3 Best NBA Bets and Predictions for Tuesday 4/8/25

The 82-game NBA regular season offers us a wide variety of betting options, including point spreads, moneylines, and totals. The Association features 1,230 regular season games, which can make sifting through the odds an overwhelming task.

However, various advanced statistics can help narrow the choices. Our NBA projections paired with advanced stats from the NBA can help give the inside track to quality bets.

While utilizing some of the mentioned tools, which NBA odds from FanDuel Sportsbook look like the best bets today?

Please note lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published.

Today's Best NBA Betting Picks

Boston Celtics at New York Knicks

Knicks -1.5 (-110)

With under a week remaining in the regular season, we are hitting a stretch when many key players are sitting out. That could be the case for the Boston Celtics as Jayson Tatum (ankle), Jaylen Brown (knee), and Kristaps Porzingis (illness) are all questionable.

Meanwhile, the New York Knicks are about as healthy as it gets with Jalen Brunson (ankle) and Miles McBride (groin) each listed as probable. New York is 5-1 outright and against the spread (ATS) over its last six games.

According to Dunks & Threes, the Knicks should have some advantages in shot distributions. For example, Boston has the highest three-point shot distribution in the Association while New York cedes the sixth-lowest mark from three.

New York is also shooting 40.3% from three-point land over its last four games. The Celtics boast an all-around excellent defense, but they give up the 5th-fewest points in the paint per contest compared to the 10th-fewest three-point attempts per game.

New Orleans Pelicans at Brooklyn Nets

Over 214.0 Points (-110)

Backing the over with two of the league's bottom six offensive ratings colliding usually isn't going to provide success. Plus, the New Orleans Pelicans and Brooklyn Nets each have lengthy injury reports. Yves Missi is gearing up to be the Pelicans' only regular starter active, and the Nets are expected to feature only two usual starters in Ziaire Williams and Nicolas Claxton.

Despite clear production concerns for each side, I still love the over for this bout. DRatings has the total reaching 217.2 points while MasseyRatings has it at 217.0 points. A deeper dive into shot distributions shows our path to points.

Starting with New Orleans, the Pelicans typically look to attack the rim, notching the 14th-most points in the paint per game and 9th-highest shot distribution around the rim. Brooklyn allows the second-highest shot distribution around the rim.

On the other side of the court, the Nets carry the fifth-highest shot distribution from three along with the eighth-most attempts per contest. The Pels give up the second-highest shot distribution from deep and the fourth-most three-point attempts per contest.

Don't let injuries scare you away from the over. These are defenses in the bottom 10 of defensive rating, and with advantages in shot distributions, the over is a good bet.

Golden State Warriors at Phoenix Suns

Warriors Over 118.5 Points (-108)

The playoff picture in the Western Conference is still far from set as a group of teams are vying for ideal positioning. The Golden State Warriors are looking to avoid the Play-In Tournament and currently sit sixth in conference standings. Meanwhile, the Phoenix Suns will need some lucky breaks to be playing next week as they're 2.5 games back from the final play-in spot.

This means both teams are fielding strong lineups as Kevin Durant (ankle) looks to be the only major absence of the matchup. He's missed the last three, a span in which Phoenix went 0-3 both outright and ATS. This goes beyond just KD's injury as the Suns are in the midst of a late-season collapse, losing six straight. Golden State being listed as a 9.5-point favorite is more than reasonable.

However, I'm turning my attention to the totals. Both teams are in the top half for the slowest paces, pointing to fewer total points. Plus, no Durant implies a lower score. While Phoenix's potential inability to score causes hesitation for the over on the game total of 227.0 points, the Warriors should do more than enough in the scoring department. Therefore, over 118.5 points for Golden State feels rock solid.

I'm mainly focused on triples for this pick. The Warriors have the 2nd-highest shot distribution from three while the Suns give up the 12th-highest shot distribution from deep. Golden State is also shooting a blistering 42.2% from deep over the last five. This goes hand-in-hand with the Warriors logging 123.8 PPG during the five-game span.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.