The NBA regular season is back with another excellent slate on Wednesday night, with a total of 10 matchups on the docket scheduled for today, featuring a nationally televised doubleheader on ESPN, as Cavaliers vs. Celtics takes center stage at 7 p.m. ET, followed by Lakers vs. Timberwolves at 9:30 p.m. ET.
Our staff of basketball betting experts dug into the latest odds and identified a total of 8 NBA picks for tonight's matchups.
Continue below for our NBA picks, odds, props, and predictions for Wednesday, October 29.
NBA Picks, Odds, Props, Predictions: Wednesday, October 29
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 6:30 p.m. | |
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
  | 8 p.m. | |
  | 8:30 p.m. | |
  | 9 p.m. | |
  | 9:30 p.m. | |
  | 10 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NBA Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Cavaliers vs. Celtics
By Joe Dellera
The Cavaliers face off against the Celtics tonight, who are struggling to start the season with just a 1-3 record.
One player that has excelled against Boston is Donovan Mitchell.
Mitchell scored 35, 35, 31, and 41 points against the Celtics last season, and he has scored 30+ in 3/4 this season.
The Celtics are still playing at a slow pace; however, they are getting fried by top guards. Brunson (31), Edgecomb (34), Maxey (40), and Cade (25) have all put together strong scoring performances against Boston to start the season.
I expect Mitchell to put together a strong performance, especially with the Cavaliers being even more shorthanded without Sam Merrill.
Pick: Donovan Mitchell Over 27.5 Points (-110)
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Rockets vs. Raptors
Brandon Ingram's arrival was sure to change how Toronto's playmaking opportunities were distributed, and Barrett has seen one of the biggest declines so far.
After averaging 5.4 assists on 9.1 potential assists and 45.2 passes per game last season, Barrett is down to 3 assists on 4.8 potential assists and 39.8 passes per game this season.
If we make a small sample even smaller by chopping off the Atlanta game, in which the Raptors scored 138 points and piled up 36 assists, Barrett is down to 2 assists on 3.7 potential assists over the past three games.
Houston allowed the 3rd-fewest assists and the lowest assisted field goal rate last season. They've been middling this season but still have waves of talented defenders to throw at Toronto. It should be a challenging matchup.
Pick: RJ Barrett Under 3.5 Assists (-145)
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Hawks vs. Nets
By Jim Turvey
If you simply look at last season's stats, this is a good line for Claxton. However, there are a few factors that lead me to the under.
For one, the Nets have been all over the map when it comes to minutes.
Claxton has played 23, 31, 26, and 23 minutes, with blowouts and foul trouble both holding him back, and both of those are very much in play tonight against the Hawks.
The other big factor is Michael Porter Jr. MPJ is one of the better rebounding wings in the league, and when Claxton has shared the court with MPJ this season, his rebound rate has dropped by 1.3%.
There are simply more paths to an under than an over here, and this is one of the rare 7.5s left in the market.
Pick: Nic Claxton Under 7.5 Rebounds (-130)
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Kings vs. Bulls
Dosunmu keeps going over this number, and the market continues to not care too much.
This is an awesome spot against a terrible Kings defense that is on a road back-to-back after close loss in OKC.
Dosunmu is playing about 27 minutes per game, and he can really score in his current role off of the bench (20% usage rate).
He's gone over this number in all three games, and he's averaging 16.7 points per game so far.
Pick: Ayo Dosunmu Over 12.5 Points (-120)
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Pacers vs. Mavericks
Thompson might continue to start, but he's maxed out at 22 minutes this season.
D'Angelo Russell has emerged as the top guard off of the bench, averaging 29.5 minutes per game over the past two games.
Even with Dante Exum out and Ryan Nembhard getting largely removed from the rotation, Thompson seems to be stuck in the low-20s for minutes.
Indiana is basically out of guards, so Dallas could skew toward larger lineups tonight.
Leaning on forwards like Naji Marshall and Caleb Martin might make more sense in this matchup.
Indiana's defensive approach is remarkably consistent.
Regardless of personnel, their defense avoids switching and limits assist opportunities under head coach Rick Carlisle.
They allowed the 8th-fewest assists on the 3rd-lowest assisted field goal rate last season. They rank fifth and second in those metrics this season, respectively.
Pick: Klay Thompson Under 1.5 Assists (+140)
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Pelicans vs. Nuggets
By Bet Labs
This system identifies NBA teams that have struggled against the spread but are poised for short term correction after another poor showing.
When a team has been consistently failing to cover and comes off another game where they fell short of expectations, the betting market tends to overadjust, shading lines too heavily against them.
This creates value for disciplined bettors who recognize that spreads often move more on perception than true performance.
Teams in this range are typically being underestimated, especially as the season progresses beyond the early adjustment phase.
In these spots, motivation to respond is high, public sentiment is low, and pricing inefficiencies emerge that favor the side of teams the market has temporarily abandoned.
Pick: Pelicans +12.5 (-110)
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Lakers vs. Timberwolves
By Joe Dellera
Naz is kicking into gear in the past few games and is the primary beneficiary of extra usage without Anthony Edwards.
While I initially expected Randle or DDV to pick up the majority of the slack, Naz sees his Usage skyrocket from 11.8% to 25.6% without Ant on the floor.
His scoring also increases from 14.1 to 27.3 points per 100 possessions while DDV and Randle more or less remain static.
Naz is able to effectively stretch the floor, but also presents matchup problems for the defense with his size and ability to get to the rack.
We’ve seen this play out this season with Naz going over his points prop the last two games with 16 and 18, and then in the prior game against the Lakers this season, he was just 2/9 from the field. So, there was plenty of volume.
Pick: Naz Reid Over 13.5 Points (-103)
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Grizzlies vs. Suns
By Bet Labs
This system focuses on early season NBA matchups where a non-playoff team from the prior year faces a playoff opponent and is priced as an underdog or pick.
Public bettors tend to overrate teams with recent postseason success, assuming continuity and dominance carry over, while underrating teams that missed the playoffs despite offseason improvement or better early-season motivation.
The first few games of the year often reveal a lag in pricing, as oddsmakers and bettors rely too heavily on last season’s hierarchy.
By targeting these early mismatches, the system captures moments where pedigree creates inflated lines in favor of the playoff team, while the underdog benefits from freshness, motivation, and a desire to make an early statement against a respected opponent.
Pick: Suns Moneyline (+110)
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