Best NBA Betting Lines November 20

Another nine games on deck in the NBA tonight… hopefully, we’ll see far more star power than we did last evening which saw players sitting out across the league. But regardless of who suits up, there’s plenty of opportunity on the board given the plethora of double-digit lines and high over/under totals in the NBA odds today. We’ve sorted through all of the numbers to give you our best bets for today’s action.

Houston Rockets at New York Knicks

Best Bet: Under 214.5 (WynnBet)

214.5 points is a massive total for these two teams, especially when you consider that neither the Houston Rockets nor the New York Knicks have scored more than 102 points in any of their last four games. 

Is this the night the dam finally breaks for the Rockets? Houston comes into tonight’s contest on a 13-game losing streak, and their Offensive Rating of 98.4 is the worst in the NBA. They’ve yet to win a game away from the Toyota Center this season, and shot just 35.6 percent from the floor in their previous outing, a 101-89 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.

New York has seen a marked improvement defensively over the past five games, but they’re still struggling to put the ball in the basket. They’re scoring 4.5 fewer points per game this month than they did in October, and are shooting a mere 42.9 percent from the field since the calendar turned to November. The Knicks may not be good enough to cover the number, but their defense should have the juice to keep a struggling Rockets’ offense in check.

Utah Jazz at Sacramento Kings

Best Bet: Under 223.5 (BetMGM)

This is another case of the over/under total coming in a bit too high, but the number is understandable on some level: Sacramento and Utah both rank in the top five in the NBA in points per game.

A deeper look into the stats adds some much needed context to the story. The Kings turn up the screws defensively at home, giving up 6.1 fewer points per game to opponents at home than on the road (106.8 vs. 112.9). That alone is the primary reason why the under has cashed five times in Sacramento’s six home games this season.

Utah has a top-five defense regardless of where they play, allowing just a shade over 102 PPG. The under has gone 5-10 in Jazz games this year, including 1-6 when they’ve been away from Vivint Arena. Small forward Royce O’Neale has blossomed into a high-level perimeter defender, and he figures to make life difficult for Harrison Barnes – and the rest of the Sacramento Kings – this evening.

Charlotte Hornets at Atlanta Hawks

BEST BET: HAWKS -6 (DRAFTKINGS)

Are the Charlotte Hornets good? It’s too soon to say, but they did put a couple of notches in their belt this past week with wins over the Golden State Warriors and Washington Wizards. They still have something to prove on the road, however, as they’ve dropped five of their last six games away from home.

Are the Atlanta Hawks good? Well, they have the best home record (6-1) in the league heading into the weekend, and (more importantly to those of you reading this) they’re also a pretty consistent 6-1 ATS in those same home games. So there’s that.

The Hawks come into the fourth game of their six-game homestand with two days rest, while the Hornets are fresh off hosting the Indiana Pacers last night. Charlotte is 0-3 in the tail end of back-to-backs this year, while Atlanta has won its last three home games by a total of 49 points. The stars are aligned for the Hawks in this one… take advantage.

Miami Heat at Washington Wizards

Best Bet: Over 207 (WynnBet)

Saturday’s showdown is a rematch from two nights ago when the Miami Heat defeated the visiting Wizards 112-97. This edition is taking place quite a few miles up I-95 in the nation’s capital, and it will also feature Spencer Dinwiddie, who sat out Thursday’s game for Washington due to rest.

That game came in a bit under the number but, given the circumstances, this one should surpass the 207 total. The over has hit six times in Miami’s nine road games this season in large part due to the Heat’s defense (or lack thereof). Jimmy Butler and Co. allow opponents to score nearly seven more points per game in road games, which bodes well for a Wizards team that averages an impressive 113.3 PPG at home.

The Washington Wizards have scored 100 points or more every time they’ve stepped on their home floor this year. With Miami playing its sixth road game in less than two weeks, that streak figures to continue for at least one more night.