Best NBA Futures Picks and Predictions: Bets for Knicks, Mavericks, and Thunder
What kind of performances can we expect from the New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks, and Oklahoma City Thunder down the stretch of the regular season? Follow along as our NBA betting expert, Nick Galaida, breaks down his three favorite NBA futures bets on the hardwood.
Following the All-Star break, every NBA team has between 21 and 25 games remaining on their regular season schedule, making this a perfect position for bettors to evaluate the futures market prior to the action picking back up on Thursday. Below, we have three teams worthy of a futures wager.
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NBA Futures – Post All-Star Break
- New York Knicks o43.5 wins
- Dallas Mavericks u45.5 wins
- Oklahoma City Thunder o38.5 wins
New York Knicks o43.5 wins (-135), DraftKings
Coming out of the All-Star break, the New York Knicks are 33-27, meaning that they only have to finish the regular season 11-11 to hit the over at this market number. On their remaining schedule, they have nine games against teams currently below the .500 mark. In 32 games against below .500 teams this year, New York is 21-11, essentially winning two out of every three contests. Assuming that the Knicks can win six of these nine games against inferior competition, they will need only five wins in 13 tries against some of the better teams they face down the stretch. Since December 31, New York is 15-9 and ranks 10th in the NBA in Net Rating. This includes a stretch of games without Mitchell Robinson, in which they have gone 8-6. If Robinson can return to the floor in the next couple of weeks, this wager becomes even more appealing. Expect head coach Tom Thibodeau to have this team locked-in for the next two months, and for the over to have a great opportunity to cash in this spot.
Dallas Mavericks u45.5 wins (-135), DraftKings
Playing the futures market often entails fading overreactions from the public, in this case fading the narrative that Kyrie Irving is going to turn the Dallas Mavericks into a title contender. In five games since Irving was acquired, the Mavericks rank 23rd in the NBA in defensive efficiency, allowing 119.1 points per 100 possessions. Dallas has a number of favorable matchups down the stretch against teams likely heading toward the draft lottery this summer, but the over on this market number implies that this team would win north of 55 games across an entire campaign – unlikely given the team’s lack of depth and inability to consistently get stops. Dallas’ best chance to prove us wrong here is to take advantage of a six-game homestand immediately following the All-Star break. If they fail to win at least four of those contests, they face an uphill battle to this number, with 10 of their 13 subsequent games on the road – where they are only 12-19 this year. The under makes a lot of sense here.
Oklahoma City Thunder o38.5 wins (-115), DraftKings
Since December 17, the Oklahoma City Thunder are 17-11 overall and own the fourth-best Net Rating in the entire league, having outscored their opponents by 5.2 points per 100 possessions. In that span, they have notable wins against the Grizzlies, Celtics, Mavericks, 76ers, Nets, Nuggets, and Cavaliers – proving that they have done more than take advantage of a soft stretch in their schedule. Across their last 28 games, this talented young team ranks sixth in offensive efficiency and ninth in defensive efficiency, establishing that they have multiple pathways to victory on a nightly basis. To eclipse this market number, Oklahoma City needs to finish the season 11-14 or better, something that is certainly attainable, especially with eight games remaining against the Jazz, Spurs, Hornets, Pistons, and Pacers. Take the over.
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