Basketball fans will be in for a treat on Wednesday, December 8, when they'll have 13 NBA games to keep tabs on. There's an ESPN doubleheader tonight that features the Milwaukee Bucks facing the Miami Heat and then the Golden State Warriors hosting the Portland Trail Blazers. However, there's a bunch of other good games to watch, if those two aren't for you. With that said, leave the hard work to us and keep reading for our three favorite bets of the night:
1. Bulls at Cavaliers - The Cavaliers are 20-8 against the spread in the first half of the season since J.B. Bickerstaff became the team's head coach. Now, the Cavaliers will look to improve upon that record in a meeting with a Bulls team that is extremely shorthanded coming into this game. DeMar DeRozan, who has looked like an All-Star this season, is in the NBA's COVID-19 health and safety protocols for the next couple of games, and Chicago is also without Alex Caruso, Coby White, Javonte Green and Patrick Williams. In DeRozan, the Bulls are losing a huge source of both leadership and offense. And with Caruso out, Chicago won't be able to play its aggressive brand of defense at the point of attack. Also, considering Zach LaVine likes to score at the rim, this isn't a great matchup for him. LaVine can easily get going with his jumper, but scoring against Cleveland's twin towers of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen at the basket is not going to be easy. That is also something that will haunt Nikola Vucevic. As for Cleveland's offense, look for Darius Garland to have a big game here. Lonzo Ball is a very good perimeter defender, but he is mostly at his best when hounding opposing shooting guards — with Caruso on the primary ball handler. Garland has the quickness to get by him.
THE PICK: Cavaliers -3
2. Nuggets at Pelicans - Over the last two seasons, the Nuggets are 19-33 against the spread when coming off a road game. They also come into this game after having lost eight of their last 10 games (both straight-up and against the spread), and they now run into a Pelicans team that has won and covered in four of its last seven and is playing at home two days after a six-game stretch that included them playing five games on the road. And while not many teams in the league have a match for Denver's Nikola Jokic, this New Orleans group does have Jonas Valanciunas. The 29-year-old is having a career year with the Pelicans this season, averaging 18.5 points and 12.0 rebounds per game. He might not be able to slow Jokic down defensively, but there's a decent chance he'll cut into the MVP's effectiveness by turning in a brilliant offensive performance and also dominating the glass. It's also fair to question whether or not the Nuggets will have an answer for Brandon Ingram. The 24-year-old is averaging 30.0 points per game over the last four games, and he could lead the Pelicans across the finish line here.
THE PICK: Pelicans +2.5
3. Blazers at Warriors - The Blazers are really going through a rough patch right now, as they have lost six of their last seven games. Portland has also lost both Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum to injuries, leaving this group to be completely outmatched by Golden State in the talent department. Even Anfernee Simons, the Blazers' third-best guard, is dealing with an ankle injury right now, and now Portland is going to have to find a way to keep up with Golden State's elite offense. That would have been hard enough for the Blazers at full strength, as the Warriors are first in the league in defensive rating. Golden State is also going to play at a high tempo in this game, as Steph Curry is just 16 made threes away from breaking Ray Allen's all-time NBA record. Curry has stated himself that he wouldn't count out him doing it in one night. While that might be ridiculous, it will be fun to watch him try and it wouldn't be surprising if he hit eight or nine in this one. Also, the Blazers are 0-7 against the spread in road games against teams with winning records this season.
THE PICK: Warriors -13.5
