Peter’s Points: NBA Best Bets Today (Predictions, Prop Bets for Karl-Anthony Towns, Nuggets, Raptors, Giannis)
A massive eight-game slate takes place in the NBA on Monday night, as multiple Eastern Conference contenders face each other while MVP candidates Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander aim to lead their squads to wins later on in the night.
Here’s a quick look at the action ahead on Nov. 17:
Sunday’s NBA Best Bets column was a two-pick sweep (Victor Wembanyama sat out which voided one of my props), as Josh Giddey recorded a triple-double (a +322 hit) and the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors both cashed in a moneyline parlay.
Now, I’m turning my attention to this eight-game slate as I attempt to build on a +5.15 unit start to nearly the first month of the NBA season.
I’m eyeing plays for Karl-Anthony Towns, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo on Monday, so let’s dive into the breakdowns and the latest odds for each selection.
Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Karl-Anthony Towns OVER 2.5 3-Pointers Made (-110)
New York Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns was extremely aggressive on Friday with Jalen Brunson out of the lineup and OG Anunoby going down with a hamstring injury early in the win over Miami.
The star big man shot 6-for-14 from 3-point range and attempted 26 shots overall on his way to a 39-point performance. Against a Miami team that ranks No. 1 in pace, KAT and the Knicks were able to score 140 points and get off a ton of shots on Friday night.
So, I’m buying Towns in the 3-point market on Monday, even though he’s gotten off to a bit of a slow start from deep, knocking down just 34.8 percent of his attempts this season. Towns still has four games where he’s cleared this prop, and he’s attempted 22 3-pointers in two games against Miami.
With Brunson and Anunoby out, Towns should have increased volume across the board on offense on Monday.
Toronto Raptors-Denver Nuggets Parlay (-153)
Toronto Raptors Moneyline (-355)
The Toronto Raptors have been red hot as of late, winning three games in a row and seven of their last eight games heading into Monday’s matchup with the Charlotte Hornets.
Even though LaMelo Ball is back in action for Charlotte, the team is just 2-8 in its last 10 games and 1-5 straight up on the road. The Hornets are also just 2-4 against the spread on the road this season.
Toronto has jumped to seventh in the league in net rating at +4.8, and it’s 7-6 against the spread overall.
I think the Raptors are a great bet to win this matchup, especially with Charlotte posting the No. 21 net rating on the road this season. If you don’t want to lay the points with the Raptors, taking them on the moneyline is a pretty safe bet.
Denver Nuggets -6.5 Alt Spread (-346)
To pair with this Raptors pick, I’m backing the Nuggets to cover against Chicago, but I’ve moved the spread from -14.5 down to -6.5.
This is a great spot for a Denver team that has dominated at home, going 5-1 against the spread at Ball Arena and 9-3 against the spread overall while posting a net rating of +13.0 (second in the NBA).
The Bulls have fallen off after a fast start, losing five games in a row and falling to 1-5 on the road in the 2025-26 season. This is a brutal back-to-back for the Bulls, as they played a double overtime game on Sunday night and ended up losing to the 5-8 Utah Jazz.
Chicago has fallen to 19th in the NBA in defensive rating, and now it has to face the No. 2 offense in the NBA that has a rest advantage coming into this matchup.
Denver has an average scoring margin of +19.0 points at home this season, and I think it could blow out a Chicago team that may sit some players after a marathon game on Sunday.
Giannis-Jokic Player Prop Parlay (-116) – 0.5 unit
Nikola Jokic 25+ Points
Jokic’s points prop is set at 27.5 on Monday, but I’m lowering it just a bit in case he comes out of this matchup early with the Nuggets set as massive favorites.
This season, Jokic has only cleared this prop in five of his 12 games while taking 16.0 shots per game (his fewest since the 2022-23 season). However, I think he’s in a great spot to clear this line against the Bulls, who rank 28th in the NBA in opponent points in the paint per game (55.5).
Jokic is shooting the lights out from 2-point range this season (76.8 percent), and he’s knocked down 88.2 percent of his shots between zero and three feet of the basket and 67.6 percent of his shots from three to 10 feet from the basket.
The Nuggets star should have a field day against a Chicago team that was lit up by the Utah Jazz on Sunday and now ranks 19th in the NBA in defensive rating.
Giannis Antetokounmpo 25+ Points
Giannis’ actual points prop is set at 30.5 for this game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but he’s dominated against them, dating back to the 2022-23 season, including a 40-point showing this season.
The 40-point game against Cleveland came on 14-of-20 shooting from the field and was one of seven games this season where Giannis has scored 31 or more points. He’s scored 25 or more points in all but one of his contests.
So, I’m buying him in this market on Monday, as he leads the NBA in field goals made per game (12.5), 2-pointers made per game and 2-pointers attempted per game. Antetokounmpo is also taking 10.8 free throws per game, which is more than he did last season when he led the league with 10.6 attempts per night.
In his last nine games against the Cavs, Giannis has at least 30 points in eight of them and has at least 33 points in seven of those matchups (dating back to the 2022-23 season).
I’ll trust Giannis, who has to do a ton for the Bucks to win any game, to clear this line and come close to his season average (32.6 points per game) on Monday.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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