The 2024-25 NBA season is underway. Be sure to check out the fantastic work of Jonathan Von Tobel, who will be writing NBA deep dive features for us twice a week this year. And try listening to “A Numbers Game” every morning as Kelley Bydlon often dishes out his favorite NBA picks. But I’ll be posting the best NBA bets and player props here as often as possible, as well as occasional posts on major news shaking up the league. So be sure to check out my work throughout the season. With that out of the way, let’s dive into some of the best NBA bets and NBA player props for Wednesday, December 4th. Also, be sure to check out the tips page (linked to the bottom right) before the games begin. I occasionally add picks throughout the day.

MORE: Check out our Pro Picks page for everything our experts have to offer on December 4th

NBA Best Bets Today – December 4th

Atlanta Hawks at Milwaukee Bucks – 8:00 p.m. ET

The Bucks earned a 128-107 victory over the Pistons last night. While this game was a blast, Milwaukee didn’t let up because of the implications for the NBA Cup. Damian Lillard and Brook Lopez both played at least 32 minutes, and Giannis Antetokounmpo did his best in his 28 minutes. With that in mind, I think this is a potential fatigue point for Milwaukee. But at least it’s a small disappointment. Last night’s game was extremely important for the players, but this game is just another regular season game. Meanwhile, Atlanta is riding a four-game winning streak, and the team had an off day yesterday. The Hawks should be locked up here.

Atlanta is also an interesting matchup for Milwaukee. While there’s no way to shut down Antetokounmpo, it helps to have wingers like Jalen Johnson, Zaccharie Risacher and De’Andre Hunter around. He could be eliminated in this game. He threatens to do it every night. But Atlanta at least has players who will make him work, as well as Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu who will meet him at the rim. The Hawks will also put Dyson Daniels on a red-hot Lillard. Daniels’ size and activity should make it more difficult for Lillard.

None of this means the Hawks will completely crush the Bucks. However, Atlanta is capable of getting enough stops here and there to compete in a potential shootout. That’s probably the direction this game is headed. The Bucks are still a questionable defensive team, so containing Trae Young’s dribble penetration and keeping all Hawks shooters in check will be a challenge.

Milwaukee is also just 5-6 against the differential as a home favorite of 6 or less under Doc Rivers. The team is also 4-7 ATS when playing back-to-back games under him.

Bet: Hawks +4.5 (-115 – 1.5 units)

NBA Player Props Today – December 4th

Indiana Pacers at Brooklyn Nets – 7:30 p.m. ET

Myles Turner has failed to reach 24 combined points and rebounds in each of his last four games, but I’m still playing the over tonight with his point total at 23.5. The reason for this is that Brooklyn is 30th in the league in rebounding rate this season. This team really doesn’t do much on the boards and the team also ranks 27th in offensive rebound rate. However, Turner should be able to eliminate mistakes without having to try too hard. And on the other end of the floor, Turner should be able to knock down some 3s. Opponents are shooting 37.1% from deep against the Nets this year, the sixth-worst mark in the league. So Turner should look good against Brooklyn’s struggling defense, especially given the way Tyrese Haliburton has been shooting lately. The Nets will need to pay close attention to the All-Star guard, which means Turner should enjoy pick-and-pop situations.

Bet: Turner over 23.5 points + rebounds (-106 – 1.5 units)

Orlando Magic at Philadelphia 76ers – 7:30 p.m. ET

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is averaging 8.6 points per game this season and has scored at least nine points in each of his last four games. Well, that’s all I’m asking for tonight when I meet the Sixers. Caldwell-Pope shot the ball poorly to start the year, but in the last four games he was 17 of 31 from distance. Caldwell-Pope will now face a Philadelphia team that isn’t particularly good at defending shooting guards. There’s a good chance Caldwell-Pope sees a lot of Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain and Kyle Lowry tonight. All of these players can fall asleep off the ball, and Caldwell-Pope can shoot over all of them, too. Still, it seems like a no-brainer to bet on him scoring at least nine points again.

Bet: Caldwell-Pope over 8.5 points (-120)

Los Angeles Lakers at Miami Heat – 7:30 p.m. ET

The Lakers have given up the second-most 3s to opposing power forwards this season, and Haywood Highsmith is strangely the Heat’s starting guard. So I’m trying to knock out at least two 3s from Highsmith tonight. I won’t put much stock into it since Highsmith simply doesn’t play a big role in Miami’s offense. But he’s a 38.8% 3-point shooter, so he’ll knock down shots when he gets open looks. And Los Angeles has been missing out on a lot of clean looks lately, making the +200 a little too good to pass up. Highsmith has actually hit at least two 3s in two of his last three games. So it’s not like he hasn’t done that at all lately.

Bet: Highsmith Alt over 1.5 made 3 seconds (+200 – 0.5 units)

Parlays/Teasers/Late Added Games/In-Season Futures

Nothing yet.

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2024–25 NBA record: 93–84 (+5.34 units)