Best NBA Betting Lines – November 27

With Thanksgiving in the rearview mirror, we’ve been blessed with a few early holiday presents on the NBA calendar this evening such as Suns/Nets and Heat/Bulls. There are a few lumps of coal on the slate as well, but a handful of decent plays are there for the taking even in the less… intriguing matchups.

Phoenix Suns at Brooklyn Nets

Best Bet: Over 220.5/-109 (BetRivers)

In what could be an early-season NBA Finals preview, expect a lot of fireworks during tonight’s showdown between the Brooklyn Nets and the visiting Phoenix Suns. According to the year-long trends/numbers, this one seems all but destined for the under. But these two teams have been scorching hot lately, and it’s hard to ignore how they’ve been lighting up scoreboards across the Association.

The defense is still a work in progress, but this Brooklyn offense that has scored at least 115 points in six of their last eight games is exactly what many expected heading into the season. Steve Nash appears to have figured out the key to unlocking his team’s offensive potential, and the results have been beneficial to bettors: The over/under totals during Brooklyn’s current four-game winning streak were cleared by an average of 12.8 PPG.

The story is pretty much the same for the Suns who, prior to last night’s 21-point win over the New York Knicks, had bested the O/U total in their previous three games by an average of 15 PPG. Phoenix is a virtual lock to put up 100 every single night, and they’ll need every point they can get in order to knock off a Nets’ squad that’s coming off of two days rest.

Charlotte Hornets at Houston Rockets

Best Bets: Under 222.5/-110 (BetMGM); Hornets Moneyline -208 (Caesars)

Charlotte has been one of the biggest surprises in the league this season, thanks to an offensive attack that has averaged 112 PPG heading into the weekend. However, like most teams, the story is a bit different once they get on a plane: The Hornets’ scoring average drops by four points per game away from the Spectrum Center. 

It may not seem significant on the surface, but four points is essentially what separates the 9th-best offense in the league (Brooklyn) from the 22nd-best (Washington). And that difference is one of the main causes why the under has hit in seven of Charlotte’s twelve road games this season.

Kudos to the Houston Rockets, who won their first basketball game in more than a month earlier this week. After their 118-113 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, streamers rained down from the upper reaches from the Toyota Center. 

We could ultimately look back on that game as the moment the Rockets turned their season around, or it could just be an outlier of a largely disappointing season. Even factoring in Wednesday’s win, Houston has broken the century-mark in scoring just twice in their past seven outings.

The reason for the exceptionally high over/under total appears to be the fact that both the Hornets and the Rockets rank among the bottom five in points allowed per game. But with Charlotte struggling to score on the road, and with Houston having issues regardless of where they play, it’s hard to figure out where the baskets will be coming from in this one.

Washington Wizards at Dallas Mavericks 

Best Bet: Mavericks -6/-110 (WynnBet)

After losing four of their five games prior to the Thanksgiving holiday – including a 25-point blowout at the hands of the New Orleans Pelicans – the Washington Wizards are showing signs of mortality after a blistering hot start. Heading into Friday, Washington was 1-4 in their last five games overall, and the under is 9-2 in their last 11 contests.

Dallas – coming into tonight with the rare gift of three days off – hit a bit of a rough patch themselves before getting back on track with a 112-104 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday. Saturday’s date with the Wizards will be Luka Doncic’s second game back after missing a week with knee and ankle injuries.

Doncic didn’t appear to have any ill effects from the time off, putting up 26/9/9 in his return. With all due respect to Bradley Beal and Spencer Dinwiddie, Washington’s starting backcourt isn’t exactly known for its lockdown defense, so Doncic and Tim Hardaway Jr. could fill up the box score this evening.