NBA preseason best bets October 14: Lakers, Bucks and Cavs picks

Are you ready for some basketball?

The NBA season starts in a week, but fans and bettors can enjoy some preseason action tonight. Just like betting on NFL preseason games, betting on NBA preseason games can be a little tricky, but we’re here to help.

Here are our best bets for the NBA preseason games scheduled for Tuesday, October 14 (odds via FanDuel).

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Detroit Pistons

The Cavs have gone winless so far in preseason play (0-3), losing 138-107 to the Boston Celtics in their last game. Detroit fell to 1-1 after losing to the Milwaukee Bucks 117-111 last Thursday. These two teams last played on March 28 of last season, a game the Pistons won 133-122.

Detroit made some changes from last year’s team, adding Duncan Robinson in place of Malik Beasley and adding depth in several areas. So, they’ll probably want to work on the chemistry among the starting five and with the bench players they’ve been working in.

Cleveland also has some new faces on the bench. With the regular season a week away, there is a chance that both head coaches will focus more on their starting rotations, which will make for a fairly competitive matchup.

Our pick: OVER 233.5 at -112

On paper, these teams look pretty even, making them a tough pick for a regular season matchup, with a gap of just 4.5 points. But since defense is even less of a concern in the preseason than in the regular season, I would expect a high score.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks cruised through the preseason, recording a six-point victory over the Bulls in their last outing, 127-121, on Sunday to improve their preseason record to 3-0. Oklahoma City, on the other hand, fell to 2-2 with a loss to the Indiana Pacers on Saturday, 116-111.

With the preseason winding down, we might see a little more of Giannis Antetokounmpo. Oklahoma City will likely be without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander; he is listed as day-to-day, but has not played since their second preseason game against Charlotte.

Our pick: Bucks +4.5

All five Thunder starters are listed as day-to-day, and a few others are already listed as out. That tells me the Thunder are prioritizing health ahead of the regular season, a week away.

But Milwaukee should be closer to full strength, giving the Bucks an advantage in this matchup.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns

The Lakers finally picked up their first win of the preseason, their last outing, by beating the Golden State Warriors at home, 126-116, to improve their record to 1-2. Phoenix, on the other hand, lost for the first time in the preseason, falling to the Brooklyn Nets 111-109 to fall to 2-1.

We already know that we are not going to see LeBron James take the court for the Lakers. But fans will be traveling to see the team’s future Luka Doncic make his preseason debut. Neither team has had too many high-scoring games this preseason. The high for the Suns was a 132-127 overtime win over the Nets; for the Lakers, it was victory against Golden State, 126-116.

Our pick: Lakers -5.5

That’s a low total for a preseason game. With the way both teams have played so far, it could easily go either way. After being dominated by Phoenix in their first preseason game, 103-81, and with Luka playing, I see the Lakers as having the edge tonight.