Top NBA Betting Picks of the Week – December 10th Edition

The Milwaukee Bucks picked up a signature win over the Toronto Raptors this past weekend — but the Bucks still sit 2 ½ games behind Toronto in the East, tied with Philadelphia. The hottest team in the East is Boston, winners of five in a row, while the Knicks and Celtics are both trending downward with four-game losing streaks. In the Western Conference, the Phoenix Suns look like the first candidate in the Tanking Sweepstakes, losers of eight straight and owners of a 4-22 record to start the season. LeBron James has led the Lakers into the fifth spot in the West, as L.A. has won seven of their last ten. Luka Doncic continues to surprise observers in Dallas, as the Mavericks have won seven of ten. However, that 2-9 road record needs to improve for the Mavericks to rise significantly above .500. As we look to the week ahead, here are three primo NBA betting picks from the Association.

Top NBA Betting Picks of the Week – December 10th Edition

Look who’s back on top … the @warriors are No. 1 in Week 9’s NBA Power Rankings 📈 pic.twitter.com/tdkxZt5F5b

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 10, 2018

Monday, December 10

Orlando at Dallas (8:30pm ET)

The Orlando Magic have dropped two in a row, losing at home to Denver by six and then to Indiana by 22, the latter coming on Friday night. Orlando has had the weekend to ponder those outcomes as they head to Dallas to take on the Mavericks. In the loss to the Pacers, the Magic did get double-doubles from Nikola Vucevic (22 points, 10 boards) and Aaron Gordon (20 points, 14 boards), and they also got 11 points from Terrence Ross. However, their defense was not particularly stout, as they let the Pacers shoot over 50 percent for most of the game. Coach Steve Clifford also criticized the shot selection that the Magic used, as they would hoist up jumpers instead of penetrating to the rim. They visit a Mavericks team that rebounded nicely from a 26-point loss at New Orleans back on Wednesday to put together a terrific comeback win over Houston on Saturday afternoon. In that game, Luka Doncic scored the last 11 points of the contest to turn an eight-point deficit into a three-point win. The Mavericks have won nine straight at home — and they’re still playing well even with starting point guard Dennis Smith Jr. (wrist) missing games day-to-day. Wesley Matthews added 21 for the Mavericks, along with 14 points from Jalen Brunson. As well as the Mavericks are playing at home, it’s hard to see them hitting a letdown against Orlando. NBA Betting Prediction: Dallas 108, Orlando 97

Tuesday, December 11

Toronto at L.A. Clippers (10:30pm ET, NBA TV)

The Toronto Raptors lead the Eastern Conference with a 21-7 record despite a 104-99 setback against Milwaukee on Sunday. Kawhi Leonard put up 20 points for Toronto, and Serge Ibaka had 22, but this was still the second time Toronto has lost back-to-back games. They had also lost in Brooklyn on Friday to a Nets team well down the standings. Fred VanVleet added 19 points, and Pascal Siakam chipped in 17. A key problem for the Raptors was getting stops at crucial moments, as well as a scoreless night for Kyle Lowry, his first in almost six years. Now Toronto heads west to face the Clippers, who are fourth in the West but who have lost two straight, falling by 10 in Memphis on Wednesday and then by 22 at home to Miami on Saturday. They head to Phoenix on Monday before returning home to take on Toronto on Tuesday night. In that loss to the Heat, Dwyane Wade did go off for 25 points, but the Clippers also failed to protect the rim, as Kelly Olynyk put up 15 points and 10 boards. However, the Clippers have still won 10 of 13. Can they rebound against the Raptors? NBA Betting Prediction: Los Angeles 111, Toronto 108 Wednesday, December 12 Portland at Memphis (8:00pm ET) Portland rebounded from a loss in Dallas last week by routing the Suns by 22 and then beating the Minnesota Timberwolves by eight on Saturday. In that win over Minnesota, Damian Lillard had 28 points and eight assists, while C.J. McCollum put up 19 points — and both of them nailed a three in the last minute to cement the victory. Jusuf Nurkic had a season-high 22 points to go along with 11 boards. When Lillard and McCollum are hitting their shots, it’s hard to keep up with Portland, even if their inside game is a little on the weak side. The Trail Blazers visit a Memphis team that is just a half-game ahead of them in the standings. Memphis had picked up impressive wins at home over the Clippers and then down in New Orleans before getting embarrassed at home by the Lakers on Saturday. Both teams were coming on for the second half of a back-to-back, but the Grizzlies had much less energy, as the Lakers almost got more offensive boards out of Tyson Chandler (10) than Memphis had as a team (11). Memphis needs to recharge and show more effort against the Trail Blazers if they want to win. NBA Betting Prediction: Memphis 104, Los Angeles 101