PrizePicks NBA Prediction Today: Top Plays for October 25
Tuesday’s 2-game NBA DFS slate was fun, but tonight’s 12-gamer is the real prize. We’ve got you covered when it comes to the best plays for both traditional NBA DFS and pick’em formats.
As always, PrizePicks has a slew of squares already posted and ready for your perusal ahead of Wednesday’s massive NBA slate. If you’re new to the site, be sure to take advantage of our special PrizePicks promo code. With the code “GRINDERS,” you can claim a 100% match bonus on your first deposit of up to $100.
Remember, you can also keep tabs on the best PrizePicks picks of the day with our Pick’em Tool. We’re constantly updating this throughout the day in order to account for the latest news, but there’s still value to be found earlier in the afternoon, as well.
NBA PrizePicks Predictions Today
Below are a few of our favorite PrizePicks plays for the October 25th slate.
Derrick White More Than 2.5 Assists
The Celtics made a couple of splashy trades over the summer after their upset loss at the hands of the Heat in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals. In came Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, and out went Robert Williams, Malcolm Brogdon, and Marcus Smart. Boston’s roster certainly looks a little more menacing on paper than it did last season, though their depth will be tested, particularly in the backcourt.
Derrick White figures to be the oft-forgotten member of this All-Star starting unit, but he proved last season that he’s vital to the Celtics’ success. He’ll technically slot in as the starting 2 guard next to Holiday, though he should still have the ball in his hands plenty. Both guards are versatile enough to spend time at either backcourt spot.
White averaged 3.9 assists a season ago, and he hasn’t averaged less than 3 dimes per game in a season since his rookie year in San Antonio. His minutes were a bit shaky at times with Brogdon playing so well off the bench in 2022-23, but Payton Pritchard is the only true guard left in Boston’s group of reserves this season. It stands to reason that White will play more than the 28 minutes he averaged last year. We have him currently projected to log 33 tonight when the Celtics face the Knicks in NYC.
This is one of the lower-total games on the board, but Boston is only a 3.5-point favorite. Assuming we get a full allotment of minutes from White and the rest of the Celts’ regulars, the 2.5-assist number for White looks far too low.
Mitchell Robinson More Than 8.5 Rebounds
Let’s stay in the same game, shall we? The Knicks didn’t generate quite as many headlines as the Celtics did over the summer, but they are coming off their first playoff series win in the last decade. Most expect Tom Thibodeau’s squad to finish right in the middle of the Eastern Conference playoff picture once again, and they’ll have a chance to make a statement on opening night at home against Boston.
Mitchell Robinson is hardly a household name, but he has developed into a solid starting center. The big man averaged career-highs in both minutes (26.9) and rebounds (9.4) a season ago despite the fact that Isaiah Hartenstein was a constant threat to steal playing time off the bench.
Thibs liked to ride the hot hand at center, so Robinson’s minutes weren’t all that consistent. Still, he’s one of the best rebounders in the sport. His 19.5% rebound rate last season would’ve ranked tied for fourth in the league had he played enough games to qualify for the leaderboard. Robinson only played twice against the Celtics last season, but he averaged a whopping 13.5 boards across those contests.
Could he have his season opener ruined by foul trouble? That’s always a possibility with someone as handsy as Robinson tends to be, but there’s plenty of merit to taking a shot on the Knicks’ starting center to grab more than 8.5 rebounds in this one.
Dennis Schroder More Than 19.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists
Dennis Schroder spent last season in LA, but he’s set to enter the new season as the Raptors’ replacement for Fred VanVleet. Schroder isn’t your classic pass-first type of point guard, but the only other semi-PG on Toronto’s roster entering the season is Malachi Flynn. Schroder is the clear-cut starter, and we have him projected for 32 minutes against the T-Wolves tonight.
It’s worth noting the Raptors have a new coach. Nick Nurse is now in Philly, and he’ll be replaced by a first-time head coach in Darko Rajakovic. Nurse was renowned for regularly running his starters out there for 40+ minutes. Following in his predecessor’s footsteps may not be the worst course of action for Darko given the Raptors’ obvious lack of depth, but we’re tentatively projecting this team to take a more conservative approach to minutes this season.
Schroder is still a productive player while he’s out there. Even on a team with LeBron James and Anthony Davis last season, Schroder still mustered averages of 15 points, 5.4 assists, and 3 rebounds per 36 minutes played. Tonight’s game features a tight 1-point spread, so it’s relatively safe to expect a full complement of playing time for the starters on both sides.
Our aforementioned “PrizePicks Tool”: gives Schroder a healthy 68% chance to top 19.5 points+rebounds+assists in his Toronto debut.
Chet Holmgren More Than 13.5 Points
Victor Wembanyama is the most-hyped NBA rookie we’ve seen since LeBron James, but he’ll have some legitimate competition for Rookie of the Year. Scoot Henderson may have something to say about this, but Chet Holmgren may prove to be Wemby’s tallest hurdle on his way to the hardware.
These guys aren’t dissimilar players. Wemby looks like an NBA2K create-a-player with the way he moves like a guard despite his 7’4” frame, but you can say the same thing about Holmgren. Chet is only 7’1”, but he showed in the preseason that he’s already fully capable of scoring from all 3 levels of the floor. He attempted at least 2 3-pointers in all 4 of his preseason appearances with at least 8 FGA in each game in relatively limited minutes.
The Thunder could certainly take a cautious approach with Chet coming off of a season-ending foot injury, but we do have him projected to play 32 minutes tonight in Chicago in his NBA debut. If the preseason was any indication, Holmgren won’t be a passenger on offense the way he was during his lone season at Gonzaga. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will continue to lead the Thunder in usage, but it’s also fair to expect them to play through Chet quite a bit.
Game log watching is generally silly, but I will note that Holmgren topped 13.5 points in 3 of those 4 preseason games despite never playing more than 26 minutes in any of them. He also attempted at least 5 free throws in 3 of the games, so he wasn’t timid with the ball in his hands. Rookies don’t always enter the league and put big numbers on the board right away, but I expect Holmgren to take an aggressive offensive approach from the jump.