NBA Best Bets Today - Free Picks for Friday, December 22

NBA Best Bets Today - Free Picks for Friday, December 22

This article is part of our NBA Picks series.

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Best Bets

Tyus Jones over 1.5 steals (+120) at Warriors

FanDuel, 2:52 PM CT

Alex Barutha: Jones' minutes have increased lately. He's up to 33.0 minutes per game over his past four. Coming along with that is an average of 2.5 steals, plus a 10-game streak with at least one swipe. Friday's matchup is a great opportunity for him to continue producing defensively. The Warriors allow the third-most steals to opposing point guards, and they're committing the fourth-most turnovers on the season.

Steph Curry over 5.5 assists (-135) vs. Wizards

BetMGM, 2:54 PM CT

Alex Barutha: The Wizards allow both the most assists per game to opposing teams and the most assists to opposing point guards. With Draymond Green still out indefinitely, Curry has to take on more playmaking responsibilities, helping to create for his teammates. He's only averaged 4.8 assists since Green's suspension, but it makes sense for him to exceed that in this spot. It will only help his case if Brandon Podziemski, who has lower back soreness, is sidelined.

Suns at Kings over 244.0 (-110)

FanDuel, 3:02 PM CT

Alex Barutha: It's extremely rare that I wager on a total, but I like this spot. Jusuf Nurkic is missing his first game for the Suns on Friday, and Bradley Beal remains out. So, I took a look at the Suns' lineup data with those two off the floor while Devin Booker and Kevin Durant are on (126 possessions). They have a -5.2 net rating, but it's not because they're below average on both ends of the floor. It's because they're dominating offensively (125.4 ORTG) and horrible defensively (130.6 DRTG). Losing Nurkic will also naturally lead them to play faster, and they're already facing a fast team in Sacramento. I expect a ton of points on the board.

Spencer Dinwiddie under 7.5 assists (-150) vs. Nuggets

PointsBet, 3:04 PM CT

Alex Barutha: Dinwiddie's assist totals have generally been more consistent lately, but I still view them as relatively unstable. He's facing a Nuggets squad that allows opposing point guards the third-fewest assists per game. The Nets are also home underdogs here, and Dinwiddie is averaging just 5.8 assists at home compared to 7.9 assists on the road, while also averaging only 4.5 assists in home losses.

Bogdan Bogdanovic over 3.5 threes (+128) at Heat

FanDuel, 3:16 PM CT

Alex Barutha: This is a little bit of a deep cut. Miami allows the second-most points per game off of spot-up shot attempts (34.4). Bogdanovic is one of the more prolific spot-up guys, averaging 5.6 PPG off spot-up attempts (13th in the NBA), with 30.1% of his total shot attempts coming as spot-ups. Since spot-up two-pointers aren't really a thing, this essentially means he should be left open for three plenty tonight. When these teams faced earlier in the year, Bogdanovic went 5-for-15 from beyond the arc. He's also hit multiple triples in 20 straight appearances and at least three triples in six straight games. He's hit 4+ threes in 10 of his 25 games.'

Houston Rockets -8.0 vs. Dallas Mavericks

FanDuel Sportsbook, 11:30am CT

Nick Whalen: This game is in Houston, and the Mavs will be down a slew of key players, including Luka Doncic, Dereck Lively and Kyrie Irving. I'm not sure why this number isn't a bit higher, with all due respect to Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jaden Hardy. Maybe I'm walking into a trap, but it's hard to see Dallas keeping pace against a good defense without most of its starting lineup.

Jaime Jaquez O14.5 PTS vs. Atlanta

FanDuel Sportsbook, 11:30am CT

Nick Whalen: The rookie has gone under this number in his last two games, but those were tough matchups against two of the best defensive teams in the NBA. That will not be the case tonight, as the Heat welcome in the Hawks, owners of a 123.3 defensive rating over their last 10 games. During that span, opponents are shooting 52 percent from the floor and 42 percent from three, and Atlanta is also giving up the second-most assists per game (29.3 APG). On top of that, Miami will again be without Jimmy Butler, which should open up more opportunity for Jaquez.

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Alex Barutha
Alex is RotoWire's Chief NBA Editor. He writes articles about daily fantasy, year-long fantasy and sports betting. You can hear him on the RotoWire NBA Podcast, Sirius XM, VSiN and other platforms. He firmly believes Robert Covington is the most underrated fantasy player of the past decade.
Nick Whalen
Now in his 10th year with the company, Nick is RotoWire's Senior Media Analyst, a position he took on after several years as the Head of Basketball Content. A multi-time FSGA and FSWA award winner, Nick co-hosts RotoWire's flagship show on Sirius XM Fantasy alongside Jeff Erickson, as well as The RotoWire NBA Show on Sirius XM NBA with Alex Barutha. He also co-hosts RotoWire's Football and Basketball podcasts. You can catch Nick's NBA and NFL analysis on VSiN and DraftKings, as well as RotoWire's various social and video channels. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @wha1en.
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