NBA Weekly Preview: Schedule, Odds & Predictions

Early season injuries have been the talk of the first month of the NBA schedule. Oklahoma City has been hit particularly hard, and that has led to the Thunder falling in NBA betting futures markets. The Thunder have a massive amount of draft capital though, and they used some of that capital to make the first trade of the season. Oklahoma City dealt two second-round draft picks to the Sacramento Kings for 2025 first-round pick Nique Clifford in an effort to steady the ship without so many of their star players.

Elsewhere, many NBA predictions are pivoting to the San Antonio Spurs as Victor Wembanyama continues to reach new heights with his play. The Spurs won’t be part of our NBA best bets today, but they will feature in a pivotal game later this week.

NBA Schedule This Week

The two most interesting games on the NBA schedule for Monday night feature the Los Angeles Lakers heading east to face the Atlanta Hawks and the Houston Rockets hosting the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers and Hawks are both currently in the top four in the NBA standings for their respective conferences, while many NBA predictions will pick the Rockets to beat the Nuggets given Denver’s travel woes trying to leave Mexico City this weekend.

Top NBA Games This Week

The Atlanta Hawks will host the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, November 9, at 7 p.m. ET, and the Houston Rockets will welcome the Denver Nuggets to town at 8:30 p.m. ET. Many fans will tune in for a potential Eastern Conference Finals preview between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday, November 10, at 8 p.m. ET, and two of the other top teams in the East will square off when the New York Knicks host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday, November 11, at 7 p.m. ET.

Biggest Matchups to Watch

Although Anthony Edwards will miss at least another month after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery, the Minnesota Timberwolves are still playing very good basketball. Minnesota is currently sitting at 8-3 and has the best point differential in the NBA. The Timberwolves will welcome Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks into the Twin Cities on November 12, at 8 p.m. ET in the most anticipated game on Thursday night.

The most anticipated game of the week will pit the league’s two hottest teams against each other. The San Antonio Spurs have won eight straight games after an 0-2 start, while the Golden State Warriors have won seven in a row following an 0-3 start to this season. There will be plenty of NBA betting available for this game on Friday, November 13, at 9:30 p.m. ET.

NBA Standings and Weekly Playoff Picture

As of Monday morning, the NBA standings show the Los Angeles Lakers atop the Western Conference with a 9-2 mark. The Philadelphia 76ers are currently leading the Eastern Conference with a 9-2 mark as well.

Eastern Conference Standings

The Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics are starting to separate themselves from the other teams in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia has won a lot of close games with a +3.1 point differential, while the Boston Celtics standing looks a lot better. The Celtics are 8-2 with an Eastern Conference best +10.7 point differential. Boston’s only two losses this season have come on the road against Detroit and Houston, and the Celtics have taken care of business against every other team.

At the other end of the standings, the early season NBA predictions had it right when it came to the worst teams in the Eastern Conference. Chicago and Milwaukee have just one win apiece, and the Brooklyn Nets are 2-8 through their first 10 games.

Western Conference Standings

There is a widening gap between the haves and the have nots in the NBA standings of the Western Conference. The Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, San Antonio Spurs, and Oklahoma City Thunder are all within 1.5 games of the Los Angeles Lakers. All of these teams except Houston have won at least four straight games on the NBA schedule too.

It looks very obvious that the two worst teams in the Western Conference are the Utah Jazz and Sacramento Kings. Both teams have a 1-9 record, and they are the only two teams in the Western Conference with a negative point differential over 10 points.

NBA Predictions for This Week

There are a couple of best NBA bets today for Monday, November 9. We will also be looking ahead on the NBA schedule to highlight one game on Tuesday through Friday although no NBA betting lines for those games are currently available.

Predictions for the Biggest NBA Games

Atlanta Hawks 122, Los Angeles Lakers 117

Luka Doncic sat out of the Los Angeles Lakers’ Sunday night victory over the Detroit Pistons. Austin Reaves filled Doncic’s shoes admirably by exploding for 43 points, while Walker Kessler notched a double-double with 12 points and 16 rebounds. Doncic is considered questionable to play against Atlanta on Monday night due to lower back tightness, and I expect the Lakers to give him an extra day to rest given their strong start to the season. That’s why I will be backing the Atlanta Hawks in my NBA predictions as the Lakers will be at a major disadvantage if Doncic can’t play the second leg of this back-to-back road swing for the Lakers.

Houston Rockets 114, Denver Nuggets 97

The favorite one of my NBA predictions this week is Houston to beat Denver by double digits. The Rockets are coming off a bitter road loss to Phoenix on Saturday that saw Houston score just 99 points due to some poor shooting. Houston will have a major rest advantage as Denver has been dealing with a travel nightmare since beating Indiana in Mexico City on Saturday afternoon. The Nuggets were scheduled to fly out immediately after the game, but there were multiple issues with the plane that caused the players to board and deboard several times before the team finally flew out shortly before 5 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon. Denver has placed all five of its starters plus DeMar DeRozan on the injury report due to this situation.

