The first round of group stage of NBA Cup action gets underway on Tuesday. There are eight games on tap, so let’s get right to the best bets and picks for these NBA Cup contests.
In games out west, the Minnesota Timberwolves have won four in a row over the Portland Trailblazers and are 8.5-point home favorites. Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors have won four of the last five home games against the Dallas Mavericks.
In Eastern Conference matchups, the New York Knicks will be looking to extend a recent run of success against the Philadelphia 76ers. This will be the first meeting between this two longtime rivals since their clash in last spring’s NBA playoffs.
In its second season of existence, the NBA Cup is the league’s in-season tournament. It features all 30 teams.
The teams are randomly gathered into groups of five teams each, using last season’s regular-season records as a reference point. Each team plays four group-stage games, with one against each group opponent. Two games are played at home and two on the road.
The six group winners and two wildcard teams advance to the knockout stage. These are straight elimination games. The final four travel to Las Vegas for the NBA Cup semifinals on Dec. 14 and the NBA Cup final on Dec. 17.
Prior to making any bets on your NBA Cup picks, you definitely should be checking out the latest NBA Vegas odds. You can also assess the latest developments in NBA prop bets. You should also be taking advantage of these Vegas betting site bonuses. from the top NBA betting sites. As well, it’s wise to remember that all of the top Vegas betting sites are delivering easy to access downloadable apps. This will make it much simpler when the time arrives to be placing your bets from your favorite mobile device.
 | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Timberwolves | -8.5 (-108) | -365 | O 221 (-110) |
| Portland Trailblazers | +8.5 (-112) | +277 | U 221 (-110) |
Not only have the Timberwolves won four straight over the Trailblazers, Minnesota has taken six of the last seven meetings between the two teams. At the Target Center, the Timberwolves are 7-0 straight up in the last seven against visiting Portland.
The Trailblazers come into this game losers of their last three. That includes a 127-102 loss at Minnesota on Friday.
The Timberwolves are 4-1 against the spread in the last five games against Portland. Minnesota is 3-1 ATS this season as a favorite of 8.5 points or more. Portland, meanwhile, is 1-3 ATS this season when an underdog of 8.5 points or higher. The Trailblazers lost by 45 points to the Memphis Grizzlies in their last game. Take Minnesota to cover as the 8.5-point chalk in the NBA picks on this NBA Cup game.
| Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York Knicks | +1 (-108) | -102 | O 216 (-108) |
| Philadelphia 76ers | -1 (-112) | -120 | U 216 (-112) |
The Knicks can’t win on the road. New York is 2-4 both straight up and against the spread this season. Philadelphia can’t win at home. The 76ers are 1-3 SU and 0-4 ATS at the Wells Fargo Center so far into the 2024-25 NBA campaign.
So which way should you be leaning when betting this NBA Cup game between this two age-old rivals? Well, consider the lineups for starters. Philly is missing two of them. Starters, that is. Center Joel Embiid (knee) and point guard Guard Tyrese Maxey (hamstring) are out. They were the top two scorers for the Sixers last season.
The 76ers haven’t won a game this season in regulation time. Philly ended a five-game losing skid with an overtime decision over Charlotte in their last game.
New York has been the better team in this series in recent times. The Knicks are 7-3 SU and 6-4 ATS in the last 10 games against the 76ers. Overall, they’ve won two in a row and three of the last four when taking into account last season’s playoff series between the two clubs.
Keeping it simply to regular-season action, New York is 4-2 SU in last six against the Sixers. Play the Knicks to cover the spread as 1-point underdogs at Philadelphia in the Tuesday NBA picks.
| Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Mavericks | +3 (-112) | +115 | O 231 (-112) |
| Golden State Warriors | -3 (-108) | -140 | U 231 (-110) |
The good news for the Mavericks is that they’ve won three of their last four games against Golden State. The bad news is three of those games were played at Dallas. This one is being contested at the Chase Centre. Dallas is 1-4 SU in the last five games played there.
Adding flavor to this matchup is the return of longime Warriors star Klay Thompson to Golden State as a member of the Mavericks. Dallas was 3-1 both SU and ATS against Golden State in 2023-24. However, they are arriving to the Bay Area with just one win in their past four games.
Dallas is 5-5 on the season and 4-5-1 ATS. Golden State is leading the Western Conference at 8-2 and are also 8-2 ATS. The Warriors are coming off an outright win over Oklahoma City as 6.5-point underdogs. They’ve also beaten the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics this season. Take the Warriors at home in the moneyline in the Tuesday NBA picks.
