Peter’s Points: NBA Best Bets Today (Expert Predictions, Picks for Victor Wembanyama, Cade Cunningham)

The NBA is back with another huge slate on Friday night as 22 teams are in action for their second game of the 2023-24 season. 

We had just two games on Thursday night, but that didn’t stop us from hitting two of our three bets, including the first Peter’s Primetime Parlay of the season!

That moved us to +1.50 units so far through the first three days of the season, and there are five different games that I’m eyeing with a spread, moneyline or prop pick on Friday night.

NBA Best Bets Record to Date

• 2023-24 season record: 6-5 (+1.50 units)
• Overall record (last 2+ seasons): 631-562-9 (+41.45 units)

Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

One of those props will be for rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama, who had a solid regular season debut despite being limited by foul trouble. 

Let’s dive into Friday’s plays, and a great promo from FanDuel to help you get started betting this NBA season.

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NBA Best Bets Today

• Cade Cunningham OVER 34.5 Points, Rebounds and Assists (-115)
• Victor Wembanyama OVER 26.5 Points, Rebounds and Assists (-110)
• Oklahoma City Thunder +3 (-110) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
• Boston Celtics-Denver Nuggets Moneyline Parlay (-118)

Cade Cunningham OVER 34.5 Points, Rebounds and Assists (-115)

Cade Cunnigham could be an elite target to go OVER in this prop to start the season with veterans Bojan Bogdanovic and Monte Morris both on the shelf for several weeks. 

Cunningham played 36 minutes in the team’s opener against the Miami Heat and took 27 shots to lead the Detroit Pistons with 30 points. What’s even more impressive is that Cunningham did not get to the line one time in that game. 

That’s going to change against a Charlotte team that upset the Atlanta Hawks but allowed Trae Young to score 23 points despite a 4-for-19 shooting night. Why? Young made 14-of-15 free throws in the game. 

So, if Cunningham attacks, he could be getting fouled a lot by a young Charlotte team that was 20th in the NBA in defensive rating last season. 

In the loss to Miami, Cunningham also had nine assists and three rebounds. For his career, he averaged 5.6 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game. I think Cade is in a great spot to clear this prop if he can push around 20 points, and his usage (27 shot attempts in Game 1) suggests that he’ll have the opportunity to get there. 

Victor Wembanyama OVER 26.5 Points, Rebounds and Assists (-110)

Wemby, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, was limited to just 23 minutes for the San Antonio Spurs against the Dallas Mavericks because he was in foul trouble, but he still finished with 15 points (6-of-9 shooting), five rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. 

Wemby had 22 points, rebounds, and assists in Game 1, and he likely played several fewer minutes than usual because of his foul issues. 

Now, he gets a chance to redeem himself in that department against the Houston Rockets on Friday. Houston was blown out by the Orlando Magic by 30 in its season opener, and I wouldn’t be shocked if the Spurs had a solid offensive showing in this game.

There isn’t a team that matches up well with Wembanyama’s size, but Alperen Sengun is certainly going to be undersized in this matchup. 

I think that Wemby is due for some positive regression both scoring the ball and rebounding it, if he can stay out of foul trouble. Remember, he played just 21 minutes in each of his final two preseason games and finished with 22 PRA in each of them. 

If he pushes 30 minutes, he’s going to soar past this number. 

Oklahoma City Thunder +3 (-110) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

Back to the well with the Oklahoma City Thunder? Basically. 

We took OKC on Wednesday night to upset the Chicago Bulls, and the team came away with a 20-point win. 

Now, the Thunder are staying on the road against the Cleveland Cavaliers, who nearly lost to the Brooklyn Nets in their season opener. 

Cleveland is going to be without Jarrett Allen and potentially without Darius Garland (questionable) in this game. I’m going to jump on the Thunder as one-possession dogs while that is still available 

OKC was elite as an underdog against the spread last season – even on the road – going 20-12-3 ATS as road dogs. 

Now, the team is getting a lot more love in the betting market, and rightfully so with the addition of Chet Holmgren and another season for this young core to gel.

I wasn’t impressed with Cleveland in Game 1 – the team was killed on the glass without Allen – and now it could be down two starters. I’ll gladly take the points with OKC, who is live to pull off an upset. 

Boston Celtics-Denver Nuggets Moneyline Parlay (-118)

Boston Celtics Moneyline vs. Miami Heat

Boston is coming off a solid win on the road against the New York Knicks in a game where Jaylen Brown (12 points) did not look like himself. 

I wouldn’t be shocked to see him bounce back in this game against Miami, who struggled to beat the Pistons on Wednesday night. 

Boston was 35-15 straight up (including playoffs) as a home favorite in the 2022-23 season. I think the team’s new-look lineup will give Miami trouble, especially since the team is down role players Haywood Highsmith and Josh Richardson. 

Denver Nuggets Moneyline vs. Memphis Grizzlies

Memphis dropped its season opener to the New Orleans Pelicans, and now it has to take on the defending champs who impressed on opening night against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Yikes. 

This line has moved from Denver -4.5 to Denver -6 overnight, and for good reason. Memphis is expected to be without Santi Aldama, Luke Kennard, Brandon Clarke, Steven Adams, and Ja Morant (suspension) in this game. 

I have no interest in fading this Denver team after how good it looked on Tuesday night, but instead of laying the points, I’ll just take the moneyline since we missed the best number. I think Denver and Boston are too good of teams to squander these chances early in the season.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.