Free NBA Betting Picks - Today's Best Bets, Expert Predictions, Odds (12/14/22)

It's been a multi-day rough patch for my bets lately as the weekend cold streak spilled over into Monday and Tuesday. I am looking to right the ship today and this just might be the slate of games to do it. We have 10 NBA games tonight and a number of viable underdogs and close spreads. Making my final picks was tough, and perhaps my confidence is shaken a bit, but we push forward anyway as it's a long season and the next hot streak is just around the corner.

I'm only picking sides and totals in this article three days a week, so consider subscribing to my sports betting substack here as I put out some DFS stuff and props on most evenings from Monday through Friday, too.

In this article, I'll be providing my favorite picks against the spread, game totals, parlays, and teasers for NBA games that tip-off at 7:00 PM EST on Wednesday, December 14. Let's take a look at the games that I am targeting with wagers tonight.

Thunder Dan's NBA Best Bets

• 2022-2023 Overall Record: 59-72
• Against the Spread: 28-33
• Game/Team Totals: 9-16
• Moneyline Parlay: 7-15
• Teasers: 14-7

NBA Betting Picks: Against the Spread

Golden State Warriors (-1.5) @ Indiana Pacers (235.5 total)

I went back and forth here a bit before finally landing on the Pacers. Yes, the Warriors do have a quality win over the Celtics in the last week, but they also got wiped out by Milwaukee last night and are clearly missing Andrew Wiggins more than we may have expected. This Pacers team beat the Warriors just over a week ago without Tyrese Haliburton out West and now Indiana gets them at home.

The Pacers battled Miami the other night but came up just short. I am a believer in this team, they are scrappy and win games they shouldn't. This is a game that they shouldn't win, but they get Golden State at home on a back-to-back and coming off a bad loss. Maybe the Warriors rally and come out on fire, but I'm going with my gut a bit here over the numbers and rolling with the Pacers at home. Though one trend that is in the Pacers' favor is the Warriors' terrible road record as they are just 2-12 this season.

The Pick: Pacers ML (+105)

New York Knicks (+4) @ Chicago Bulls (225.5 total)

We are about to get this game twice in a row with the rematch set for Friday in Chicago again. The NBA has been weird this year with scheduling teams playing each other multiple times in a row.

Don't look now but the Knicks are surging, winners of four in a row with some quality wins in that stretch over Cleveland, Atlanta, and Sacto. Julius Randle has been playing extremely well of late and perhaps the real key to this run has been the improved play of RJ Barrett as a complement to Randle and Jalen Brunson.

I like what New York is doing defensively as well. Mitchell Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein have made a formidable duo in the paint and offer some solid rim protection, while Quentin Grimes has entered the starting lineup and given them another solid wing defender to help lock down opposing scorers.

The Bulls don't scare me all that much. Their two recent wins were against Dallas (without Luka) and Washington, while they just lost to the injury-riddled Hawks on Sunday and allowed a buzzer-beater with one second left on an inbounds play. The Bulls tend to be very competitive in games against teams with good offenses and poor defenses, but I think New York matches up well here. I'm going to back the Knicks to keep their streak going or at least take this game down to the final possessions since we are getting a decent little four-point cushion. I think the Knicks win outright, but let's take the points anyway.

The Pick: Knicks +4 (-110)

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NBA Betting Picks: Totals

Miami Heat (-3) @ Oklahoma City Thunder (227 total)

We love those underdogs tonight, and I have OKC winning this game. But how many underdogs can I write up ATS? I have another, I think safer angle to bet on this one.

The Heat are without Jimmy Butler tonight and this will be the 11th game he's missed this season already. In the first 10 games, the Heat have a -4.5 net rating and an abysmal 106.5 offensive rating. OKC presents a good individual matchup for Bam Adebayo inside, but Miami has really struggled to score without their floor general (General Soreness as we've come to know him over the years) Butler.

OKC is usually a team we target for overs, but their offense tends to struggle against good defenses. They were held to 102 points by Cleveland and Memphis just in the last week. This game has a neutral pace and feels like it could bog down as both teams could be content to play more half-court offense and try to grind out a win.

I like the Thunder here, so we will put them in the teaser and you can bet them outright, but my bet here is on the under.

The Pick: UNDER 227 (-110), good down to 225

Minnesota Timberwolves (-6) @ LA Clippers (223.5 total)

So we had a hit on a team total on Monday with Memphis coming through against the Hawks and I am going back to the well with another matchup-based play here in the Wolves-Clippers game.

The Wolves have been simply terrible on defense lately. Over their last eight games, they're allowing an average of 124.4 points to their opponents, which is the most in the NBA. The Clippers are going to play their studs today and rest Kawhi Leonard (or maybe a few others) tomorrow, so we are getting the best version of their team tonight.

It was good to see Kawhi Leonard back on track with a 25-point outing against the Celtics on Monday and his buddy PG13 added 26 of his own. They still don't have Norman Powell back yet, but Marcus Morris, Reggie Jackson, John Wall, and Luke Kennard are all solid scoring options to go along with Kawhi and George on this team.

Perhaps we are seeing the beginning of the Clippers righting the ship. But more than anything, we are seeing just how mediocre the Wolves are without their star Karl-Anthony Towns, too. They weren't exactly playing a ton of defense with him, but without him, they're not stopping anyone. All we need is 115 points from the Clippers tonight, and I think we get it as they win at home.

The Pick: Clippers' team total OVER 114.5 PTS (-125)

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NBA Betting Picks: Parlays and Teasers

I usually do a money line favorite parlay on bigger slates and then one teaser bet as well (usually a lot of underdogs, but not always).

Just know the risks involved with parlaying bets, we are increasing our potential payouts but adding more risk to every bet with every outcome that we include.

Favorite Moneyline Parlay:  POR + LAC +DEN  = (+142 DraftKings)

Let's get CRAZY with the underdog teaser, shall we? I think all six of these teams could legitimately win their games, but we are just hoping for close outcomes for a nice payout here.

SIX TEAM, 5-point Underdog Teaser: OKC +8, ORL +7.5 + CLE +7.5 + NYK +9 + SAC +10.5 + DET +8 = (+450 DraftKings)

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