3 NBA Best Bets and Predictions for Monday 12/30/24

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 NBA game 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

Philadelphia 76ers at Portland Trail Blazers

Under 223.0 (-110)

What have the Philadelphia 76ers and Portland Trail Blazers done to earn a game total north of 220 points?

Both teams are averaging fewer than 109 points per game. Three-point shooting isn't particularly prevalent on either side, as well. Portland (36.1 3PA; 20th) and Philadelphia (35.9 3PA; 21st) each rank in the bottom 12 of three-point volume. Further, each side shoots threes at a 33.5% clip or worse.

On top of all this, the Blazers play at a middle-of-the-road pace (13th) while the Sixers are running at the third-slowest pace in the league. Portland's games are netting just 218.3 points versus bottom-11 pace clubs.

The Blazers (26th) and Sixers (27th) come in with two of the worst offensive ratings in the league. Philadelphia has played 13 games against teams that also fare in the bottom 12 of offensive rating -- the contests in this split averaged a mere 212.8 points and 76.9% of these games totaled under 223.0 points.

numberFire's game projections expect this contest to total just north of 218 points. Getting in on under 223.0 seems like the apt way to go.

Denver Nuggets at Utah Jazz

Nuggets -6.5 (-110)

A meeting between the Denver Nuggets (17-13) and Utah Jazz (7-23) should go only one way.

Denver owns a +2.7 net rating (tied for eighth-best in the NBA). Across their last nine games, they tout a +7.7 net rating (tied for fifth-best).

Utah struggles with a -8.8 net rating (third-worst). They've been no better on their home court, checking in with a -9.8 net rating -- and a 2-11 record -- in this split.

It doesn't help that John Collins (hip) has been ruled out for this one. Collins ranks second in offensive rating and first in defensive rating among Jazz players who have suited up for at least 10 games. He's shooting threes at a stellar 42.4% clip, helping Utah win a few here and there when the ultimate goal of the season should be losing. The Cooper Flagg sweepstakes are at play, after all.

Thus, I like Denver to cover a manageable 6.5-point spread.

The Nuggets are 10-4 against teams that rank in the bottom 15 of net rating. They won these games by an average of 15.1 points and tout a +123 point differential in this split.

Although Aaron Gordon (calf) will not suit up tonight, this matchup nonetheless has the fixings for a blowout. I don't mind the idea of backing Denver -14.5 at +220 odds.

Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors

Warriors Moneyline (+162)

Betting against the Cleveland Cavaliers outright has been a fool's errand in the first half of the 2024-25 season.

Cleveland has a league-best 27-4 record. Past the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, and Atlanta Hawks, no team has gotten the better of them this year.

The Golden State Warriors, meanwhile, have lost 12 of their last 16 games. So, why back them to turn it around against a team of Cleveland's caliber? For me, it has everything to do with these +162 moneyline odds, which imply only a 38.2% chance of winning. At home against an Eastern Conference team that is part way through an arduous west coast trip, I think the Dubs are undervalued tonight.

Cleveland's +11.4 net rating plummets to +7.7 on the road. That's still an excellent mark, but we can't look past the current nature of their schedule. They visited Denver on Friday and will take on Golden State tonight before visiting the Los Angeles Lakers tomorrow evening. Escaping this trip unscathed would be quite the feat and a reason why I think we can hand them a slight downgrade in this one.

The Warriors (41.4 3PA) and Cavs (39.9 3PA) each rank in the top six of three-point volume. Golden State's proven ability to keep up from downtown leads me to believe they can stay in this game. When these teams met up earlier this season, both sides attempted 42 threes, though Cleveland nailed seven more than Golden State. I'll make no argument that the Warriors have better shooters from long range than the Cavs, though both groups are shooting at a better clip at their home arena than on the road.

I can live with betting the Warriors at home when handed +162 odds to do so.

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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.