The NBA grind continues tonight, and our Action Network staff has you covered from every angle. We've pooled our top analysis and broken down the board to bring you our favorite spreads, totals, and player props for today's slate.
Continue below for our NBA picks and predictions for Saturday, October 24.
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NBA Best Bets for Saturday, October 24
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 6 p.m. | |
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
  | 8 p.m. | |
  | 9 p.m. | |
  | 8:30 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. | ||
Heat vs. Hornets
I like Naz Reid over points & assists. The PRA — adding rebounds, of course — is at 28.5. I prefer the PA at 20.5 at -125 as opposed to the PRA at -130.
I think Reid will continue to get a ton of touches, and will still get plenty once Charlotte is whole, but without them — and as high as I remain on Brandon Miller — Reid's been the best player through two games.
I believed coming into the year that he's in line for his best statistical season, without another four ahead of him on the depth chart — finally — not to mention how Charles Lee's offensive system will highlight Reid's shooting, creativity, and playmaking.
Combined with how the Heat are inexplicably dropping on defense and playing fast just to play fast and not with any real purpose so far, Reid should be in for a solid night tonight.
Pick: Naz Reid Over 20.5 Points & Assists (-125)
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Bucks vs. 76ers
By Joe Dellera
I am backing Tyrese Maxey to go over 5.5 assists tonight. There is a non-zero chance that LeBron James sits this one out while Joel Embiid plays, and then we see them flip statuses tomorrow, with Embiid sitting out and LeBron stepping in.
This is a super soft matchup for Embiid, and we already know exactly how he operates: he likes to play in these softer games where he can dominate and skip the tougher, more physically demanding ones, like their matchup against Detroit tomorrow.
Either way, regardless of exactly how that star rotation shakes out, I think it fundamentally means we are going to see a lot more chances for Maxey to have the ball in his hands operating as the primary setup man.
When Maxey is running the show and initiating the offense, this assist number is simply too low.
Now, the obvious pushback here is the blowout risk, and I completely understand that hesitation when you look at the point spread. However, the historical data actually supports Maxey thriving as a distributor in these exact scenarios.
In games with double-digit spreads last season, Maxey still averaged a very healthy 6.7 assists per game.
If you dig into the logs, one of the rare times he actually missed this mark in a blowout was against the Bucks late in April. Quite frankly, those are just fake hoops at that point of the season, and I am throwing that outlier data out the window.
With his proven ability to rack up assists even in lopsided games, this should be a great spot for Maxey to clear the 5.5 number.
Pick: Tyrese Maxey Over 5.5 Assists (-135)
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Wizards vs. Bulls
By Bet Labs
This matchup aligns nicely with the "Road Comeback" Bet Labs system from Evan Abrams. This trend is specifically designed to capture value on road teams positioned for a strong bounce-back effort after a defeat.
The Wizards are opening their first extended road trip of the campaign, and we have already seen some wild variance from their top-end talent. They kicked off the year by putting on an offensive clinic in a 128-116 win over the Bucks, highlighted by Anthony Davis looking every bit the superstar with 34 points and 12 boards to spark early MVP chants from the home crowd.
However, AD fell flat in their subsequent 112-102 loss to the Raptors, finishing with just nine points on 3-of-12 shooting. Despite falling behind by 17 in the first half of that game, Washington showed real resilience, clawing back to make it a one-point game in the third quarter behind Trae Young’s 22-point, 12-assist double-double and a surprise 20 points from Tre Johnson.
Getting AD back into rhythm alongside Young’s elite playmaking will be essential tonight against a Chicago team that has experienced a bizarrely identical start.
The Bulls endured an embarrassing 135-92 blowout loss to Toronto on opening night before outlasting Milwaukee in a 132-125 shootout on Friday.
While Norman Powell paced them with 25 points and 20-year-old rookie Caleb Wilson broke out for 21 points, six boards, two blocks, and a steal, Chicago's defense remains prone to giving up massive runs.
The betting market frequently overreacts to recent poor outings, heavily discounting capable road squads right when they are primed to respond with higher urgency and sharper focus.
Because this is just the opening leg of a road swing, travel fatigue has not set in yet, allowing the Wizards to maintain their operational rhythm while shaking off their offensive clunker against Toronto.
With casual money almost always blindly fading road teams coming off a loss, the true value likely sits on the side with the superior top-end talent. Let's back the Wizards to rebound and take care of business on the road.
Pick: Wizards Moneyline (-116)
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Pelicans vs. Nuggets
By Joe Dellera
After taking a rough loss to the Thunder on opening night, the Nuggets are going to be desperate to right the ship on Saturday, and I expect Nikola Jokic to completely take over the glass.
The Pelicans are walking into this matchup at a significant situational disadvantage. Not only are they on the second leg of a back-to-back—meaning heavy legs against a motivated Denver squad—but their interior depth is suddenly in shambles.
Yves Missi exited their last contest with a lower-body injury, and if he is forced to sit, New Orleans is going to be wildly undersized down low. Even before that injury, this exact same frontcourt just surrendered 15 rebounds to Ivica Zubac.
Jokic is obviously an entirely different beast who knows exactly how to weaponize his frame and elite positioning to punish smaller lineups.
When you combine a fatigued Pelicans roster with a glaring lack of frontcourt bodies, the Joker is in an excellent spot to dominate the boards and cash this over.
Pick: Nikola Jokic Over 12.5 Rebounds (-120)
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Rockets vs. Hawks
By Bet Labs
This matchup aligns with our "Line vs. Public Unders, Early" Bet Labs system. We have seen this total get bet down from an opening number of 230.5 to 227.5, which is usually telling when you consider that roughly 90% of both the tickets and the money are blindly pounding the over.
When a line drops that significantly against such massive, one-sided public action, it is a glaring indicator of sharp money hammering the under.
Early in the NBA season, offensive chemistry is still limited and shooting rhythms are often uneven, which is usually where the best value in the totals market hides.
The betting public seems to be eagerly chasing yesterday's high-scoring box scores after Atlanta's absurd 128-81 blowout win over Charlotte and Houston's 128-110 opener. It is easy to look at those numbers—with the Hawks averaging 130 points and the Rockets 121 through two games—and project a fast-paced track meet.
However, those offensive explosions sit heavily on top of turnover-driven transition points in a remarkably small sample size, and Houston's Friday night game still only finished with 224 total points.
The situational spot also seems to point to a grinding slowdown. Houston is playing its second game in two nights, having to navigate a flight right after a late tip-off on Friday, and their three best players just logged heavy minutes.
Because of those tired legs, the Rockets have every incentive to slow the tempo down, execute a deliberate half-court offense, and force Atlanta to score against a set defense rather than in transition.
For historical context, last season's two matchups between these exact teams resulted in sluggish totals of just 190 and 212 points.
While there is always inherent risk fading two offenses that have started this hot, especially with guys like Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun who can score from anywhere, that huge gap between their current averages and tonight's implied 113-114 points per side is a clear signal to expect regression.
We will trust the system and the sharp line movement, and back this game to stay under the total.
Pick: Under 227.5 (-105)
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