The NBA in-season tournament kicks off today and for even more action, Matt LaMarca is here with his NBA best bets for November 12:

It may feel like just a regular NBA Tuesday in November, with eight games to choose from. However, it’s officially an NBA Cup day! That gives these games just a little extra spice. The players are financially incentivized to win, so it’s a nice change of pace from the regular NBA schedule.

That said, there are a handful of key injuries going on currently. Damian Lillard, Jimmy Butler, Kevin Durant, and Trae Young have all been ruled out—just to name a few—so there are some opportunities to look for value.

Tonight's Best Bets For The NBA - Nov. 12, 2024

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

• NBA DFS projections - while the focus here is betting, our NBA DFS 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.

Magic vs. Hornets Best Bet

Charlotte Hornets +8.5 at Orlando Magic (-112; DraftKings)

• Bet to: Hornets +7.5 (-110)

Is it possible that the Hornets … aren’t that bad? It’s too early to know for sure, but the early results are promising. They’ve managed to win four of their first 10 games, and they’re 20th in the league in Net Rating (-2.8). That’s a far cry from last season when they were dead last with a -10.6 Net Rating and won just 21 games.

The team has their young duo of LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller both in the lineup, which they did not have very often last year. The three-man combo of Ball, Miller, and Grant Williams has actually outscored their opponents when sharing the court, so there are some things to get excited about with the Hornets.

Meanwhile, the Magic are in a rough spot from an injury perspective. They’re down both Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr., leaving them without two of their usual starters. They have managed to win two straight games, but those have come against the lowly Wizards and a really banged-up Pelicans squad. The team has a -1.5 Net Rating with both players off the court overall, so I don’t think they should be favored by nearly double-digits in this spot. I’ll take the points.

Suns vs. Jazz Best Bet

Utah Jazz +5.5 vs. Phoenix Suns (-110; BetMGM)

• Bet to: Jazz +5.5 (-115)

I don’t expect to be on the Jazz very often this season, but this is a spot that really stands out. They’re as healthy as they’ve been all season, with Keyonte George and Collin Sexton both expected to play, while the Suns are without Kevin Durant. Phoenix still has significantly more talent than the Jazz, but they’re not nearly the same team without KD. They lost by nine points to the Kings at home in their first contest without Durant, so asking them to win by six-plus in Utah might be a bit too much.

Best NBA Player Prop Bets For Nov. 12, 2024

Cody Williams Under 10.5 points + rebounds + assists (-115; BetMGM)

• Play To: Under 10.5 (-135)

Williams is expected to be a big part of the Jazz’s future, but the future is clearly not now. He’s coming off less than 17 minutes in his last outing, and he finished with zero points, one rebound, and one assist. He’s started each of the past six games for Utah, and he’s eclipsed 10.5 PRA in just two of them. His role will grow as the season progresses—especially if the team trades Lauri Markkanen—but fading him feels like the sharp move for the time being.

Simone Fontecchio Under 6.5 points (-117; Caesars)

• Play To: Under 5.5 (+100)

I don’t hate Fontecchio’s game, but he’s simply not getting a ton of opportunities for the Pistons at the moment. They have a crowded frontcourt, even if Jalen Duren is unable to go (currently questionable). Fontecchio played just 16.8 minutes sans Duren in his last contest, and he’s finished with five points or fewer in all four games with less than 18 minutes this season.

Luka Doncic Over 28.5 points (-131; Caesars)

• Play To: Over 28.5 (-145)

Betting unders on guys like Williams and Fontecchio may be profitable, but they’re probably not very “fun.” You know what’s fun? Betting on Luka to score at least 29 points vs. the Warriors. Doncic hasn’t had his best start to the year, shooting just 41.2% from the field and 33.3% from 3-point range. However, he’s still managed to get to 30 points in three of his past five contests. When his shooting numbers revert to his career norms, he’s a guy who should average more than 30 points per game, just like he’s done over the past two seasons. This is a nice buy-low opportunity.

Recapping My NBA Bets For November 12th

To recap my NBA card for Tuesday, see below:

• Hornets +8.5 at Magic (-112; DraftKings) - Risk 1.12u
• Jazz +5.5 vs. Suns (-110; BetMGM) - Risk 1.1u
• Cody Williams Under 10.5 points + rebounds + assists (-115; BetMGM) - Risk 1.15u
• Simone Fontecchio Under 6.5 points (-117; Caesars) - Risk 1.17u
• Luka Doncic Over 28.5 points (-131; Caesars) - Risk 1.31u

Total: Risk 5.85 units to win 5.0.

For more NBA edges to exploit, check out our NBA Parlay Builder!