3 NBA Best Bets and Predictions for Monday 12/23/24

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. numberFire's NBA power rankings and NBA game 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

Utah Jazz at Cleveland Cavaliers

Cavaliers Over 123.5 Points (-110)

The market has high expectations for the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight, and I can't help but agree given that the Utah Jazz are in town.

Cleveland owns the best offensive rating in basketball. The team is averaging 121.7 points per game, as well as 123.2 points per game on their home court.

The Jazz have the worst defensive rating in basketball and play at the league's 11th-fastest pace, which helps explain why they are surrendering the fourth-most points per game (119.3) and the third-most (121.0) on the road. Utah is also letting up the second-most made threes per game, so this is an across the board awesome matchup for Cleveland's offense, one that should constitute them scoring a hair above their home average.

The main reason I'm drawn to Cleveland's point total? Their bench is chock-full of three-point assassins, and those weapons could get heavily utilized in a game that's showing a massive 14.0-point spread.

With Max Strus finally back in the fold, Caris LeVert (46.7% 3P%) and Ty Jerome (44.4% 3P%) are now firm reserves. Craig Porter Jr. (45.5% 3P%) and Georges Niang (37.4% 3P%) can also bring a three-point spark off the bench, not to mention Sam Merrill, who led the team in three-point percentage just a season ago. Cleveland's bench should have no trouble packing on the points should this game get out of hand, making the over all the more enticing.

Indiana Pacers at Golden State Warriors

Warriors -5.5 (-110)
Over 229.0 (-110)

The Golden State Warriors have been running around with their heads cut off.

The Dubs got off to a hot 12-3 start but -- just one month removed -- are staring down a 15-12 record. It all came to a crash last Thursday when the Memphis Grizzlies sent the Warriors packing with an appalling 51-point loss. Stephen Curry and company got back on track over the weekend, winning a tough road game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The team should look to kick it back into high gear against the Indiana Pacers tonight.

Indiana (14-15) has been underwhelming this season, and it all tracks back to their performance away from Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Pacers hold a 6-11 record and -4.1 net rating on the road, a far cry from their +1.7 net rating at home. This three-game west coast trip has treated them well with wins over the Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings, but the second-leg of a road back-to-back -- at Chase Center no less -- should cause concern. The Pacers are 1-3 on B2Bs this season and the lone victory came against a meh New Orleans Pelicans club that was without three of their starters.

The Warriors are shooting 42.7 threes per game at home (fourth-most in the NBA) while the Pacers attempt just 33.4 threes on the road (fifth-fewest). That three-point discrepancy should help Golden State cover a manageable 5.5-point spread in style tonight.

Golden State's offense, one that scored north of 123 points in five of their first seven games of the season, is due for an outburst. We could see that tonight against a tired and 21st-ranked Indiana defense, which is why I like the over for this contest, too.

Indiana (6th) and Golden State (8th) each operate at a quick pace. Golden State games are averaging a massive 242.3 points when they play a fellow top-10 pace team, and the Warriors own a +6 point differential in this split. Indiana games are netting a similarly large 245.5 points -- though they struggle with a -9 point differential in this split.

numberFire's NBA game projections project a median of 237.5 total points in this contest.

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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.