Happy Friday, ladies and gentlemen! We have arrived to the weekend and most importantly, to another day of the NBA In-Season Tournament. Yes, we are in for the next dose of the group stage portion of the tournament in our NBA best bets today: expert picks for Thursday, November 9.
In the nine-game slate ahead, our experts give their betting two cents on matchups such as the Hornets facing the Wizards to the 76ers taking on the Pistons. So without further delay, let's hop right into our NBA Best Bets.
NBA Best Bets
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our NBA betting staff is targeting from today's slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 7 p.m. | |
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. | ||
Hornets vs. Wizards
I know this is stupid, but you know it could happen.
The over and under is 242 for a reason.
I never ever want to bet this prop this season again.
But Jordan Poole, the ultimate boom or bust litmus test, is gulps … due for a big night … or at least a 20-point night, which he's only had once in his last five games.
These two stupid teams combined for nearly 250 points just two days ago.
No one's guarding anyone… except Mark Williams. I actually… like… this Poole over.
God, I'm such an idiot.
Pick: Jordan Poole over 19.5 (-110)
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76ers vs. Pistons
Last Friday, NBA In-Season Tournament games went 5-2 to the over in what could either be an anomaly, or indicative of things to come–at least during group play. The third tie-breaker distinction to determine who wins their group is the team that scores the most points, assuming everything is still even after head-to-head record and point differential are taken into account.
It's still unclear whether that has anything to do with the spur of overs last week, or if it's just a coincidence, but either way I like the over in this game as I think the total is just too low for these teams. Without James Harden, the 76ers are playing at a much faster pace. They're eighth at 101.4, up from just 97 last season. But their offense hasn't suffered much, thanks to the ascendence of Tyrese Maxey–the odds-on favorite for Most Improved Player. Philly's Offensive Rating decreased from 117.9 last year, to 115.2 and their Defensive Rating has improved by -3.5 points, but I still see value on the over at this low a number even if I plugged last season's statistics into my projection.
The 76ers are 4-3 to the over this season, but the three unders came against the Celtics, Suns and Raptors–all of whom have top-10 defenses. Enter the Pistons, who are far from a top-10 defense. More like bottom-five. They rank 25th in Adjusted Defensive Rating per Dunks and Threes and as a result are 6-3 to the over. If we exclude the first two games of the season, they're 6-1. Despite having no shortage of bigmen to throw at Joel Embiid, none of them are equipped to stop the reigning MVP who's averaged 28.8 points, 12.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists in five games against the Pistons dating back to the 2021-22 season.
I took over 221.5 but see a pretty wide margin for error and would take the over up to 224 for a full unit. I'd even still play the over above 224 at reduced risk.
Pick: Over 221.5
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