NBA Sunday Best Bets: November 9th's Top Betting Picks & Predictions

By volume, today marks the lightest among the five November Sundays in the NBA, with seven games.

The other Sundays this month each feature eight-game slates, but this one is nothing to yawn at.

Both Finals qualifiers suit up amid a battle for New York and an interconference matinee pitting title hopefuls Houston and Milwaukee. Our Best Bets for the day, much like the schedule, start in Milwaukee.

HOUSTON ROCKETS AT MILWAUKEE BUCKS

Giannis Antetokounmpo of Milwaukee and Houston’s Alperen Sengun both flirted with triple-doubles on Friday.

The play of their new running mates, though, helped determine why Milwaukee defeated visiting Chicago and Houston lost at San Antonio.

Myles Turner had 23 points and eight boards in the best showing of his brief time as a Buck. While Kevin Durant scored 24 points for Houston, he also committed eight turnovers.

“I’ve got to be more patient,” Durant said. “Make stronger passes and better reads.”

The Rockets (122.9 points a game) and Bucks (120.6) both rank in the top six in the league in scoring, so this matinee could hinge on clutch defensive play.

Collective firepower between Milwaukee and Houston makes the scoreboard sizzle, but the Bucks’ quicker cohesion — plus an invested home crowd not battling distraction from a Green Bay Packers game day — gives them the edge.

Pick: Bucks +4 (-112 with FanDuel)

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER AT MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES

Oklahoma City opened its run to last season’s NBA title with a first-round sweep of the Grizzlies, beginning with a 51-point runaway in Game 1.

Although the margins of victory dwindled after that, things continually came up Thunder, mirroring a recent trend in the teams’ regular-season tangles.

OKC enters on a nine-game series winning streak, including three straight victories at FedEx Forum. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 and 41 points, respectively, in the regular-season games played in Memphis last season.

Seeing more of the same seems likely here. Through 10 games, Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 33 points on 52.3% shooting and has scored at least 30 points in the first three games of the Thunder’s four-game road trip.

The Grizzlies stopped a four-game losing streak Friday as veteran Ja Morant and rookie Cedric Coward both scored 21 points, but that came against slumping Dallas. Tonight’s foe reigns as defending champs, and they clearly have picked up where they left off.

Pick: Thunder -10.5 (-110 with FanDuel)

DETROIT PISTONS AT PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

He’s Cade, who saw and conquered.

While Detroit’s five-game winning streak has offered its moments from other players, it largely has been a showcase for standout guard Cade Cunningham, who is averaging 29.8 points and 11.2 assists per game during the tear.

Only three players leaguewide average at least 25 points, nine assists, and four rebounds this season. Cunningham is one of them, and while his career output against Philly may not be as lofty — 18.8 points, 5.5 assists, 5 rebounds — it’s still quite good.

The Sixers are aiming to sweep a back-to-back after losing successive road games in Chicago and Cleveland on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid combined for 60 points against Toronto on Saturday, but expecting a similar output from Embiid tonight isn’t automatic considering his left-knee injury management.

A rested Cunningham keeps the Pistons churning in a high-scoring affair.

Pick: Over 232.5 total points and Cade Cunningham over 38.5 points and assists — two-leg parlay (+192 with FanDuel)