Two NBA Best Bets For Thursday, November 17

The NBA's 3-game card is garbage. Sports betting helps the NBA product. I've got bets in Nets-Trail Blazers and Spurs-Kings on Thursday.

Brooklyn Nets (6-9) play Portland Trail Blazers (10-4) on Thursday. It's the first meeting between Kevin Durant and Damian Lillards since 2019. The Trail Blazers have won four of their past five games. Brooklyn is in the last of a four-game West Coast trip.

The Nets rank 22nd in non-garbage time defensive rating. Brooklyn is last in rebounding rate and 23rd in second-chance points per game allowed. The Trail Blazers are 4-0 SU vs. teams with bottom-10 defenses. Portland has a +12.8 adjusted net rating (nRTG) and a -12,0 ATS margin (first).

Portland's shot quality ranks fourth in the NBA whereas Brooklyn's ranks 27th. Nets attempt the fourth-highest rate of mid-range field goals and the Trail Blazers are 3rd in defensive field goal percentage vs. mid range jumpers. Both teams run a high frequency of isolation offense.

Trail Blazers are -2 at DraftKings Sportsbook.

The San Antonio Spurs are 6-9 and the Sacramento Kings are 7-6. The Kings have the second-most efficient offense in the NBA. San Antonio has the worst transition defensive efficiency in NBA and allows the 2nd-highest fastbreak points per game. Sacramento gets out in transition at the fifth- highest rate and scores the 5th-best fast break points.

DraftKings offers first-time users a $1,000 deposit bonus and a 20% first deposit match. PointsBet Sportsbook offers users first bets risk-free up to $2,00 and refunding you in site credit if the bet loses.