Potential Upsets to Watch

Currently, Atlanta is a two-point home underdog per NBA betting odds at BetCris Arizona. This line could move heavily in favor of the Hawks if Luka Doncic is unavailable, as Doncic is currently the favorite to be named the NBA MVP. Atlanta has one of the most underrated home court advantages in the NBA, and only Denver and Utah have performed better when looking at historical home/road splits over the last three decades.

Don’t be surprised if the Dallas Mavericks knock off the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night. Cooper Flagg is taking his game to the next level, and he almost led Dallas to a road upset against the San Antonio Spurs last Wednesday night. The Mavericks were a 12.5-point underdog per the NBA betting lines at BetCris Arizona, but Flagg helped Dallas take San Antonio to the wire before losing by a single point.

Best NBA Bets Today and This Week

I will be backing two home teams in my best NBA bets today. Atlanta and Houston are both in very enviable situations, and I expect both teams to win and cover the NBA betting line.

Spread and Moneyline Best Bets

Atlanta Hawks ML +116 vs. Los Angeles Lakers (BetCris Arizona)

Once again, the big caveat here is my belief that Luka Doncic won’t suit up for this game. The presence of Doncic will move the line substantially, but I love Atlanta’s chances in this spot provided that Doncic doesn’t play. Atlanta has won four straight games ahead of this contest, and the Hawks have good chemistry. Jalen Johnson can post a triple-double any time he is on the court, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker is a high-volume three-point shooter that is currently knocking down 38.4% of his threes. Aaron Wiggins has proven that he can take a larger role, while C.J. McCollum is a crafty veteran that can contribute even if he doesn’t have his jumper.

Houston Rockets -8.5 vs. Denver Nuggets (BetCris Arizona)

We might see a flurry of NBA predictions touting the Houston Rockets on Monday night if the Denver Rockets decide to rest their starters in this game after their travel ordeal over the weekend. One of the best NBA betting tips is to back teams with a definitive rest advantage, and Houston will certainly have that coming into this game. Although the Rockets played on Saturday night, they were able to immediately fly back to Houston while Denver’s flights were delayed by almost 24 hours. Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, and the other stars for the Nuggets are all considered day-to-day now, and it appears very likely that at least a few of these players will not be available on Monday night.

Totals and Over/Under Bets

UNDER 218 Points in Denver Nuggets at Houston Rockets (BetCris Arizona)

This is the second lowest total of any game on Monday night. However, Houston’s defense is tied for second-best in the Western Conference in terms of scoring defense. Denver is likely to be playing on tired legs, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the Nuggets finished the game with under 100 total points. Additionally, the Rockets aren’t a team that shoots a lot of threes, and that is more conducive to a game going Under the total.

NBA Picks and Parlays This Week

It can be very profitable to put your NBA predictions into a parlay to maximize your potential profit, and these are the NBA picks and parlays we will be looking at today.

NBA Picks for the Week

The best NBA bets today for me are Atlanta moneyline, Houston -8.5, and Under 218 points in the Houston/Denver game. As I said last week, one of my favorite NBA betting strategies is to go against teams playing the second leg of a back-to-back. That is due to rest advantage and the enormous role that plays in betting the NBA, and that is why I am also jumping on Houston and the Under in that game.

NBA Parlay Ideas

If you are looking to maximize your potential winnings, a parlay can be a great bet. Rather than making individual wagers, if we put Atlanta moneyline, Houston -8.5, and Under 218 in Rockets/Nuggets into a three-leg parlay, it would return +691 per the American odds. That means a $100 wager would return a profit of $691 if all three legs of the parlay were to hit.

NBA Betting Tips for This Week

It is very early in the season, but teams are already starting to be extremely cautious with their star players. We have seen so many major injuries to standout players after less than a month of action that I don’t think any front office or coaching staff will be pushing their players too much given that each team still has 70+ games to play.

Injuries and Player Availability

The NBA injury report is already incredibly long. The Oklahoma City Thunder have been particularly hard hit with the loss of Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, and Cason Wallace, but there are plenty of teams that are without at least one of their stars.

Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel will miss at least the next month with a strained hamstring, Denver’s Jalen Duren will miss another two weeks with the same issue, Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards will be out another several weeks after minor knee surgery, and Orlando’s Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs are both sidelined for a couple more weeks. Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton, Toronto’s Kawhi Leonard, and Utah’s Jaren Jackson Jr. are also on the mend.

Back-to-Back Games and Rest Advantages

One of the best NBA betting tips is to back teams with a rest advantage and to go against teams playing the second leg in a back-to-back slate. The NBA schedule can be very unforgiving with the lack of rest, and that’s why most of my NBA predictions highlight teams that have a definitive rest advantage over their opponents.

