The 2022-23 NBA season is 77th in league history and it looks like it will be the most exciting by now. The Golden State Warriors are going into the season as the defending champions and there are several teams that seem ready to get them off the throne.
LeBron James will play his 20th season and we are all expecting the historic moment when he will become the leading scorer in league history.
Starting from the opening night, we will provide you with the best betting tips and picks for the NBA.
You can expect new picks to be uploaded every day during the NBA season. Keep in mind that the picks you will find here are only valid for the day’s games.
Our NBA Score Predictions for Today – 05/04/2023:
Los Angeles Lakers @ Los Angeles Clippers
Clippers -2.5
The teams from Los Angeles are going into this game with the same record of 41 wins and 38 losses and to make things even more interesting, they are separated by the line that splits the Playoff teams from those that will need to go into the Play-In tournament.
The Lakers woke up just in time and they have a real chance to make it to the Playoffs. Currently, the Lakers are 7th in the Western Conference, tied with the Clippers, half of a game behind the Golden State Warriors and one game ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans. The Lakers are on a four-game winning streak and are coming off a 135-133 overtime win over the Utah Jazz. LeBron James led the team with 37 points and 6 assists and Austin Reaves added 28 points. James is the Lakers leading scorer with 28.8 points per game followed by Anthony Davis who scores 26.6 points per contest. After this game, the Lakers will play the Suns and the Jazz in the last game of the season.
The Clippers are in 6th place in the West, the last one that leads straight to the Playoffs. They are not playing very well lately spliting the last 10 games and are currently on a two-game losing streak. After failing 108-94 to the Memphis Grizzlies, the Clippers lost 122-114 to the New Orleans Pelicans in the last one. Kawhi Leonard scored 40 points for the Clippers and Russell Westbrook added 24 points and 10 assists but that wasn’t enough to get the win. The main reason for the Clippers recent failures is the injury of Paul George who will be re-evaluated later this week to see if he will be back for the post-season. This is a crucial game for the Clippers who will face Portland and Phoenix by the end of the regular season. A good thing for them is that Lakes played an overtime game on the road last night and the Clippers are definitely more ready. Leonard is someone who can hold off James and that will make the difference tonight as the Clippers will cover the -2.5 point spread.
Pick: Los Angeles Clippers to cover the spread (-2.5) @ -110 with BetMGM
Sacramento Kings @ Dallas Mavericks
Luka Doncic over 32.5 points
The Sacramento Kings are one of the best stories this season in the NBA. Mike Brown did a great job with this team and the Kings are about to finish in the top 3 teams in the Western Conference. Currently, they have 48 wins and 31 losses and are 2 games behind the Memphis Grizzlies. The Kings have clinched their first Playoff berth since 2006, ending the longest active Playoff drough in all American professional sports leagues. The Kings have won 3 of the last 4 games and are coming off a 121-103 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. De’Aaron Fox scored 23 points in that one, followed by Domantas Sabons who recorded a triple-double with 16 points, 12 rebound and 11 assists.
The Dallas Mavericks are on the verge of being the biggest disappointment this season in the NBA. Currently, they are 11th in the Western Conference with a 37-42 record half of a game behind the Oklahoma City Thunder and one game ahead of the Utah Jazz. The Mavs are playing terrible lately losing 7 of the last 8 games despite having one of the best guard duos in the league. The Mavs are coming off a 132-130 overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks, their third consecutive failure. Kyrie Irving dropped 41 in that one while Luka Doncic finished with 22 on 3 of 12 shooting from deep. A promising detail for the Mavs is the fact that the remaining three games of the regular season they will play at home. After the Kings, they will host Chicago and San Antonio. Luka Doncic is the man who needs to step up and give put the Mavs back in a situation to make it to the Playoffs. He is the second-best scorer in the league at the moment averaging 32.8 points per game. The total point margin on him is set at 32.5 for tonight and he will definitely go over it.
Pick: Luka Doncic to score over 32.5 points @ -110 with Caesars
NBA Odds & Picks for Tonight Explained
If you don’t know how to read the NBA picks today, and you are new to sports betting, we will help you learn how. Usually, all odds in USA sportsbooks are in American format with positive and negative signs in front of them. They would look something like this:
- +120
- -120
The positive odds are how the bookmakers mark the underdogs while the negative odds are for the favorites. The NBA odds themselves are based on customers wagering $100. This means that if we use the odds above in this example, we would find the following:
- If you bet $100 for the underdog, you would win $120.
- To win $100 when betting on the favorite, you need to place a $120 wager.
Keep in mind that you don’t have to place bets with these stakes. Your stakes can be any amount you are comfortable with, like $50, $13, or $97.44.
If you are more comfortable with fractional (4/6) or decimal (1.50) odds then most bookmakers offer the option to change their appearance. Although fractional and decimal odds are mostly used in Europe and the rest of the world. There are many bet calculators out there that can help you if you encounter odds you can’t convert automatically. With their help, you can calculate the exact amount you can win if you place a bet on the specific odds.
