Tuesday November 25th Best NBA Betting Picks, Predictions

There are three games on Tuesday’s light NBA slate, all part of NBA Cup action.

The team with the longest losing streak in the Association is in action, as are two clubs hoping to save face for the second-largest city in the country.

Let’s take a look.

ATLANTA HAWKS AT WASHINGTON WIZARDS, 7 p.m.

Hapless Washington’s NBA Cup ain’t even half empty. The Wizards haven’t picked up a victory since the in-season tournament debuted in 2023 and tonight doesn’t seem like the beginning of the road to redemption.

The Wizards have lost 14 straight, two defeats shy of matching the franchise record. Coach Brian Keefe finds an improved pace and ball movement are morphing the team into “a group that’s actually getting better,” which seemed at least somewhat accurate until Washington squandered a fourth-quarter lead in Chicago on Saturday.

Now comes a visit from the Hawks and a surging Jalen Johnson, who fell two rebounds short of a triple-double against Charlotte on Sunday and is averaging 22.4 points, 9.6 boards and 7.0 assists.

Atlanta has won seven of nine and continues to be resilient – and reliant on Johnson – in the absence of Trae Young (sprained MCL).

Hawks -10.5 (-110 with BetMGM)

ORLANDO MAGIC AT PHILADELPHIA 76ERS, 8 p.m.

This East Group B matchup may feature nearly as much star power in street clothes or on minutes restrictions as on the court.

Orlando star Paolo Banchero (groin) could return soon but it won’t be tonight, while Philly’s Joel Embiid (right knee injury management) is questionable. The Sixers also are gradually reacclimating Paul George and Jared McCain to their rotation.

“I think who is in and out of the lineup is out of our control,” Philadelphia big man Andre Drummond said. “Let me start with that. And the guys who do play, we play to the best of our ability. We’re playing good teams. And you know it’s hard to find a rhythm when we are not knowing who we are playing with on a nightly basis.”

Drummond insisted that take was “still not an excuse” when he spoke after Sunday’s loss to Miami. Either way, the Heat’s height advantage was a difference-maker, which could bode well for a Magic frontcourt that includes Franz Wagner and Wendell Carter Jr., both 6-foot-10.

Wagner has registered 20-plus points 13 times this season. He’ll do it again tonight to boost Orlando in a close one.

Franz Wagner 20+ points and Orlando -115 (+110 with BetMGM as part of two-leg parlay)

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS AT LOS ANGELES LAKERS, 11 p.m.

This Battle of Los Angeles doubles as a tussle for the lead in West Group B, as both the Clippers and Lakers are 2-0 to start Cup play.

Two nights before Thanksgiving, the Clippers hope guard James Harden is more feast than famine. He’s shown both trends recently, connecting on 10-of-16 attempts from long range en route to 55 points at Charlotte on Saturday before going 0-for-8 from deep with just 19 points at Cleveland a night later.

The Clippers are 2-4 to start a seven-game road trip that concludes tonight. The Lakers, meanwhile, are beginning to click anew with LeBron James joining the fray Nov. 18 after a season-opening bout with sciatica.

Harden averages 25.4 points in his career against the Lakers, but that hasn’t always added up in the Clippers’ three-game series losing streak.

James Harden 25+ points and Lakers -225 (+210 with BetMGM as part of two-leg parlay)