Expert NBA Best Bets and Player Props Today

Expert NBA Best Bets and Player Props Today - Sunday, November 5th

The 2023-24 NBA season is finally here and we're excited over here at VSiN. As always, Jonathan Von Tobel will be providing you with his exceptional coverage of the greatest league in the world. Just for all of his content. However, all of my picks will be featured in this daily column, which will combine my best bets and player props. I'll be doing this every single day of the week — although it'll be a little shorter on the weekends. So, keep reading to find out how I'm playing the NBA slate on Sunday, November 5. Also, check out our NBA Odds page for the latest line movement. 

2023 Record: 27-17 (+8.81 units)

NBA Best Bets Today - November 5

After back-to-back losses to the San Antonio Spurs, the Suns lost to the Philadelphia 76ers yesterday and a lot of people are acting like the sky is falling in Phoenix. But the Suns have been without Bradley Beal for the entire season, and Devin Booker has only played two games this year. This team just hasn’t been healthy to start the season, but it does seem like Booker will be out there against the Pistons. That makes it hard not to like Phoenix to win this game somewhat easily. Detroit has been extremely solid defensively to start this season, with the team being 11th in the league in defensive rating. But stopping an offense like this is going to be a whole different type of challenge. And overall, I don’t think the Pistons are good enough offensively to keep up in a game like this. Detroit is just 19th in the league in offensive rating and only five teams in the league shoot fewer 3s per game than the Pistons. If they’re not taking and making shots from deep, this has the potential to get ugly. Phoenix’s rotation is loaded with shooters, and then there’s the one-on-one brilliance of Kevin Durant and Booker. The Suns should also be very familiar with what the Pistons want to do on both ends of the floor, as Detroit head coach Monty Williams was Phoenix’s coach for four seasons.

UPDATE: Devin Booker has been ruled out with a calf injury, which is a different issue than the ankle that has bothered him early in the season. I'm stuck with Phoenix as a 4.5-point favorite, but this is now available at -3 in some places. I'd still suggest backing the Suns at the new number. Losing Booker's on-ball ability hurts, but the Suns will still be able to bomb away from 3. And I don't think they'll have too hard of a time defending this Pistons team. 

Bet: Suns -4.5 (-105)

The Warriors come into this game on a five-game winning streak and the Cavaliers have lost four of their last five. However, Cleveland is finally playing with its full starting five, as Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen both returned to action against the Indiana Pacers last game. Of course, the Cavaliers ended up losing that game. But they should get better and better the more their full group plays together, and we should start to see some signs of a defense that was elite during the regular season last year. That’ll be big against a Warriors team that obviously has a lot of firepower. But the real reason to back Cleveland in this game is that Golden State is rather weak when it comes to defending the perimeter these days. That’s not what you want against a backcourt of Garland and Donovan Mitchell. Look for those two to have a ton of success attacking off the dribble, which would then free up a guy like Max Strus for some open shots. Also, the Cavaliers are 29-14 against the spread in home games in the first half of the season under head coach JB Bickerstaff. And Cleveland has won those games by an average of 6.3 points per game.

Bet: Cavaliers -1.5 (-110 - Play to -2)

NBA Player Props Today - November 5

Victor Wembanyama finally had his breakout game on Thursday, going for 38 points and 10 rebounds in an upset win over the Suns. Before that, Wembanyama had largely struggled to shoot the ball, and he looked pretty lost on the offensive end of the floor. Now, the question is whether he has truly figured things out. I think we’ll see some more hiccups out of the phenom, which is why I’m playing him to cough the ball up at least five times against the Raptors. Wembanyama averaged 4.8 turnovers per game in four October games this year, and he had five turnovers in three of those four games. That makes it a little surprising to see that you can get plus-money odds on him reaching that number again. Toronto is currently a top 10 team when it comes to defensive rating, so I think the Raptors will find ways to make Wembanyama uncomfortable.

Bet: Wembanyama Over 4.5 Turnovers (+125)

The Hornets are currently just 28th in the league in defensive rating, and they’re giving up the fifth most 3s per game this year (14.0). This Charlotte team has an excellent rim protector in Mark Williams, but the rest of the rotation is lacking in defensive intensity. And the Hornets have been especially lousy when it comes to getting out and contesting shots, so there will be opportunities for some Mavericks players to get hot from deep here. That said, I’m playing Grant Williams to go Over his 3-pointers made prop. Williams has made at least three 3s in four of the five games he has played this year, and the forward is getting incredible looks playing off Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic. Williams even had a game against the Chicago Bulls in which he made seven triples earlier in the week. He might not replicate that performance, but I think three 3s is very reasonable against this defense — especially with Charlotte on the second night of a back-to-back. And you’re getting this at plus-money odds.

Bet: Williams Over 2.5 Made 3s (+112)

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