figures in scoring and failing to register double-digit shot attempts. The 2018 NBA MVP has faced a stifling Nuggets defense that, over the last few games, has forced the ball out of his hands, leading to inferior performances compared to earlier games in the series. Harden will look for a bounce-back performance on Thursday as he tries to lead the Clippers to a season-saving victory in Game 6.
Kawhi Leonard stuffed the stat sheet in Tuesday’s Game 5 loss to the Nuggets, posting 20 points (8-of-15 FGs, 3-of-7 FTs), nine rebounds, 11 assists, one steal, two blocks and one three-pointer.
Leonard did a little bit of everything for the Clippers in Game 5. The two-time NBA Finals MVP posted a series-high in assists and also hit the glass hard, resulting in a near-triple-double. Leonard has scored at least 20 points in all five games of this series. However, the Clippers may need even more from him going forward as they look to extend their season beyond Thursday’s Game 6 at the Intuit Dome.
Nikola Jokic earned a triple-double in the Nuggets’ Game 5 win on Tuesday over the Clippers, finishing with 13 points (4-of-13 FGs, 4-of-5 FTs), 10 rebounds, 12 assists, one steal, two blocks and one three-pointer.
The three-time NBA MVP had a relatively quiet game by his standards, but still came away with his third triple-double of the series. Jokic struggled with shooting efficiency, and his scoring output was the lowest of the series. Yet, his points were not as necessary in this game, given how well the rest of the Nuggets shot the ball. Nevertheless, Jokic will be in line for another big performance on Thursday when the Nuggets face the Clippers in Game 6.
Russell Westbrook came off the bench and produced 21 points (8-of-15 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), one rebound, one assist and three three-pointers in the Nuggets’ Game 5 win over the Clippers on Tuesday.
Westbrook was electric in his first game back in the lineup following a foot injury that kept him out of Game 4. His second-quarter scoring ignited the crowd and helped set the table for what would be his highest-scoring game of the postseason. The 2017 NBA MVP has had himself a nice series thus far from a scoring standpoint and will have a chance to end his former team’s season on Thursday in Game 6.
Jamal Murray had a dominant Game 5 performance in the Nuggets’ win over the Clippers on Tuesday, tallying 43 points (17-of-26 FGs, 1-of-1 FTs), five rebounds, seven assists, three steals, one block and eight three-pointers.
Fresh off a series-low 13 points in Game 4, Murray exploded for a series-high on Tuesday. He totaled nearly as many three-pointers in this game as he had in the previous four combined, while still managing to dish out seven assists. Murray got hot early in this one and never cooled off, and now has provided his Nuggets the opportunity on Thursday in Game 6 to eliminate the Clippers for the second time in the last five seasons.