NBA Preseason Prediction, Odds & NBA Player Props for Monday 10/09

NBA Best Bet Today #1: ⭐Los Angeles Lakers -4.5 (-114) at FanDuel

The Lakers have the advantage of playing a preseason game already, despite losing 125-108 to the Golden State Warriors on Saturday. Still, it showed what players from the Lakers core we can expect to see play tonight which could give Los Angeles an advantage. 

We Los Angeles Lakers -4.5 (-114) at FanDuel based off what we saw from the team's key players. Anthony Davis performed well in 13 minutes, scoring 15 points and grabbing five rebounds while making 6 of 11 shots. Key players from last year's playoff run, including Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt and D'Angelo Russell also all saw action. If the Lakers' main rotation guys play once again, we like their experience to prevail against a Nets team that will be making its debut. 

Max Christie, one of the young players from the Lakers who is looking to crack the rotation, performed well in the opener against the Warriors. Christie had 15 points on 6 of 10 shooting. When looking to back a team in the preseason, you want to see young players perform well since they will get a good share of the minutes. Considering Christe showed improvement in the first preseason game, we are expecting that to continue against the Nets. 

It's hard to know what we will see from the Nets. Key players such as Cameron Johnson and Dariq Whitehead have already been ruled out of the game against the Lakers, which hurts the top end of the Nets rotation. These absences, plus the possibility LeBron James plays for the Lakers has us leaning towards the Lakers spread in this one.

Betting Pick: Los Angeles Lakers -4.5 (-114) at FanDuel

NBA Best Bet Today #2: ⭐Over 224.5 total points (-113) at FanDuel

One area the Lakers struggled against in the opening loss to the Golden State Warriors was on the defensive end of the floor. The Lakers gave up 125 points and allowed the Warriors to shoot 46 of 98 from the floor and convert on 17 3-pointers. Los Angeles' lack of defense has us leaning towards one side on the betting point total. 

We like Over 224.5 total points (-113) at FanDuel. The Lakers showed they are willing to play at an uptempo pace against Golden State, getting off 100 shots and surrendering 98 shots to the Warriors. To get a perspective on how fast the game was, the Atlanta Hawks led the league last season with 92 shot attempts per game. Both the Lakers and Warriors flew over that number. 

Considering the number of shots the Lakers got up and gave up, we like the over. The Lakers also got up 38 3-point attempts of their own, making the game turn into a 3-point shootout. With a high tempo and tendency to shoot 3s, we like the over on this game and expect the Nets to be able to produce the same number of shot attempts and looks from beyond the arc. 

We expect the Mavs to bounce back and cover the +1.5 spread and the total points to exceed the 221.5 line!!!

Betting Pick: Over 224.5 total points (-113) at FanDuel 

NBA Best Bet Today #3: ⭐Boston Celtics +7.5 (-113) at FanDuel

As it stands, this seems to be too many points for the Celtics to be giving up to a Knicks team that has yet to play this preseason. The Celtics won their preseason opener on Sunday, winning 114-106. We're going to go and back the Celtics for this matchup. 

We like Boston Celtics +7.5 (-113) at FanDuel. This is mostly due to the fact that Boston has yet to rule out its top players such as Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis. It remains possible the team does sit them out considering Monday's game is the second of a back-to-back preseason contest. 

But with the top Celtics players still active, it's worth taking Boston even if they play sparingly. Boston is also deep enough that the second unit could keep this close to the Knicks. Payton Pritchard, a reserve guard, went off against Philadelphia with 26 points on 9 of 14 shooting, including 6 of 11 from 3-point range. Newly-acquired all-star guard Jrue Holiday could also see action as he continues to get acclimated to his teammates. 

Boston's depth and the possibility the top players such as Tatum and Brown play make the Celtics a worth bet at this +7.5.

Betting Pick: Boston Celtics +7.5 (-113) at FanDuel 

NBA Best Bet Today #4: ⭐Victor Wembenyama 15 points (-145) at bet365

Victor Wembenyama is set to make his NBA preseason debut tonight against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The San Antonio Spurs forward was the No. 1 pick in this year's NBA Draft and has generated plenty of buzz given his 7-foot-3 frame and wide range of skills. 

We're going to target a prop for Wembenyama in tonight's game and go with Victor Wembenyama 15 points (-145) at bet365. There is the risk that Wembenyama sees limited action as the Spurs don't want to risk injury and save their franchise piece for the future, but the upside on Wembenyama is hard to ignore. 

In the NBA Summer League, Wembenyama averaged 18 points per game. His second Summer League game against the Portland TrailBlazers highlighted his skill set when he went off for 27 points on 9 of 14 shooting while making 2 of 4 from 3-point range. Wembenyama was even a prolific scorer in France, putting up an average of 21 points per contest. 

Given his scoring history, we like Wembenyama to reach at least 15 points tonight against the Thunder.

Betting Pick: Victor Wembenyama 15 points (-145) at bet365

Looking for expert guidance on NBA picks? Look no further than Gambling.com! Our experienced team of experts is here to provide professional advice to help you make informed decisions. Whether you need help choosing your NBA Summer League bets or NBA player props or want to stay up-to-date with the latest NBA news, we've got you covered. Take advantage of our NBA bonuses and start betting with confidence today!

At Gambling.com we proudly promote our partners and make sure to offer your the latest bonuses available, including all the details and information you need to know in order to make informed decisions. Always keep in mind that we want you to bet safely and bet responsibly!