We have made it to Friday and no better way to wind down your day than with some NBA hoops. And trust us, there's a lot of basketball to get into for tonight with a loaded 10-game slate ahead including an ESPN doubleheader featuring Indiana Pacers (1-0) facing off against the New York Knicks (0-1) at Madison Square Garden at 7:30 p.m. ET.
To follow, the Phoenix Suns (1-0) will take on the Los Angeles Lakers (1-0) at 10 p.m. ET live from Crypto.com Arena. The choices are plentiful as we provide some of our best bets for what's on deck.
From a few player props, a couple of spread picks, and a first half bet; we have you covered from every angle as our experts provide their NBA picks for Friday, October 25 below. Let's see what they have in mind in their expert NBA best bets today!
NBA Best Bets Today
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Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NBA Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Picks and Predictions for Friday, October 25
76ers vs. Raptors
By Joe Dellera
Joel Embiid is still sidelined and Andre Drummond was cruising against the Bucks in a tougher matchup against Brook Lopez and Giannis Antetokounmpo on the interior. Drummond recorded 13 rebounds in 25 minutes on opening night.
Last season, when Drummond played at least 20 minutes, he averaged 15.3 rebounds and exceeded this mark in 11 of 18 games. This a pretty high line for him to clear, but I'm a bit encouraged by the expected pace. Tyrese Maxey will keep the offense flowing for the Sixers and the Raptors played at the sixth-fastest Pace post All-Star break last season.
I'll back Drummond to exceed 13.5 rebounds.
Pick: Andre Drummond Over 13.5 Rebounds
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Pacers vs. Knicks
This should be the bounce back spot for New York.
My worry is the Knicks could still get off to a clunky offensive start, plus, I really do like this Pacers squad this season — they will be a League Pass top five for me.
Tuesday's blowout loss shouldn't be the norm for the Knicks. They faced the Celtics who shot 61 3s and went on a historic tear, making 29 from deep and nearly had the record all to themselves.
The Knicks quietly shot well from the floor — 55/37/75 splits — but were 11-for-30 from deep and just couldn't keep up. Indiana is similarly capable of going on an offensive heater. The Pacers are coming off a season-opener in which they trailed the Detroit Pistons for three quarters before a 33-19 fourth quarter propelled the Pacers to victory.
This should be a Knicks spot, and while I like the full game spread, I like the first half just a touch more.
Pick: Knicks 1H (-3.5)
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Pacers vs. Knicks
The Pacers allowed the fifth-highest offensive rebound rate last season, and they remain a helpless squad on the glass.
That bodes well for Josh Hart, who is an elite offensive rebounder. Hart has recorded at least 10 rebounds in seven straight matchups against the Pacers.
Mitchell Robinson and Precious Achiuwa will once again be sidelined too, which reduces rebounding competition.
Pick: Josh Hart 10+ Rebounds (+130)
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Pacers vs. Knicks
By Eric Gaston
The New York Knicks had a tough opening night against the Celtics, losing in a blowout. It wasn't the kind of performance the team had hoped for, but the chemistry has to be built, especially with the additions of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges.
Towns scored 12 points in the season opener, but he shot 5-of-9 from the floor, had some possessions where he scored in the post and made one 3-pointer.
Against the Pacers, look for Towns to be more aggressive in the home opener at Madison Square Garden. It's his first regular season game in New York, and the Knicks will be looking to come out strong.
A side note here: Towns has had success scoring against the Pacers. Last season, he dropped 40 points in his matchup against Pacers frontcourt.
Pick: Karl-Anthony Towns Over 21.5 Points
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Hornets vs. Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks were a team attacked by sharps in their preseason priors and I am looking to find ways to back them in game markets until the numbers catch up.
The Hornets are significantly worse, coming off a (lucky) comeback win, now on their second road game with a young team and new coach. The Hawks should be waiting and ready for them to build on their success.
I would play this for a full unit below -6.
Pick: Hawks -5 (-113)
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Pistons vs. Cavaliers
The Pistons offense drastically improved, yet their defense still remains a work in progress.
Paint scorers are especially set up for huge games against them, and Evan Mobley has more offensive responsibility than ever.
The Most Improved candidate should be a focal point of Cleveland's offense here.
Pick: Evan Mobley 16+ Points (-130) and 20+ Points (+220)
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Bulls vs. Bucks
By Chris Baker
I expected this Bulls defense to rank bottom-5 this season as they have virtually no good perimeter defenders in their primary rotation. The Bulls allowed the Pelicans to shoot 56% of their shots at the rim, according to Cleaning the Glass, and the Pelicans converted on 80% of their rim-looks.
This is important to highlight for this Bucks matchup as Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the most efficient rim-slashers in the NBA. The Bulls really don’t have a good answer for Antetokounmpo's size and athleticism. We will likely see Patrick Williams mixed in with Jalen Smith off the bench, but Antetokounmpo will likely dominate this matchup.
Additionally, the Bulls allowed a 24% transition rate (96th percentile) against the Pelicans, as they struggled to consistently get back and set their defense. That is a recipe for disaster against a player like Antetokounmpo and another reason why we should expect him to feast. He averaged 34 PPG on 67% from the field in four games against the Bulls last season. This will be a decent matchup for the Bulls offense as the Bucks are a much bigger team that is currently playing many bigs and forwards.
In many ways the Bucks are the antithesis of the Bulls as the Bulls lineup consists of five or six guards. Outside of Damian Lillard, the Bucks are playing mostly wings and bigs in their lineup and that may be an issue here as the Bulls guards should have a foot-speed advantage over guys like Taurean Prince, Gary Trent, and Pat Connaughton.
I think the Bulls could have success here if they can knock down their wide open threes and pull Brook Lopez away from the rim with Nikola Vucevic. I'm going to continue to fade the Bulls defense here.
Pick: Over 231
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Grizzlies vs. Rockets
By Chris Baker
The Rockets dropped their first game to the Hornets, but I think it might’ve just been an outlier night on offense as they shot 43.2% effectively from the field (third percentile) as a team. Fred VanVleet shot 4-of-18, Jalen Green shot 9-of-23, and Alperen Sengun was 10-of-22 from the floor.
I was unimpressed with the Grizzlies in their two-point road win over the Utah Jazz in their opener. All of the starters lost their minutes but their bench carried them against a weaker Jazz bench. The bench is arguably the strong point for the Rockets and they won’t get outscored by double-digits here.
Zach Edey struggled on defense in the opener and played just 15 minutes due to foul trouble; I could see him struggling again here against this hyper-athletic Rockets squad.
Finally, the Rockets have multiple athletic wing-defenders to throw at Ja Morant and Desmond Bane like Dillon Brooks, Amen Thompson, and Tari Eason. I envision this being a much tougher matchup for the Grizzlies and the Rockets should get their first win of the season here tonight.
Pick: Rockets -2
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Warriors vs. Jazz
By Eric Gaston
It's kind of surprising that the spread for this matchup is close. The Jazz are at home, but the Warriors are the better team and there's a major separation when it comes to overall team talent.
The Warriors won by a hefty 35 points in their season opener on the road against the Trail Blazers. The Jazz lost their season opener at home against the Grizzlies by two points.
Lauri Markkanen scored 35 points in that game, and is really good at putting the ball in the basket, but Stephen Curry and the rest of the Warriors should have their way in this game.
Pick: Warriors -2.5
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