NBA Expert Picks and Best Bets | November 30

The NBA is hoping to end November with a bang, as Thursday’s schedule features nine games, including a few that should garner some attention throughout the league. After looking closely at those matchups and the odds on some of the top NBA betting sites, we have come up with three picks we like. Here is a closer look at our best bets for Thursday’s NBA schedule.

Cavaliers -12 | -110 at FanDuel

The Cavs have quietly become one of the more intriguing teams in the Eastern Conference. They’ve won six of their last eight games, including a 14-point road win over the Portland team they host on Thursday. Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell have turned into quite a dynamic duo, combining for over 47 points per game. While covering big spreads hasn’t been a strength of theirs, we can forgive that a little against a bad Portland team.

To their credit, the Trail Blazers are 5-5 against the spread when they are listed as an underdog of eight points or more. But that’s a lot of games being listed as a heavy underdog, which says all you need to know about Portland’s season. They are also just 3-8 straight up on the road this season. That makes the Trail Blazers vulnerable to getting blown out on the road against a talented Cleveland backcourt.

PickOver 238.5 | -115 at BetMGM

No matter the total, take the over if the Pacers are playing. Indiana is an astounding 14-2 O/U this season. Tyrese Haliburton is putting himself in the conversation for the top point guard in the league, averaging nearly 26 points and 12 rebounds per game. He’s leading a team that’s averaging more than 127 points per game and doesn’t seem that concerned with playing defense because of their abundance of offensive talent.

Meanwhile, Miami is coming off a loss to the Bucks that saw 255 total points. The Heat could easily find themselves in a similar game on Thursday. Keep in mind the Heat scored 124 points in that loss to Milwaukee with Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler both missing the game. Miami has enough scoring depth to put the ball in the basket against Indiana, providing another high-scoring affair for NBA fans.

Hawks -7 | -110 at BetRivers

It’s hard to find the words to describe just how bad the Spurs are this season. Victor Wembanyama is doing his part and San Antonio has a couple more nice pieces. But Gregg Popovich has to be at a loss of words after 12 straight losses. During those 12 losses, the Spurs are 2-9-1 against the spread, so they are consistently playing worse than oddsmakers expect. The current spread for Thursday’s game is actually a little smaller than most of the spreads San Antonio has failed to beat over the past month, so now is not the time to think the Spurs can turn the tide.

Plus, Trae Young and the Hawks will be eager to take out some frustration on a bad team after suffering back-to-back losses to the Celtics and Cavs. While Atlanta has a dreadful 5-12 record against the spread, the Hawks have covered against teams like the Wizards and Pistons, who are nearly as terrible as the Spurs. That’s enough to make us feel confident that Atlanta can cover this spread, even on the road.