3 NBA Best Bets for Monday 10/28/24

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 daily 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

Chicago Bulls at Memphis Grizzlies

Bulls Moneyline (+220)

It makes sense that the Memphis Grizzlies are favored in a home date against the Chicago Bulls, but I'm seeing value in Chicago's +220 moneyline odds.

The Bulls have gone 1-2 this season, including an 11-point victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, a 12-point loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, and a 19-point loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. They rank seventh in defensive rating, even with facing three teams who are destined for an advantageous playoff berth this season. Chicago is averaging 44.7 three-point attempts (3PA; third-most in NBA) but are shooting them at a sour 34.3% clip (12th-worst). Coby White (7-for-27; 25.9% 3P%) and Ayo Dosunmu (1-for-16; 6.2% 3P%) are both due to patch things up from downtown, and we could see that come out tonight against a Grizzlies team that is allowing the 10th-most made threes.

The Grizzlies have gone 2-1 so far, including a two-point win over a lackluster Utah Jazz team, 13-point win over the Orlando Magic, and 20-point loss to the Houston Rockets. Notably, Ja Morant (thigh) is questionable for tonight's contest. While Morant will likely suit up, he's already been on a minutes restriction (25.3 minutes per game), and I don't see that changing in this one considering the injury designation. This season, Memphis has a -3.7 plus/minus when Morant is off the court.

Chicago comes in with a clean injury report. For a team that can hold their own on defense and create streaks of fine offense around Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, and White, I don't see why they should have just a 31.3% win probability in a matchup against a somewhat unproven Memphis team.

If you're hesitant to side with the Bulls straight up, you can get their 6.5-point spread at -106 odds.

Washington Wizards at Atlanta Hawks

Over 234.0 (-110)

The Washington Wizards will meet up with the Atlanta Hawks for a game that's showing a slate-high 234.0 over/under.

A season ago, the Wizards held the third-worst defensive rating while the Hawks held the fourth-worst. Washington ranked first in pace and Atlanta ranked sixth. In turn, Washington's games averaged 236.7 points and Atlanta's averaged 234.7 points.

So far this season, the Wizards fare dead-last in defensive rating and fifth in pace. The Hawks are the sixth-worst defensive team and run at the eighth-fastest pace. Once again, we're looking at a pair of poor defensive teams that play at a top-ranked tempo. In theory, a Washington-Atlanta bout should be grounds for one of the highest-scoring matchups in the league. They've rightfully earned today's slate-high over/under, but I still think the market might be underselling this game total.

These teams met up four times a season ago. Here's a look at the totals in that span: 251, 244, 256, and 226 points -- good for an average of 244.3 points. In the one game that went under 234, the Hawks went a harsh 11-for-40 from downtown and 24-for-33 from the charity stripe.

The Hawks are allowing the fourth-most 3PA per game (44.7) and the Wizards are ceding the sixth-most (42.0). Jordan Poole has been hot (55.6% 3P%) to start the season and rarely misses out on an opportunity to hoist up a three. The same goes for Trae Young, whose points prop is a top target for Monday.

Since this game has all the fixings to explode, I'd consider checking out the alt market for the over. You can get over 244.5 points at +200 odds.

Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks

Under 223.0 (-110)

This Cleveland Cavaliers-New York Knicks matchup is the antithesis of that Wizards-Hawks meeting.

Last season, we saw the Cavs shine with the seventh-best defensive rating while playing at the league's seventh-slowest pace. Similarly, the Knicks managed the ninth-best defensive rating while ranking dead-last in tempo. Like clockwork, New York's games averaged just 221.0 points while Cleveland's averaged 222.8 points. Pit these two groups against each other, and I think they'll fall below tonight's 223.0 over/under.

These teams met up three times last year. Here's how the game totals shaped up: 200, 189, and 205 points -- good for an average total of 198 points. Last year's results shouldn't shape our opinion too much, but it's important to keep in mind that the Knicks still rank dead-last in pace through two games while the Cavs currently own the fourth-best defensive rating through three games. In terms of pace and defensive quality, both groups could fare awfully similar to last season.

On top of that, both of these teams are proven defenders against the three and don't hurl up a notable number of attempts on offense. This evening's close 2.5-point spread could help support a slow-paced, defensive-minded affair, so I'll side with the under.

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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.