NBA Best Bets Today (Predictions for Kyrie Irving, Trae Young, Bucks-Clippers and More)

We’ve got some marquee matchups in the NBA on Sunday, as Trae Young and Luka Doncic face off, and we get a look at the revamped Los Angeles Clippers against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday night. 

There’s also two games with double-digit spreads on Sunday, as the Boston Celtics are heavily favored against the Orlando Magic and the Minnesota Timberwolves are expected to dominate the Detroit Pistons. 

So, which of these games are included in our NBA Best Bets? Let’s get into today’s picks:

All odds courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook.

NBA Best Bets Record to Date

• NBA Best Bets Record: 109-120-2

NBA Best Bets Today

• Kyrie Irving OVER 25.5 Points (-120)
• New Orleans Pelicans -5 vs. Houston Rockets (-110)
• Hawks Moneyline vs. Dallas Mavericks (+110)
• Milwaukee Bucks -3.5 vs. Los Angeles Clippers (-110)
• Trae Young UNDER 36.5 Points and Assists (-105)

Kyrie Irving OVER 25.5 Points (-120)

Kyrie Irving has struggled in his last two outings, scoring a combined 29 points on 11-of-35 shooting, but he’s due for a bounce-back in Sunday’s matchup with the Denver Nuggets. 

The Brooklyn Nets will be without guard James Harden in this game, which means all of the offensive burden is going to land on Irving. 

In the 2021-22 season, Irving is averaging 22.8 points per game while shooting 46.4 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from beyond the arc. 

He’s cleared this number in five of 11 games, but all five have come in his last eight contests. Denver may throw everything at Kyrie, but he’s going to have to score if the Nets want any hope of staying in this game. 

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Houston Rockets: Pelicans -5 (-110)

Even though the Pels have played better as of late, do we trust them to cover the five points in this game? 

Looking at some trends, this lines up as a favorable spot for New Orleans as Houston is a horrible 6-14 against the spread as a home underdog this season. 

In addition to that, 11 of Houston’s last 12 losses have come by double-digits, so if you think the Pelicans win this game, there’s a good chance they cover as well. 

The Rockets are dead last in the NBA in defensive rating and 27th in offensive rating, while New Orleans is slowly moving up in both statistics, ranking 21st and 25th this season. 

The Pelicans aren’t a great team, but Brandon Ingram should be the best player on the floor and the Pels are playing for a play-in tournament position in the West. 

Atlanta Hawks vs. Dallas Mavericks: Hawks Moneyline (+110)

The Hawks seem to be able to beat everyone but the Toronto Raptors lately, as both of their losses in their last 10 games came at the hands of the Raptors. 

The Hawks’ offense is humming, ranking third in the league over their last 10 games, but the defense (11th in the league over their last 10 games) has really stepped up. 

Dallas, on the other hand, has been strong defensively for some time now, ranking fifth in the NBA in defensive rating. The Hawks have struggled on the road as an underdog, going 6-11 against the spread, but I’m going to fade the trend and back Young and company here. 

The Hawks haven’t looked like the team that made the Eastern Conference Finals for most of the 2021-22 season, but we’ve started to see a change in their play as of late. 

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Los Angeles Clippers: Bucks -3.5 (-110)

Something has to give in this matchup, as the Milwaukee Bucks are just 2-7 against the spread this season in the second game of a back-to-back while the Los Angeles  Clippers are 1-6 against the spread when they have two-to-three days of rest between games. 

The Clippers are hoping that Powell (18.7 points per game this season) can help carry some of the offensive load with Paul George and Kawhi Leonard out, as they Clippers are just 26th in the league in offensive rating this season. 

Los Angeles makes up for it on the defensive end, ranking seventh in defensive rating, but does it have enough to hold down the No. 6 offense in Milwaukee? 

I’ve loved betting on the Bucks as small favorites this season, but they have burned me lately, losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Charlotte Hornets and Atlanta Hawks as slight road favorites over the past month. 

In the 2021-22 season, the Bucks are still 11-7 ATS as road favorites. I’m going back to the well tonight. 

Trae Young UNDER 36.5 Points and Assists (-105)

I think this prop is a bit inflated for Young, as he’s cleared it in just four of his last 11 games. 

In those four games that Young cleared 36.5 points and assists, he scored 30 or more points in each game. That’s going to be tough to repeat against a Dallas team that is top five in the NBA in defensive rating. 

While I think the Hawks can win this game, I don’t know if I’m willing to back Young to go nuclear as well. The star guard is likely going to need a great scoring game to clear this line, and Dallas plays at such a slow pace (25th in the NBA), that I think he goes under this number.

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