Happy Friday and In-Season Tournament day to all! We have arrived to the weekend and another day of tournament games. With a full 11-game slate on our hands, we dip into NBA best bets today: expert picks for Friday, November 17. So keep your Jokic radar on alert, since the defending champ could go off in a matchup against the Pelicans. And not only that, but we break down why the Kings could take down Wemby and the Spurs in their respective matchup.
So let's cut straight to the chase and get you prepared for what's ahead in this In-Season Tournament night of games.
NBA Best Bets
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our NBA betting staff is targeting from today's slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 8 p.m. | |
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NBA Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Nuggets vs. Pelicans
By Joe Dellera
The Nuggets visit the Pelicans for an important Group Stage game in the In-Season Tournament. One player that thrives in every matchup but particularly in this one is Nikola Jokic.
Jokic has been on fire of late and has helped carry the team without Jamal Murray. In 4 games this season without Murray he is averaging 34.5 points, 16 rebounds, and 9.3 assists – nearly a Triple Double. This game presents a great matchup for him as well against Jonas Valanciunas, a player Jokic has excelled against throughout his career.
Focusing on the last 3 seasons, Jokic has averaged 32.6 points, 13.4 rebounds, and 11 assists in seven matchups while recording a triple-double in five of the seven games with both misses sitting on 9 assists. This is a direct matchup play, and rather than play the 21.5 RA which also has hit in 5/7 games, I'll take the Triple Double at a nice plus number.
Pick: Nikola Jokic Triple Double (+160)
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Kings vs. Spurs
We're a long way away from the San Antonio Spurs winning back to back road games in Phoenix against the short-handed Suns.
Since then, the Spurs have mounted a six-game losing streak — three of which were at home — where they've been outscored by 117 points.
This team is just bad right now, and this bet has more to do with them, because I don't exactly love the Kings either. But Devin Vassell is still out, Tre Jones is doubtful, Keldon Johnson is questionable but might play — respectfully, though, and?
The Kings aren't missing anyone of great consequence, they have De'Aaron Fox back, and I think they could pull away here to get to 7-4.
Pick: Kings -7.5 (-110)
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