Peter’s Points: NBA Best Bets Today (Expert Predictions, Picks for Russell Westbrook, Lakers and Magic)

The past two weeks have arguably been the best in my NBA betting career, and I'm hoping to keep that hot streak going ahead of Wednesday night's action.

After a brutal showing back on Nov. 13, my daily NBA Best Bets have gone 31-14-1 since then, including a 2-0-1 showing on Tuesday night for the NBA In-Season Tournament action.

Tonight, I'm eyeing just two plays, as there is a lot of uncertainty injury wise with Nikola Jokic, Kevin Durant, Jamal Murray and CJ McCollum's status (or minutes) up in the air. So, I'm not going to force anything, especially since we've been so hot as of late.

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NBA Best Bets Record to Date

• 2023-24 season record: 64-49-2 (+8.68 units)
• Overall record (last 2+ seasons): 689-606-11 (+48.63 units)

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

NBA Best Bets Today

• Los Angeles Lakers-Orlando Magic ML Parlay (-168)
• Russell Westbrook OVER 20.5 Points, Rebounds and Assists (-105)

Los Angeles Lakers-Orlando Magic ML Parlay (-168)

This is a simple fade of the two worst teams in the Eastern Conference. 

Los Angeles Lakers Moneyline

Detroit hasn’t just been bad at winning games this season. 

The team is just 7-10 against the spread, despite the fact that it has found itself as a sizable underdog on many occasions. The Pistons are losing games by an average margin of 8.1 points this season. 

That’s good news for the Lakers, who are just 7.5-point favorites on the road in this matchup. 

Los Angeles is 7-2 this season when Anthony Davis scores 20 or more points, and this is a favorable matchup against a Pistons team that allows 52.0 points in the paint per game. 

These two teams are both in the bottom five in the NBA in offensive rating this season, but the Lakers are a much better team on defense, ranking 14th in defensive rating compared to Detroit (23rd). 

After LeBron James called out his team for things to change after the loss to Philly, I expected a big bounce back from Los Angeles tonight. 

Orlando Magic Moneyline

The Magic are the best team against the spread this season (14-3), and they are a perfect 3-0 ATS as home favorites. However, the Washington Wizards are 7-3 ATS as road dogs, so I’m not totally sold on laying 10 points with Orlando. 

Instead, let’s just pair the 12-5 Magic with the Lakers. 

The reason I love Orlando in this game comes at the defensive end of the floor. The Magic and their length have been a nightmare for opposing teams, and Orlando ranks No. 2 in the NBA in defensive rating. 

This is a massive difference compared to Washington (28th in defensive rating). The Wizards want to push the ball, but they are disinterested in defending the basket. I expect Orlando to have no issues getting what it wants on offense, but things won’t come as easily for Washington. 

Orlando is also 7-2 straight up at home despite playing six games as an underdog at Amway Center. 

Russell Westbrook OVER 20.5 Points, Rebounds and Assists (-105)

With James Harden in the fold in Los Angeles, Russell Westbrook has been forced to take a bit of a step back in the offense. 

Yet, he’s cleared this prop in six of his last 10 games including two straight strong performances. 

Russell Westbrook Last Two Games

• vs. Denver: 14 points (5-of-9 FG), 11 rebounds, three assists
• vs. Dallas: 14 points (6-of-9 FG), eight rebounds, seven assists

This may not be the norm for Russ going forward, but he is still averaging 12.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. If he can score 10 or more points, he’s going to have a really good shot at clearing this prop. 

I think he can do that against a Sacramento Kings team playing the second night of a back-to-back, especially since the Kings rank No. 17 in defense and No. 13 in pace.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.