The NBA has had a light schedule to start the week, and we have just two games to choose from on Tuesday. That said, they should be good ones.

We’ve officially made it to the knockout round of the NBA Cup, which means the stakes are slightly higher than for a regular NBA contest. The players are financially incentivized to continue winning, so expect the players to bring their A games.

Things get started with an Eastern Conference showdown between the Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic. After that, we’ll head out west for a matchup between the Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder. Those are four strong squads, so the quality makes up for the lack of quantity on Tuesday night.

Tonight's Best Bets For The NBA

Before we dive into my NBA best bets for Tuesday's two-game slate, I want to make sure to call out our various NBA tools that will guide us through these slates:

• NBA player projections - In addition to baseline stat projections, our NBA player projections include minutes projections, a key data point when evaluating player props.
   
• NBA Player Prop Finder - I don't place a single bet without confirming I have the best price, and I suggest you do the same.

We've also got all the NBA betting odds organized in an easy-to-digest table and NBA futures odds for those of you forecasting the season from a macro level.

Finally, I'll have all my free NBA bets, even if there isn't a standalone article, logged in our bet tracker.

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Orlando Magic Bet

Milwaukee Bucks (-6.5) vs. Orlando Magic (-114; FanDuel)

• Bet to: Bucks -7.0 (-110)

The Bucks got off to a horrid start this season, but things are looking up in Milwaukee. For starters, they’re back over .500 after rattling off 10 wins in their past 13 games. That’s pushed them up to the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference standings, which would give them a guaranteed postseason spot if the season ended today. Milwaukee still hasn’t been a dominant team over that time frame, but they’re eighth in Net Rating (+5.6).

The most encouraging development is the return of Khris Middleton to the lineup. Middleton has been limited to 21.5 minutes over his first two games, and he’s had to shake off some rust in those contests. However, this is undoubtedly a better team when Middleton is available. When he shared the court with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard last season, the team posted a +17.0 Net Rating across nearly 758 minutes. That’s the best Net Rating for any of Milwaukee’s 20 most common three-man units last year.

Things aren’t nearly as rosy for the Magic from an injury standpoint. They were already playing without Paolo Banchero, and now they’ve lost Franz Wagner for an extended period. The Magic managed to survive in their first game without both players, beating the Suns by five points. However, that game was played in Orlando, and Phoenix is currently without Kevin Durant. The Suns aren’t nearly as threatening without Durant, so that win isn’t as good as it seems on paper.

Ultimately, I’m willing to lay the wood with the Bucks in this spot. They’re as healthy as they’ve been all season, and this team simply has way more talent than the Magic as things stand currently.

Best NBA Player Props For December 10

Tristan da Silva Under 7.5 points (+100; BetMGM)

• Play To: Under 7.5 (-120)

Da Silva moved into the starting lineup in place of Wagner in the Magic’s last outing, and he ultimately finished with eight points. That said, he still saw less than 20 minutes of action. Cole Anthony and Anthony Black are the more logical beneficiaries from the Wagner injury, so da Silva seems like a prime fade candidate vs. the Bucks. He’s gone under this figure in three of his past five outings, and barring an increase in minutes, I like his chances of doing so again.

Brook Lopez Under 9.5 points (-110; DraftKings)

• Play To: Under 9.5 (-125)

Lopez continues to impact games for the Bucks with his rim protection on defense, but he hasn’t provided much as a scorer of late. He’s had five points or fewer in four straight outings, and he’s topped out at six shot attempts during that stretch. Lopez also saw his role reduced in the team’s last outing, with Bobby Portis playing more minutes off the bench. Portis was brilliant on Sunday, so it’s possible he’s earned a bit more playing time moving forward. Regardless, under 9.5 points seems like a reasonable outcome.

Dereck Lively Over 7.5 rebounds (-128; FanDuel)

• Play To: Over 7.5 (-135)

Lively is a player with a wide range of outcomes on most nights. He’s started in each of his past 12 games, and he’s seen as many as 32 minutes and as few as 10.9 minutes in that stretch. However, the most likely outcome is him getting somewhere around 26-28 minutes, and if he gets to that mark, I like his chances of going over 7.5 boards. He’s played at least 26.5 minutes in six games this season, and he’s had more than 7.5 rebounds in five of them. Lively has hit that playing time threshold in two of his past three games, so he feels a bit underpriced in this market. You could also explore the double-double market with Lively if you’re looking for a bit of a better payout; his scoring prop also stands out as a solid target on this slate, so combining both together makes sense if you don’t mind some added risk.

NBA Bets for December 10th

To recap my NBA card for Tuesday, see below:

• Bucks -6.5 vs. Magic (-114; FanDuel) - Risk 1.14u
• Tristan da Silva Under 7.5 points (+100; BetMGM) - Risk 1u
• Brook Lopez Under 9.5 points (-110; DraftKings) - Risk 1.1u
• Dereck Lively Over 7.5 rebounds (-128; FanDuel) - Risk 1.28u

Total: Risk 4.52 units to win 4.0.

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