NBA Best Bets Today (Predictions for Josh Giddey, Thunder-Knicks, Spurs-Bulls and More)

After a few days off from betting on the NBA due to the Super Bowl, we’re back with a fresh NBA Best Bets column on a Monday. 

This weekend, I swore off of betting on my New York Knicks (at least for the time being) so why not bet against them tonight? 

Let’s get into the four-pack of picks for Feb. 14:

NBA Best Bets Record to Date

• NBA Best Bets Record: 121-128-2

NBA Best Bets Today

• Golden State Warriors -5.5 vs. Los Angeles Clippers (-110)
• San Antonio Spurs +4 vs. Chicago Bulls (-110)
• Oklahoma City Thunder +9 vs. New York Knicks (-110)
• Josh Giddey OVER 6.5 Rebounds (-135)

Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Clippers: Warriors -5.5 (-110)

The Golden State Warriors haven’t looked great lately, losing to the Utah Jazz and New York Knicks before narrowly defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in their last game. 

Klay Thompson dominated against the Lakers, scoring a season-high 33 points, but can he and the Warriors get back to covering the spread tonight against the Los Angeles Clippers?

I think this is the ultimate buy-low spot on the Warriors.The Clippers just lost Norman Powell to a broken bone in his foot, and he was supposed to help fix the team’s No. 26 offense when he was acquired prior to the trade deadline. Now, we’re going to get all the Reggie Jackson and Marcus Morris we can handle for Los Angeles. 

That’s uninspiring against the Warriors’ No. 1 defense, and it’s worth noting that the Clippers have nearly fallen out of the top-10 in defensive rating with their struggles lately. 

Golden State is just 6-6-2 against the spread as a road favorite, but this number is a little too low for me to pass up. 

With Thompson and Steph Curry both playing well as of late, the Warriors could begin another big winning streak tonight. 

San Antonio Spurs vs. Chicago Bulls: Spurs +4 (-110)

I wish I had grabbed this earlier when the line was at Spurs +5.5, but I think San Antonio is live for the upset here and may sprinkle on the moneyline as well. 

The Bulls have been one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference this season, but they may struggle in this game with Zach LaVine out of the lineup. 

Chicago has taken a major step back defensively, ranking 19th in the NBA in defensive rating this season and playing the league’s No. 23 defense over its last 15 games. 

That’s a bad sign against a Spurs team that loves to push the pace and ranks in the top half of the league in offensive rating. San Antonio plays at the No. 5 pace in the league, and if easy baskets are readily available with Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso out, the Spurs are going to find them. 

This is going to turn into a showdown between Dejounte Murray and DeMar DeRozan, and while there may be extra motivation for DeRozan against his former team, this isn’t the best matchup stylistically for the Bulls. 

Usually, uptempo and high-scoring games help the Bulls, as they are No. 4 in the league in offensive rating, but without LaVine flanking DeRozan, there is less room for error from the Bulls’ supporting cast. 

Chicago is just 5-5 in the 10 games that LaVine has missed this season, so don’t be surprised if the Spurs can pull off a straight up victory on the road, but I like getting them with the four points for sure on Monday. 

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. New York Knicks: Thunder +9 (-110)

The Oklahoma City Thunder are looking to snap a five-game losing streak on Monday night when they take on the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. 

OKC won the first matchup between these two teams, but it is down its best player in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for Monday’s matchup. 

There is no way that I can back the Knicks as nine-point favorites on Monday. 

New York is coming off a brutal loss on Saturday, blowing a 20-point second half lead and a 15-point fourth quarter lead to the tanking Blazers. 

Oklahoma City is the second best team in the NBA ATS, going 34-19-3 against the spread this season and 19-10 ATS as a road underdog. Honestly, this is a game OKC may win outright. 

The Knicks have been an absolute abomination on offense, especially late in games, and that should help OKC stay in this game even though it has the worst offensive rating in the NBA.

RJ Barrett won’t play again for the Knicks with an ankle injury, and Mitchell Robinson, Cam Reddish and Nerlens Noel are listed as questionable. The Knicks simply aren’t good enough to trust as heavy favorites while they deal with injuries. 

Josh Giddey OVER 6.5 Rebounds (-135)

If you’ve been following the column, you know that I’ve been all over Josh Giddey props since Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has ruled out until the All-Star break. 

Giddey has been elite on the glass over his last 10 games, recording seven or more boards in nine of those matchups. 

The rookie has seen his role expand everywhere, averaging 14.1 points, 8.7 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game while shooting 45.0 percent from the field in his last 10. We’re backing Giddey until he regresses, but that doesn’t look like it’ll come anytime soon.

Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record in the NBA this season here.