The NBA regular season rolls on with another solid slate of matchups this Friday, with a total of 7 games on the docket. So, our staff of basketball experts dug into the latest odds and identified all the best betting value on the board for today.
Our betting experts have looked over the odds and made 5 NBA picks for tonight's contests. Continue below for our NBA best bets and predictions for Friday, December 6.
NBA Best Bets, Predictions, Picks: Friday, December 6
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
  | 10 p.m. | |
  | 10 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. | ||
Magic vs. 76ers
No Joel Embiid, no Andre Drummond, and a soft interior for the Sixers means Mo Wagner could wreck the paint with his physicality and ability to finish inside tonight for Orlando.
I have two small concerns. One, Wagner just went 10 points and 6 rebounds against Philly a few days ago, shooting 4-for-10 from the field and 0-for-3 from deep, though the former is an outlier. The other is the potential lack of minutes.
But Orlando needs him, and he tends to make the most of his 19 minutes per game, averaging roughly 13 points and 5 rebounds with his brand of bully ball, and he has exceeded this in six of his last eight outings.
I love the matchup for him, and he should rebound — no pun intended — from last effort.
Pick: Mo Wagner Over 18.5 Points + Rebounds (-110)
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Bucks vs. Celtics
At this point, I'm comfortable backing virtually any point guard matching up against the Bucks. Since Damian Lillard arrived in Milwaukee, the Bucks have consistently been among the worst teams defending the point of attack in the NBA.
So far this season, Milwaukee is allowing opposing point guards to score the third-most points per game. That's where Derrick White comes in. White has hit the over on this line in five of his past eight games, and was just one point short of it last week against the Bulls, but was forced to leave early in the third quarter due to a minor foot injury.
Plus, the Celtics are pretty banged up right now, with Tatum, Porzingis, and Holiday missing time over the last week. With Trent or Lillard guarding him all game, White will find himself open more often than he is during morning shoot-arounds.
Pick: Derrick White Over 16.5 Points (-115)
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Lakers vs. Hawks
By Vince Akins
The Lakers hit a low point last game. But we think this team will respond to the adversity in a game where they are getting a generous amount of points against a poor team.
The Lakers are playing their fourth straight road game here, and they have failed to cover their last four games. Teams playing at least their fourth straight road game when they have failed to cover in at least four straight games are 112-87 ATS in the last 199 instances.
The Lakers are also only 8-14 against the spread for the season. Road teams that have failed to cover in at least four straight games and have covered in less than 40% of their games in any given season are 324-263 ATS on the last 587 occasions.
Pick: Lakers +4.5 (-105)
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Jazz vs. Trail Blazers
We’re just 21 games into the season, and the Jazz looks like a team already in full tank-mode preparing for the 2025 NBA Draft. Utah is just 4-17 on the campaign heading into Friday’s road matchup in Portland against the Trail Blazers.
The Jazz have the second-worst Defensive Rating in the league, allowing 119 points per 100 possessions. Utah also particularly struggles to defend the perimeter, as opponents average the second-most 3-point attempts (39.6) against them and fifth-most 3-point field goals made (14.2).
That inadequacy is something Portland’s Jerami Grant could look to attack, considering the small forward is second on the team in 3-point field goals (2.2). Grant’s 3-pointers prop for tonight is available at 1.5, and he should get enough looks given his career-high in 3-point attempts (6.2) per game this season.
Utah ranks in the bottom half of the league in 3-pointers allowed (2.84) to opposing small forwards, and Grant is in a nice groove at the moment, registering at least two 3-pointers in eight of his last nine games. Even with his 3-point prop juiced to -135, there’s value at the current price, and I would play it up to -145.
Pick: Jerami Grant Over 1.5 Three-Pointers (-135)
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Timberwolves vs. Warriors
The Timberwolves are capable of playing elite defense, which they reminded all again on Wednesday by throttling the Clippers by a score of 109-80 at the Intuit Dome. That was the second time within the last week they held the Clips well beneath 100 points (also on November 29).
That's not all though, as Minnesota also held the Lakers to a mere 80 points in a romp on Monday night. So, in their three games over the past week, the Wolves have surrendered only 84 points per game, and three "under" results to boot.
Meanwhile, the Warriors snapped a five-game skid with a 99-93 win over Houston yesterday, and they did it minus-Steph Curry (who could return tonight, listed as questionable).
However, even with Curry available for part of the Warriors' latest four-game span, Golden State has still only averaged 105 points per game during that stretch, and Steve Kerr's troops enter tonight on a 7-1 run to the "under." So, I'll back that trend to continue in Friday's contest.
Pick: Under 219.5 (-110)
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