The Emirates NBA Cup returns on Tuesday and Matt LaMarca is here with his NBA best bets and picks:

We’ve got another five games of NBA Cup action to choose from on Tuesday. It isn’t the most exciting slate on paper, but there are still two marquee games for our viewing pleasure. The Bucks will travel to Miami to take on the Heat, while the Suns will host the Lakers in Phoenix. The Lakers and Bucks are currently undefeated and leading their groups at 2-0, so the Heat and Suns will try to knock them down a spot in the standings.

Tonight's Best Bets For The NBA

Before we dive into my NBA best bets for Tuesday's five-game slate, I want to make sure to call out our various NBA tools that will guide us through these slates:

  • NBA player projections - Our NBA projections don't only have full statistical projections, but they also include minutes projections, a key data point when evaluating player props.
     
  • NBA Player Prop Finder - I don't place a single bet without confirming I have the best price, and I suggest you do the same.

We've also got all the NBA betting odds organized in an easy-to-digest table and NBA futures odds for those of you forecasting the season from a macro level.

Finally, I'll have all my free NBA bets, even if there isn't a standalone article, logged in our bet tracker.

Milwaukee Bucks at Miami Heat Pick

  • Pick: Bucks ML (+115; BetMGM)
  • Bet to: Bucks ML (+105)

Don’t look now, but here come the Bucks. They started the year as poorly as possible for a team of their caliber, but they’ve turned the ship around of late. They’ve rattled off six wins in their past seven contests, pulling them back to one game below .500 for the year.

It’s fair to note that the Bucks have played a really easy schedule over that time frame. They’ve beaten the Raptors, Pistons, Rockets, Bulls, Pacers, and Hornets, and the Rockets are the only team in that group that currently has a winning record. However, they have at least been winning by margin. They’ve posted a +7.3 Net Rating over that time frame, and three of their wins have come by double-digits.

The Heat will represent a step up in competition, but it’s not a huge step up. Miami is just 7-7 for the year, and they have a Net Rating of +0.9. They have picked up two straight wins since getting Jimmy Butler back in the lineup, but they’re just 5-5 with Butler available this year. In other words, this team is far from a juggernaut.

The Bucks don’t have a great track record as underdogs—they’re 0-4 on the moneyline when getting points this season—but I’m not sure they deserve to be dogs in this spot. Even if they’re not quite as good as in years past, they still have one of the three best players in the league in Giannis Antetokounmpo. Add in another borderline top-20 player in Damian Lillard, and the Heat simply can’t match the Bucks’ star power. I like their chances of keeping their mini-win streak rolling.

Best NBA Player Props For Nov 26

Josh Okogie Under 4.5 Points (+100; FanDuel)

  • Play To: Under 3.5 (-110)

Okogie has had some moments for the Suns of late, but those days are in the past. Phoenix is about to get significantly healthier, with both Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal expected to suit up vs. the Lakers. Okogie’s minutes should be slashed in this spot, and he played just 5.3 minutes the last time both Durant and Beal were active. I’ll take the under on 4.5 points for anyone who might play less than 10 minutes, and I’ll grab some same-game parlays with his rebound and assist unders as well.

Walker Kessler Over 9.5 Points (-115; BetMGM)

  • Play To: Over 9.5 (-135)

Kessler returned to the lineup in Utah’s last game, and he stepped into his biggest workload of the season. He played more than 35 minutes vs. the Knicks, and he finished with 11 points and 10 boards. If he’s going to continue to play that much for the shorthanded Jazz, his props feel underpriced basically across the board. The over on his scoring prop is my favorite offering, but I don’t mind grabbing some exposure to a double-double as well.

Isaiah Collier Over 0.5 3-pointers (+160; BetMGM)

  • Play To: Over 0.5 (+150)

I’m only taking this for half a unit, but I can’t pass up +160 for a point guard to knock down a 3-pointer in the modern NBA. Collier has shot the ball dreadfully from 3-point range this season, but he does have multiple attempts in two of his past three games. His minutes have also ticked up recently, so he should find another attempt or two from downtown vs. the Spurs.

NBA Bets for November 26th

To recap my NBA card for Tuesday, see below:

  • Bucks ML at Heat (+115; BetMGM) - Risk 1u
  • Josh Okogie Under 4.5 Points (+100; FanDuel) - Risk 1u
  • Walker Kessler Over 9.5 Points (-115; MGM) - Risk 1.15u
  • Isaiah Collier Over 0.5 3-pointers (+160; BetMGM) - Risk 0.5u

Total: Risk 3.65 units to win 3.95