Team Trends and NBA Standings to Watch

The top five teams in the Western Conference standings all have at least four-game winning streaks. Meanwhile, the longest winning streak in the Eastern Conference is just four games, and that belongs to the Atlanta Hawks. Although Atlanta has won four straight games, the Hawks covered the number in just one of those games per the NBA betting odds.

Teams Moving Up the NBA Standings

San Antonio has the longest winning streak in the league. The Spurs have won eight straight games, so the San Antonio Spurs standing is just a half-game behind the Los Angeles Lakers. If you are looking at long-term NBA futures odds, San Antonio is now the favorite to win the title per the NBA predictions. Victor Wembanyama has been incredible, and Dylan Harper has shown real improvement in his second season.

Teams Trending in the Wrong Direction

A three-game losing streak has dropped the Memphis Grizzlies from the top of the Western Conference in the NBA standings to a mid-tier position. However, the Grizzlies are still above the line when it comes to playoff position, unlike the Utah Jazz, Sacramento Kings, Milwaukee Bucks, and Chicago Bulls. All four of those teams have just one win through the first few weeks of the NBA season.

Key Player Matchups This Week

One of the most watched games this week will be Jaylen Brown taking on his former team for the first time. The Philadelphia 76ers will host the Boston Celtics in a battle of the two best teams in the Eastern Conference, and Brown will face his former team after a stunning offseason trade.

Star Players to Watch

Jaylen Brown’s strong start has tipped the NBA betting odds in favor of the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference. Brown is averaging 22.3 PPG, 6.7 RPG, and 4.0 APG while hitting 47.7% of his field goals. There were concerns regarding how he would fit into the lineup after LeBron James was signed in the offseason, but the Sixers have made it work so far and continue to gel into a formidable contender.

Meanwhile, Steph Curry continues to shoot the lights out for the Golden State Warriors. Curry and Luka Doncic are the only two players in the league that are averaging more points per game than minutes per game. The greatest three-point shooter in NBA history will turn 39 in March, but Curry is still averaging 31.3 PPG and is hitting 44.7% of his three-point attempts on the season.

Player Prop Betting Angles

One of my best NBA bets today is Atlanta, and I will be betting the over on Jalen Johnson’s player props. Johnson missed three games with a sprained ankle, but he was sensational in his return on Saturday night with 30 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Atlanta will give Johnson more minutes on Monday night as he is the key to this Hawks’ offense.

What Channel Is the NBA Game on Tonight?

There is plenty to watch on the NBA schedule this week including nine NBA Cup games on Friday.

NBA TV Schedule This Week

Monday, November 9, 2026
Detroit Pistons vs. Washington Wizards, 7 p.m. ET (NBCSN)
Golden State Warriors vs. New Orleans Pelicans, 10 p.m. ET (NBA TV)

Tuesday, November 10, 2026
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics, 8 p.m. ET (NBC)
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, 11 p.m. ET (NBC)

Wednesday, November 11, 2026
New York Knicks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors, 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Thursday, November 12, 2026
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Dallas Mavericks, 8 p.m. ET (NBA TV)

Friday, November 13, 2026
Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks, 7 p.m. ET (Prime Video)
San Antonio Spurs vs. Golden State Warriors, 9:30 p.m. ET (Prime Video)

Saturday, November 14, 2026
Miami Heat vs. Detroit Pistons, 8 p.m. ET (NBA TV)

How to Watch NBA Games This Week

Fans can watch every game on the NBA schedule with NBA League Pass. Most cable packages will have NBCSN and ESPN, but sometimes a higher tier package is needed for NBA TV. Prime Video is only available as a streaming service for Amazon Prime members. Check your local listings for the carrying stations if you have a team in your area.

NBA 2K27 and This Week’s Matchups

NBA 2K27 is the top basketball video game on the market, and there are constant updates to player ratings and team ratings throughout the regular season NBA schedule. Some enterprising fans are using the player ratings in NBA 2K27 for their NBA predictions, but it’s important to note that their ratings do struggle when it comes to determining defensive impact.

Final NBA Weekly Predictions and Betting Outlook

My best NBA bets today are Atlanta moneyline, Houston -8.5, and Under in the Rockets/Nuggets game. Later in the week, my NBA predictions will once again back the Dallas Mavericks as I believe Cooper Flagg can lead the visiting Mavs to an upset win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Rest and travel are two huge factors that need to be taken into account before every game. Keep an eye on the NBA schedule for advantages in this regard. Additionally, one of the best NBA betting tips involves backing West Coast teams at home against East Coast teams. West Coast teams hosting an East Coast opponent have anywhere from a half-point to a full point additional edge than any other home court advantage.

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