NBA Picks Today for Moneyline Bets
Moneyline picks in NBA matches are the most straightforward type of wagers. You have to think and choose only which team is most likely to win the match out of the two. It is as simple as it gets. These picks might sound easy-to-predict but there are many factors to consider. Among them are statistics, analysis, player and match data, etc. That is why our platform exists actually, to do those analyses for you.
The shortcoming of money line betting is that if the underdog’s chances are slim to none then the odds for the favorite can drop as low as –700. That isn’t good for you and it might be cheaper to not place the bet at all. On the upside, if you are betting on the underdog, the odds in this situation might climb quite higher to +300 or something. Of course, the chances of the underdog winning are, like we said, slim to none, so you will most likely lose your stake in four out of the five bets like this you place. Sometimes it isn’t easy to find the best NBA moneyline picks, so we are here to go through all the data so you don’t have to.
NBA Predictions Today for Point Spreads
Point spreads are the most popular types of wagers in the NBA. They are the same as the NFL spreads, so if you are familiar with those it won’t be hard for you to get the hang of NBA spread betting and our picks for tonight. Point spreads are perfect for you if you want to win, but are reluctant to stake $500 to win $100. The point spread was created to even out the odds in games where the winner is almost certain.
In these types of bets, you are not betting on the winner, but if the favorite can win by certain points. For example, if the Nets are facing the Celtics at the following spread:
- Nets +11.5
- Celtics –11.5
A wager on the Celtics would mean that they would need to beat the Nets by at least twelve points for the bet to be considered a winner. If you are betting on the underdog, then a winning bet can only happen if the Nets win the game or lose it by less than eleven points.
Sometimes bookmakers present these NBA picks without a decimal, so they can also look like this:
- Nets +7.0
- Celtics -7.0
Although that is a rare occurrence because in the perfect circumstances a push might occur and the bet would be voided.
NBA Totals Picks for Today
Totals are what the Europeans call over/under bets. They are based on the number of points scored instead of the winner of the match. Bookmakers can provide total bets for both teams or either one of the teams. This means that if you are betting on total points wager, you are looking at the combined score of both teams, and if you are betting on Team A total points, you are counting only the points scored by Team A.
Some might argue that totals are the most exciting NBA picks out there. The bookmakers will provide a line and you will have to guess if the points scored during the match are going to be more or less than that specific line. As in other markets we talked about, the line is most likely going to be in decimal form because of that way the sportsbook is preventing pushes (ties).
NBA Picks for Proposition Bets
Some bookmakers also offer odds on prop bets. These are the bets that don’t concern the outcome of the match or the score. They are also fun and interesting and sometimes they can be released at high odds. Proposition bets can be related to anything outside of the outcome of the match or the score. This means that they can be something like this:
- How many assists will Player A make?
- How many points will Player B score?
These types of bets aren’t available everywhere due to the specific state laws, but you would be happy to hear that most states allow prop bets, and some even allow prop bets on college sports.
Free Basketball Picks for Today
The one unique thing about our NBA picks for tonight is that they are 100% free. This means that we are giving you all the information about the likely picks for the day without you having to pay for it. You won’t have to go through any head-to-head statistics or analyze player data. We are going to comb through the data for you, what is better than that? Sit back and enjoy today’s NBA betting picks.
All of the picks you see on this website are free, and you can be sure to find the best here because our betting experts are working daily to provide the best options out there.
If you are new to betting on this sports, you can check out our detailed review on NBA betting lines.
See all our picks for the NBA Playoffs Games
Where Can I Use These NBA Betting Picks?
If the betting platform we got these picks from isn’t labeled or if the odds have already changed by the time, you read this, we have a solution. Your best bet would be to browse the top sportsbooks in your state and find the top odds for the betting market you want to wager on. We have compiled a list of the top sportsbooks in the country where you can find the best NBA odds.
Like we mentioned before, you will most likely have to create an account on multiple platforms, so you would have multiple betting odds choices for the same match. Most pro bettors have more than one sportsbook account, and there are perks you haven’t even considered yet – promotions. Sometimes bookmakers offer promotions to their customers that give you an odds boost or bet insurance, which is quite helpful.
- BetMGM
- FanDuel
- PointsBet
- DraftKings
- TwinSpires
Frequently Asked Questions Regarding the NBA Picks
When do these NBA picks expire?
These picks will expire the moment the matches they are for start.
Are the odds here correct?
All odds listed here were correct at the time of writing, but we can’t guarantee that they haven’t changed after that. Before wagering, you should always make sure to double-check your bet slip to see the latest odds.
Are there any promotions related to these picks?
We don’t know if at any given time there would be a specific promotion related to any of the picks we create. That is something you should check out on your own because more than one bookmaker can have bonuses for a specific game.
How old do I have to be to use these NBA picks?
In most USA states you will have to be 21 years or older, but in several states, like Rhode Island and New Hampshire, you can be only 18 years old.
Where can I find picks and predictions for other sports and leagues?
Check out our website for more cool picks and betting information related to all US sports and leagues.
Do I have to verify my account to place these NBA picks?
Yes, you do. Without verifying your identity, you can’t place bets on any sportsbook.
Is sports betting legal in the USA?
Sports betting is legal in most states, but not all of them have legalized it separately. You need to check if sports betting is legal in your state before registering to any platform.