NBA Best Bets for November 20: Back the Bulls and the Blazers
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Spread Astaire
- November 20, 2024
NBA Pick: Bulls +8 (-110) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
After a thrilling night of NBA Cup action, the NBA regular season resumes with an action-packed Wednesday night schedule.
There are plenty of games to choose from, let’s dive right in to find the best ways to approach tonight’s card to make winning NBA picks.
If you’re looking for more value picks, make sure to take a look at our YouTube channel. Today, our expert has advice on the 76ers vs. Grizzlies and Knicks vs. Suns games.
Chicago Bulls vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Wednesday, November 20, 2024 – 07:30 PM EST at Fiserv Forum
The Milwaukee Bucks escaped with a 1-point win on Monday Night against the Houston Rockets to improve their record to 5-9 the season. Although Milwaukee lost eight of their first 10 games, they have won three of their last four games going into tonight’s showdown against their rival, the Chicago Bulls.
The Bulls won the earlier meeting between the teams this season on October 25th when they defeated Milwaukee 133-122. This high scoring affair was emblematic of the Chicago Bulls season where they’ve been able to score a lot of points, but unfortunately have been giving up even more. The Bulls are 29th in points against, averaging 122.9 points per game allowed.
Value on Chicago and the Over
The Bulls play at a high pace and when you are looking at a Chicago Bulls game, you should always be looking at the over. The first meeting between these two teams would have soared over tonight’s total of 237.5.
Both teams enter into tonight’s game coming off of a win as the Chicago Bulls got a 122-112 upset win over the Detroit Pistons in Detroit on Monday. This was a good win for the Bulls and ended a two-game losing streak.
Even though Milwaukee is improving, the eight points that Chicago is receiving in tonight’s game is simply too much. I expect a high scoring affair, and the over is a good look as well. For this game, the best plays are the Chicago Bulls +8 and over 237.5 at -110 betting odds.
NBA Pick: Bulls +8 (-110) at BetOnline
NBA Pick: Over 237.5 (-110) at BetOnline
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
Wednesday, November 20, 2024 – 08:00 PM EST at Paycom Center
The Portland Trail Blazers are on a roll heading into tonight’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Blazers have won their last three games, most recently winning 114-110 at home against the Atlanta Hawks. Now they take their win streak on the road and face the toughest team in the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Blazers will have the rest advantage in this game as the Thunder played in an NBA Cup game last night against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Thunder are one of the top defenses in the NBA however, averaging 103.5 points per game allowed. This is not a product of a slow pace as they are 11th in points per game at 115.4, giving them a net rating of +11.9 this season. That is one of the top net ratings in the NBA and one of the reasons that the Thunder are in first place in the Western Conference.
Blazers’ Recent Improvement
The Portland Trail Blazers have been lifted by the return of Robert Williams to the lineup. In just 20 minutes per game, Williams is averaging 12.5 points and 6.3 rebounds. Most important is the effect that does not show up in the box score and that is simply his defensive presence. Williams protects the rim and makes it tougher for teams to exploit Portland’s weaker perimeter defense.
Portland is also excited about the development of second-year guard Scoot Henderson. Last year Henderson did not make the impact that many had expected, and NBA scouts were worried about Henderson’s athleticism translating to the next level. However, Henderson was playing hurt last year and now fully healthy, he appears to be the elite athlete that the Blazers were expecting when they drafted him last season. With a healthy Henderson back in the lineup, the Blazers continued to improve every game.
Simons’ Potential Return
The Blazers will also hope to have exciting scorer Anfernee Simons back in the lineup tonight. Simons has been excellent at creating off the dribble and having him back in the lineup would be a huge boost for Portland. Simons is questionable as a game-time decision.
We have an excellent opportunity here to take advantage of the market being unaware of the Trail Blazers’ recent improvement and to capitalize on a potential fatigue/letdown spot for the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder went all out against the Spurs in the NBA Cup game and will be looking past their lowly opponent tonight.
We will not look past the Trail Blazers however, and we will take advantage of an improving team not getting the respect it deserves. Our final bet for the evening is the Portland Trail Blazers +13.5.
NBA Pick: Trail Blazers +13.5 (-110) at BetOnline
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
