Best NBA Preseason Bets for Friday, October 17: Top Picks and Predictions

The start of the 2025-26 NBA season is almost here, but not quite. We have one more day of NBA preseason action to enjoy with eight games on the schedule. Betting on these games can be a challenge, but that’s what we are here for; to help you make the tough decisions.

That is why we’ve come up with the following, our Best NBA Preseason Bets list for Friday, Oct. 17 (odds via DraftKings).

Denver Nuggets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

Denver dropped its preseason opener to Minnesota, 126-116. But has since rattled off three straight wins: 112-108 vs. Toronto, 102-94 vs. LA Clippers, and 124-117 vs. Chicago. But OKC’s preseason has been a bit more up and down, winning three games, including their last one (116-112 over Milwaukee), but dropping two (vs. Dallas and Indiana).

Oklahoma City opens the season at home against an excellent Houston Rockets team on Tuesday. They will want to be ready to take on the Rockets. So, don’t count on any starters, i.e., Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, to play for long.

Denver doesn’t play until Thursday, so they may give the starters a little more time. But don’t count on it.

Our Pick: UNDER 229.5

These are two of the best teams in the NBA. They don’t have anything to prove and will be more interested in making sure the ‘A’ team is ready to go for their respective openers. Neither team has been blowing people out in preseason play and will likely not do so here.

Indiana Pacers vs. San Antonio Spurs

Both teams have played well in the preseason. Indiana is 2-1 with wins over Minnesota (135-134 in OT) and Oklahoma City (116-101) before dropping one to San Antonio on Monday, 124-108. The score was 69-66 at the half, but the Spurs controlled the second half and gradually pulled away.

As a team that has not had much success in recent years, finishing the preseason undefeated may have some importance to the Spurs. To that end, we may see the first team for roughly 20-25 minutes before clearing the bench.

Our Pick: San Antonio -5.5

After watching San Antonio’s bench dominate Indiana’s on Monday, I expect them to do so again tonight and seal the deal on the Spurs' undefeated preseason.

Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angeles Lakers

It has been a long preseason for both teams. Sacramento has gone winless, dropping games to Toronto, Portland, and the Clippers. The Lakers haven’t fared much better, going 1-4 with a win over Golden State on Sunday. They have since dropped games to Phoenix (113-104) and Dallas (121-94).

The Lakers are without LeBron and didn’t play many players against Dallas. Whether they’ll sit starters again or give them one last warm-up remains to be seen. As for the Kings, they will probably give their starters a good run as they continue to work on new head coach Doug Christie’s system.

Our Pick: UNDER 226.5

Neither team has looked good in the preseason, and there is no reason to think that will change for this game as both teams start thinking more about the regular season. The primary focus for both teams in this game will likely be to avoid losing anyone to an injury.