Warriors at Suns: NBA Predictions & Best Bets

It was an ignominious start to the season for the Phoenix Suns. Phoenix failed to score in the first six minutes of its season opener against the Portland Trail Blazers, falling behind 21-0 en route to a 41-point defeat. That led to a laughably easy cover per the NBA betting lines for the Trail Blazers, and only Toronto had a bigger win in the NBA schedule on Wednesday night.

Will Phoenix bounce back with a win over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night? Keep reading to find out our NBA predictions regarding the best NBA bets today. 

NBA Schedule Today

There are eight games on the NBA schedule for Saturday, October 24. The season started on Tuesday, so there is little to highlight in terms of the NBA standings, but there are a couple trends to note when it comes to NBA betting through two days of action. Home teams are 9-5 ATS and underdogs are 9-5 ATS. Keep reading our NBA predictions to see if these trends hold or if they are an aberration.

Today’s NBA Games and Tipoff Times

Charlotte Hornets vs. Miami Heat, 6 p.m. ET
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Brooklyn Nets, 7:30 p.m. ET
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Milwaukee Bucks, 7:30 p.m. ET
Chicago Bulls vs. Washington Wizards, 8 p.m. ET
Dallas Mavericks vs. San Antonio Spurs, 8 p.m. ET
Atlanta Hawks vs. Houston Rockets, 8:30 p.m. ET
Denver Nuggets vs. New Orleans Pelicans, 9 p.m. ET
Phoenix Suns vs. Golden State Warriors, 10 p.m. ET

Top NBA Matchups to Watch Today

It will be interesting to see how both the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns bounce back after suffering big losses in their season openers. Golden State traveled to take on the Los Angeles Lakers and lost by 22 points, while Portland turned its season opener with Phoenix into a laugher by starting with a 21-0 run and holding a 31-point lead at the end of the first quarter.

Elsewhere, two of the top young players in the game today will face off when Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs take on Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks. 

NBA Standings and Today’s Playoff Picture

There isn’t much to look at just yet in the NBA standings. However, the Phoenix Suns standings are dead last in the Western Conference after their season opening loss. They scored the fewest points of any team on the NBA schedule in their season opener, and that has also led to reduced expectations in terms of NBA predictions.

Eastern Conference Standings

The Toronto Raptors are currently atop the Eastern Conference after their 135-92 blowout win over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night. No other Eastern Conference team won by more than 12 points, so the point differential for the Raptors is striking this early in the season.

Western Conference Standings

Phoenix is currently in the cellar of the Western Conference, but there were a whopping six teams that lost their season openers by 12 points or more in the West. Utah, Golden State, and Sacramento all lost by 20+ points, and the Kings joined the Suns in failing to score more than 100 points in their first game.

NBA Predictions for Today’s Games

The NBA predictions for the Phoenix Suns are already being recalibrated after their opening night loss. Phoenix was seen as a .500 team before the season started per the NBA betting futures, as the Suns had a projected win total of 40.5 games. Now, the Golden State Warriors are on tap Saturday thanks to the NBA schedule, but one of the best NBA bets today is on Phoenix to move to 1-1.

Predictions for Today’s Top Matchups

It’s going to be tough for an aging Golden State team to play games on back-to-back nights no matter where they are in the schedule. Stephen Curry is 38, Draymond Green is 36, and Al Horford is 40, so it’s very difficult to rely on those three veterans. The Warriors will host Memphis on Friday night before going on the road to face Phoenix the following night, and that turnaround in under 24 hours will be very tough for Golden State.

Potential Upsets to Watch

Don’t be surprised if Charlotte knocks off Miami on Saturday as well. Although the Heat are seen as one of the top teams in the East, it is going to take some time for Miami to work out the kinks with new additions Giannis Antetokounmpo, Klay Thompson, and Bobby Portis. Additionally, Miami will host Detroit on Friday night before traveling to Charlotte for the earliest tip off on Saturday.

Best NBA Bets Today

The best NBA bets today are going to be Charlotte and Phoenix. Both the Hornets and Suns are hosting teams traveling for the second game of back-to-backs, and one of the best NBA betting tips is to go against teams in that spot. That will likely be a constant theme when it comes to our NBA predictions throughout the season.

Best Spread and Moneyline Bets

There are currently no NBA betting lines for any of the games on Saturday, but the Hornets and Suns are likely to be short favorites.

NBA Totals and Over/Under Bets

We have seen an uptick in totals as the lowest closing line for an over/under through the first two days of games has been 223.5 points. There have been seven Overs and seven Unders through the first 14 games, so it appears that this adjustment was astute.

NBA Picks and Parlays Today

It can be profitable to bet NBA picks and parlays if you know what you are doing as a bettor. There are tons of opportunities for NBA betting throughout the season as we will have games every day for the next several months, so stay tuned for more NBA predictions. 

NBA Picks for Today

The best NBA bets today are Charlotte and Phoenix. Both the Hornets and Suns are hosting opponents playing the second game of a back-to-back on the road, and the Suns will also have a rest advantage.

NBA Parlay Ideas

Fading teams playing the second game in back-to-back nights on the road is usually a sound bet when it comes to making an NBA parlay. Some teams will simply rest their stars in this scenario, so it’s important to keep a sharp eye on roster news and injury updates.

NBA Betting Tips for Today’s Games

There aren’t many updates to report with the NBA standings. However, later in the year, the standings will lead to certain teams tanking for a better potential draft slot, so one of the other best NBA betting tips involves identifying which teams might start tanking early in the season. This will play a significant role in NBA predictions and NBA betting opportunities as early as December.

Injuries, Rest and Back-to-Back Games

Since the season just started, there are few injuries of note and rest isn’t a major issue yet for any particular team.

Home Court, Recent Form and Matchup Trends

We will have more to report in this area once we have significant data from more games being played.

What Channel Is the NBA Game on Tonight?

There are eight games on the NBA schedule for tonight. If you are wondering, what channel is the NBA game on tonight, then it can be conducive to buy the NBA League Pass package to not miss a game. That will help you be more informed when making NBA predictions.

NBA TV Schedule Tonight

The Philadelphia 76ers will host the Milwaukee Bucks at 7:30 p.m. ET in the first game of an NBA TV doubleheader, followed by the last game of the night featuring the Phoenix Suns hosting the Golden State Warriors at 10 p.m. ET.

How to Watch and Stream NBA Games

NBA TV will broadcast two games tonight, while the other six games will be available on either NBA League Pass or local television networks.

Player Matchups and Props to Watch

One of the most important things you can do to inform your NBA betting this early in the season is to filter out the noise as much as possible. There will be plenty of overreactions to early season performances, and a deep dive can help you make the best NBA predictions.

Star Player Matchups

Steph Curry and Devin Booker can both fill a stat sheet with their scoring, and these players will have two of the highest player point totals on Saturday.

Player Prop Betting Angles

Don’t overreact to strong performances in the season opener. Ty Jerome scored 45 points for Memphis in the Grizzlies’ season opening win against Utah, so he is certain to see a significant increase in bettors playing the Over on his player props. Jerome has had the most success of his eight-year career in Memphis, but he has never averaged more than 20 PPG. 

NBA 2K26 and Today’s NBA Matchups

Some younger bettors are using NBA 2k26 as a way to model upcoming games in the NBA schedule. This won’t have an affect on the NBA standings, but it will be interesting to see the predictive nature of this trend.

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