NBA Best Bets Tonight: Predictions From the ‘Buckets’ Podcast (Monday, Dec. 4)

The NBA In-Season Tournament Quarterfinals tip off tonight, and our NBA betting experts are ready with seven best NBA bets and expert predictions for Monday, Dec. 4.

The Celtics face the Pacers at 7:30 p.m. ET before the Pelicans play the Kings at 10 p.m. ET, and our analysts have spread picks, player props, totals and team totals ready for you to tail. Find their best NBA bets and expert picks for Monday, Dec. 4 below.

By Joe Dellera

There is great variance in the In-Season Tournament because it is a single-elimination format in the knockout rounds. Boston's motivation in this spot on the road will be important, but the Celtics don't have to change the way they play to win this game and cover a 4.5-point spread.

If the game is close, I think we will see a lot of free throws near the end of the game. This doesn't concern me because Boston is objectively the better team in this matchup. As Tyrese Haliburton goes, so do the Pacers, so if he is limited at all, I like this spot for the Celtics.

By Jim Turvey

Of course, I am weary to bet an under with the Pacers this season. They have a historically strong offense and a historically poor defense. The Celtics beat the Pacers earlier this season by scoring 150 points in a rout, but that shouldn't happen again.

The Celtics offense has cooled off over the past few weeks, and they match up well defensively against the Pacers. Boston should keep Haliburton and company in check, and I'd bet this under at 241 or better.

By Jim Turvey

As mentioned, I think the Pacers will have a difficult time scoring against this Celtics defense, even without Kristaps Porzingis. Furthermore, Haliburton has a respiratory illness and is questionable to play tonight.

By Joe Dellera

Indiana has one of the lowest Rebounding Rates in the NBA. The Pacers obviously play at a lightning pace and will try to run the Celtics off the floor.

I expect the starters to play a little more in these games, even though we don't exactly know how to gauge these games because we have never had this tournament before. Porzingis is still out, so I like Jrue Holiday to go over this number.

By Jim Turvey

This is not a fade of the Kings as much as it is a bet on the Pelicans, who have been playing well as of late when fully healthy. They have a deep 10-man rotation that gives them a variety of paths to victory.

I am a huge fan of Trey Murphy III and all of the young guys on this roster who fill in off the bench.

By Matt Moore

I have this game at Kings -1 in my model, so I am taking the free points with the Pelicans. Unfortunately, the Pels have struggled on the road this season as they are 3-6 straight up and 3-5-1 against the spread. In some of these road games, they should have won outright but ran into a few teams who were running hot at the time.

This game is an even matchup for New Orleans. I like the defensive lineup they have to cover De'Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter and Domantas Sabonis. They will dominate the minutes with Fox off the floor and should easily win this game, so I will also sprinkle the moneyline.

By Joe Dellera

Jonas Valanciunas' history against Sabonis has been dynamite. Over the last couple of seasons, Valanciunas has two double-doubles against Sabonis, and in his last nine games against Sabonis, he has had eight double-doubles.

The Kings have to keep him on the floor to stick with Sabonis on defense, so I like this head-to-head matchup for Valanciunas to record a double-double at +135 on FanDuel.

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