NBA Betting Picks for Thursday 10/26/23: Lakers Show Out in Doubleheader

The 82-game NBA regular season offers us a wide variety of betting options, including point spreads, moneylines, and totals. The Association features 1,230 regular season games, which can make sifting through the odds an overwhelming task.

However, various advanced statistics can help narrow the choices. numberFire's NBA power rankings and daily projections paired with advanced stats from the NBA can help give the inside track to winning big.

While utilizing some of the mentioned tools, which NBA odds from FanDuel Sportsbook look like the best bets today?

Please note lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published.

NBA Best Bets

Philadelphia 76ers at Milwaukee Bucks

Over 227 (-110)

The Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks are the final teams to make their debuts tonight. Damian Lillard will make his Bucks debut. How will Milwaukee's new-look offense perform? Meanwhile, the 76ers are a man short after telling James Harden to not travel with the team. Of course, this relates to Harden's trade request followed by skipping practices.

Even with Harden absent, I like the over for this game. First off, we know the Bucks' offense should improve with Lillard. This is the entire reason Milwaukee made the move -- more scoring. Lillard boasted the second-best mark in FiveThiryEight's offensive RAPTOR last season paired with a career-best 126.3 offensive rating.

Lillard with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton should form a terrifying scoring trio. Giannis (118.0) and Middleton (117.9) were among the team's top-four players in offensive rating in the 2022-23 season. The Greek Freak averaged a career-high 31.1 points per game (PPG) last season, but Middleton failed to reach 20.0 PPG for the first time since the 2018-19 season.

With Dame Time moving to Milwaukee, the Bucks' offensive rating should surely improve after ranking 15th in the category a season ago.

While the offense should improve, we can't ignore the potential defensive ramifications without Jrue Holiday, who recorded three blocks in his season opener with the Boston Celtics. The Bucks have a starting backcourt of Lillard and Malik Beasley, which could be a defensive liability. Lillard's defensive rating has surpassed 120.0 in back-to-back seasons, and Beasley's rating has reached 117.0 in two of his previous three seasons.

Harden may be absent in Philly, but the Sixers still have a talented scorer in Tyrese Maxey, who averaged a career-high 20.3 PPG last season. Per numberFire's daily fantasy projections, Maxey is projected to score 20.4 points tonight. He totaled 26.3 PPG over his previous three outings against Milwaukee. With the Bucks' weakened defensive backcourt, Maxey could be poised for a monster outing.

Additionally, Joel Embiid has had his way with the Bucks, even against the elite defensive frontcourt of Giannis and Brook Lopez. In fact, the reigning MVP winner averaged 30.3 PPG in his last three matchups with Milwaukee. Embiid also has the most projected fantasy points for tonight's doubleheader (51.9).

The stars could be out for the 76ers-Bucks, which could lead to more than enough points for the over.

Phoenix Suns at Los Angeles Lakers

Lakers -5.5 (-110)

The nightcap of the doubleheader features another clash between potential championship contenders in the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers. Both teams are among the top four favorites to win the West when looking at FanDuel Sportsbook's NBA conference odds; the Suns are at +270, and the Lakers (+750) aren't super far behind.

Led by 32 points from Devin Booker, the Suns won their season opener 108-104 against the Golden State Warriors. Los Angeles did not find the same success as they were thoroughly handled by the Denver Nuggets yet again (119-107).

Despite the Lakers' 0-1 start, the oddsmakers are favoring LA by 5.5 points. Phoenix is still dealing with injuries; Booker and Bradley Beal are both listed as doubtful for tonight. Of course, Beal missed the season opener with back tightness. More than likely, he will be out once again, but Booker's status could be more uncertain. He suited up on Tuesday after being listed as a game-time decision (foot).

As of now, we don't know if Beal and/or Booker will give it a go. If both are ruled out, surely the point spread will spike. My best guess is both will be out, so I'm jumping on the spread right now.

Tuesday was not the cleanest season opener for the Lake Show. They allowed Denver to shoot 52.7% from the field and 41.2% on three-pointers, and Anthony Davis finished 6-17 from the field while failing to score in the second half. As usual, Davis looks to be an unpredictable factor. Will he dominate or perform a disappearing act like Houdini?

Overall, it just wasn't a good shooting night for Los Angeles. D'Angelo Russell made only 4 of 12 shots, Austin Reaves converted 4 of 11 field goal attempts, and Rui Hachimura shot 30.0% from the floor (3-for-10).

Stopping Kevin Durant will likely be the Lakers' biggest concern. Good luck solving this, though; few have found ways to slow Durant. The task could be even more challenging with Jarred Vanderbilt absent due to a heel injury. Still, I believe the Lakers have enough to cover.

Davis is projected the third-most fantasy points on Thursday (48.9). Phoenix's Jusuf Nurkic had a career-low 114.3 defensive rating in the 2022-23 season. The Suns also ranked 19th in defensive rebounding percentage last season. They could hold a similar mark this season as Nurkic does not really improve the area compared to Deandre Ayton; Nurkic totaled 9.1 rebounds per game (RPG) while Ayton was at 10.0 RPG in the 2022-23 season.

With the Suns potentially missing two notable scorers and Davis' favorable matchup, LA could get back on track with a cover in Tinseltown.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.