Best NBA Bets Today: Picks & Player Props for Wednesday, October 22

Expert NBA betting picks for Wednesday's 12-game slate. Get best bets on spreads, totals & player props including Hornets -4.5, Heat +8.5, Sam Hauser threes & Cade Cunningham PRA.
Best NBA Bets Today: Picks & Player Props for Wednesday, October 22
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Best NBA Bets Tonight

Charlotte Hornets to cover -4.5 points (-110) vs. Brooklyn Nets

Bet365, 9:42 AM CT

Alex Barutha: Consider me all-in on the Hornets this season (when they're playing a team like the Nets). Brooklyn is expected to be one of the worst teams in the NBA, being led by two ball-dominant scorers in Michael Porter Jr. and Cam Thomas, who aren't that interested in playing defense. There are some other competent players on this roster (Nic Claxton, Terance Mann), but we're scraping the bottom of the barrel if we mention anyone else. Meanwhile, the Hornets have an All-Star-level player in LaMelo Ball, plus a more encouraging top 5-6 players. Plus, Charlotte is at home and motivated to win this season. Brooklyn is not.

Miami Heat to cover +8.5 points (-110) at Orlando Magic

Fanatics, 9:54 AM CT

Alex Barutha: I love Orlando. I'm not that high on Miami. I also think this number is too big, and I'm riding with the Heat. Both of these teams are defensive-focused, grind-it-out squads, reflected in the 214.5 over/under. Winning a low-scoring game by nine points against the Erik Spoelstra-led Heat is a lot to ask of a team in Orlando that is not elite -- very good; not elite.

Toronto Raptors at Atlanta Hawks under 236.5 points (-105)

Caesars, 9:59 AM CT

Alex Barutha: I don't think either of these teams want to be playing games in the mid-230s. Toronto is a defense-first squad that I expect to get jammed up on offense at times. The Hawks obviously have immense firepower, but they also have a handful of nice defensive pieces, including Dyson Daniels, Kristaps Porzingis, Onyeka Okongwu, Jalen Johnson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

New Orleans Pelicans to cover +4.5 points (-110) at Memphis Grizzlies

Bet365, 10:03 AM CT

Alex Barutha: I don't see why a healthy Pelicans team shouldn't be better than the current version of the Grizzlies, who are dealing with notable injuries to Zach Edey, Scotty Pippen, Ty Jerome, Vince Williams and Brandon Clarke. Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. also got very little run-up before the season since they were recovering from their own injuries. New Orleans has more overall talent and should be more prepared tonight.

Detroit Pistons to cover -2.5 points (-110) at Chicago Bulls

Caesars, 10:06 AM CT

Alex Barutha: I'm a believer in the Bulls this season, but not necessarily without Coby White, and not going up against a Pistons team that should be in Tier 2 of the Eastern Conference. My biggest concern on an Xs and Os level is Josh Giddey potentially being guarded by Ausar Thompson. That alone may be enough to blow up Chicago's offensive gameplan. Detroit is missing Jaden Ivey for a month and lost some important pieces over the summer, but I'm not ready to write them off -- at least not in this matchup.

Kings-Suns U229.5

DraftKings, 1:25 CT

Nick Whalen: The Kings will be without Domantas Sabonis, while Phoenix is down Jalen Green, so both sides will be without some firepower, offensively. This should be a big spot for the likes of Devin Booker, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, but the Suns, in particular, don't have much in terms of reliable secondary options. With Green out, shooting will likely be an issue for the Suns.

Clippers -9.5 at Jazz

DraftKings, 1:25 CT

Nick Whalen: I'm more than willing to listen to any longer-term concerns about the Clippers, but when this team is fully healthy, it's among the best rosters in the NBA. That's the case to begin the season, as the Clips will roll out James Harden, Bradley Beal, Kawhi Leonard, John Collins and Ivica Zubac as a new-look starting five. Part of this, of course, is a fade of the Jazz, who have some interesting young pieces but will once again be among the worst teams in the NBA.

Sam Hauser O2.5 made threes

DraftKings, 1:25 CT

Nick Whalen: The Celtics, of course, led the NBA in three-point attempts last season and showed no signs of slowing down during the preseason. Without Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday and Al Horford, I expect the Celtics to lean even more heavily into the three-ball this season, beginning with this matchup against the Sixers. With Jaylen Brown questionable, Hauser could see an increased role, but either way, he'll be a mainstay in the bench rotation. When Hauser saw between 20 and 29 minutes last season (38 games), he averaged 2.6 made threes per game (23.7 MPG).

Cade Cunningham O42.5 PTS+REB+AST

DraftKings, 1:25 CT

Nick Whalen: The Pistons open up with a matchup against the Bulls, one of the fastest-paced teams in the NBA last season. The Bulls made virtually no meaningful changes this offseason and should again be a plus matchup for prop betting purposes. With no Jaden Ivey to begin the season, I expect Cunningham to come out aggressively right away. Over his final 20 games last season (including playoffs), Cunningham averaged 28.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game. 

OG Anunoby over 16.5 points (+100)

BetRivers, 2pm EST

Ken Crites: This is based mostly on the news that Karl-Anthony Towns will probably NOT play in tonight's season opener at home versus Cleveland. That leaves lots of shots available for OG. The O/U is also a nice 226.5. Anunoby averaged 18.0 points per contest last season, so 16.5 seems relatively attainable. The K-Train is 51-43 over the past 2+ seasons, so feel free to fade!

ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Alex is RotoWire's Chief NBA Editor. He writes articles about daily fantasy, year-long fantasy and sports betting. You can hear him on the RotoWire NBA Podcast, Sirius XM, VSiN and other platforms. He firmly believes Robert Covington is the most underrated fantasy player of the past decade.
An early RotoWire contributor from the 90's, K-Train returns with the grace of Gheorghe Muresan and the wisdom of Joe Gibbs. Ken is a two-time FSWA award winner and a co-host on the RW NBA Podcast. Championships incude: 2016 RW Staff NBA Keeper, 2019 RW Staff NFL Ottoneu Keeper, 2022-23 SiriusXM NBA Experts, 2022-23 SiriusXM NBA Kamla Keeper and 2023-24 FSGA NBA Expert Champions. Ken still owns a RotoNews shirt.
Now in his 10th year with the company, Nick is RotoWire's Senior Media Analyst, a position he took on after several years as the Head of Basketball Content. A multi-time FSGA and FSWA award winner, Nick co-hosts RotoWire's flagship show on Sirius XM Fantasy alongside Jeff Erickson, as well as The RotoWire NBA Show on Sirius XM NBA with Alex Barutha. He also co-hosts RotoWire's Football and Basketball podcasts. You can catch Nick's NBA and NFL analysis on VSiN and DraftKings, as well as RotoWire's various social and video channels. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @wha1en.
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