NBA Picks & Predictions: November Weekend 22-24

As we edge closer to Christmas, the Lakers and Bucks are leading their respective divisions with 12 wins for the season.

James Harden, Giannis, LeBron and Doncic are all showcasing their skills in a bid for the 2019/20 NBA MVP.

This week we saw LeBron James become the first NBA player to hit a triple-double against every NBA team in the league.

We have all the weekends’ best games right here, with a number of excellent matchups from the NBAs’ best. Let’s get stuck into it.

• 01Los Angeles Lakers (1.50) @ Oklahoma City Thunder (2.50)
• 02Cleveland Cavaliers (4.60) @ Dallas Mavericks (1.18)
• 03Toronto Raptors @ Atlanta Hawks
• 04Dallas Mavericks @ Houston Rockets

Los Angeles Lakers (1.50) @ Oklahoma City Thunder (2.50)

The Lakers, who are 12-2 outright, have been playing title-winning basketball so far this campaign with LeBron averaging the most assists per game in the league (11.1).

Los Angeles are the second-best defensive team in the league this season, keeping opponents to 101.1 points per game. In their last game against the Thunder, they kept then at 107 points in the first of the home-to-home series.

The Thunder haven’t been bad defensively either, holding opponents to 106.2 points per game. At the other end of the court, they are led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who’s on an average of 19.4 points per game.

The Thunder are trying to snap a two-game winning streak and have lost 4 of their last five.

We think this one will likely go the same way as it did at the STAPLES Center.

Oklahoma simply don’t have the roster to match the Lakers - they’re technically and physically superior, plus the form they’re in it’ll be hard to get points out of it.

Take the Lakers to win this one.

Cleveland Cavaliers (4.60) @ Dallas Mavericks (1.18)

Cleeveland are on the road as they head to the American Airlines Center on Friday to face off against Luca Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.

Dallas are 9-5 for the season and are currently sitting at 5th in the league. They stomped a struggling warriors side in their last, taking that game 142-94.

The way they’ve played recently makes them certain title contenders in the Western Conference.

It’s a different story in Cleveland, where they got off to a good start to the campaign but have since struggled to take the points.

They’ve been scoring 100 points or fewer in their four of their five consecutive losses.

Beilein’s men are 4-10 for the season outright. Cleveland will need more than luck to overcome these Mavericks. Dallas have been playing out of their skin of late, and as such they’re marching up the NBA power rankings this season.

Take the Mavs to overcome the Cavaliers.

Toronto Raptors @ Atlanta Hawks

The Raptors will travel to the Phillips Arena on Saturday night seeking out a third straight win against the Atlanta Hawks.

The Hawks are 4-10 for the season and have lost their last 4 games in a row. They’ll face the Pistons on Friday, before they host last seasons’ champions. They’ve relied on Trae Young for the points this season, he is averaging 26.8 points per game.

Toronto have been excellent. They had to overcome the loss of Leonard, as well as dealing with an aging squad, notably among their stars in Lowry and Ibaka.

The Raptors are 10-4 for the 2019/20 campaign. The only teams that have managed to break their most recent win streak, were the Mavs and the Clippers.

This will be a tough game for the Hawks. The Raptors will be geared up for this and the likes of VanVleet and Siakam will need to be stopped, if the Hawks are to get anything from this.

Expect the Raptors to win here.

Dallas Mavericks @ Houston Rockets

Mavs vs Rockets - Harden vs Doncic. Without a doubt, our NBA free pick for this November weekend.

Harden leads the NBA scoring tables for the season (38 points per game), while Doncic sits in 4th (29.9).

This will likely be a heads-up game between these two guys - who will carry their team the most effectively?

The Rockets were off the pace in their last game, losing out to the Nuggets 105-95. They will face the Clippers before this one, so they could be on for a third straight loss if they don’t improve on their last performance.

Dallas lost out in back-to-back games to the Celtics and the Knicks last week, which really set them back in their attempt to climb the division. However, they’ve been playing fluidly and aggressively since then.

The NBA betting odds aren’t yet available for this game, but we feel the bookies will favour a Rockets win based on their rank and the fact Harden is leading the NBA scoring tables.

However, we’re going against the bookies and back the Slovenia playmaker to stamp his mark on the NBA in this one. This will be one to remember.

Take the Mavs to win in Houston.