3 Best NBA Bets and Player Props for Thursday 12/11/25

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. Our NBA player prop 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. All injury news comes from the NBA's official injury report.

NBA Betting Picks for Today

Boston Celtics at Milwaukee Bucks

Celtics Over 116.5 Points (-104)

The Milwaukee Bucks are really struggling lately without Giannis Antetokounmpo, and I'm backing the Boston Celtics to go over their team total.

Over the last 10 games, Giannis has played just three fully healthy games. In that 10-game span, Milwaukee sits 22nd in defensive rating and is 2-8 with the 10th-worst net rating (-5.3). The Bucks have allowed at least 116 points in 10 of their past 13 games, and they're playing one of the league's elite offenses tonight.

The Celtics are at the other end of the spectrum when it comes to recent play. Over the last 10 games, Boston is first in offensive rating and third in net rating (+10.8). They've put up at least 117 points in seven of their last eight outings, with the lone exception being a 115-point day.

Boston's red-hot offense can keep it going tonight against a Milwaukee team searching for answers.

Portland Trail Blazers at New Orleans Pelicans

Shaedon Sharpe to Make 2+ Threes (-162)

There are a few reasons to be into Shaedon Sharpe tonight, and this is my favorite way to get exposure to him.

The matchup is a big part of the appeal. The New Orleans Pelicans are 28th in defensive rating for the season and are permitting the highest three-point attempt rate (46.7%) in the NBA. Shooting guards, especially, are having a field day from deep versus the Pels, with SGs making a league-high 4.1 triples per game against New Orleans.

In addition to that, Sharpe should continue handling a large workload as both Jrue Holiday and Donovan Clingan are out.

Sharpe isn't a great shooter, but he's not shy. For the season, he's taking 6.1 threes per night, and despite coming off the bench of late, he's still logged 30-plus minutes in three of his last four games.

The three-point looks should be there tonight in a friendly matchup, and I'm also intrigued by Sharpe over 22.5 points at -114 odds.

Denver Nuggets at Sacramento Kings

Nuggets First-Quarter Spread -2.5 (-125)

A rested and motivated Denver Nuggets squad should be ready to rock tonight, putting me on the Nuggets to win the first quarter by at least three points.

Denver hasn't played since Sunday, and they've been excellent on the road this season, going 11-2 in the split with the third-best road net rating (+8.1).

The Nugs rate out as a really good team through just about any lens, but they're dominant in the first quarter of games, ranking fifth in first-quarter net rating (+14.5). That makes perfect sense as Nikola Jokic usually plays the whole first quarter,

Not only are the Sacramento Kings bad overall, they're also a poor first-quarter team -- checking in next to last in both overall net rating and first-quarter net rating.

I mentioned motivation, and my thinking there comes from the fact that Sacramento beat the Nuggets in Denver the last time they met.

Given that result and the Nuggets' rest, Denver should be locked in from the jump, and I like them to start fast against one of the NBA's worst teams.

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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.