Best NBA Bets Today | NBA Picks February 2

The NBA has an exciting Thursday night planned with a number of exciting matchups with big implications on the league standings!

The Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers face off as they look at each other for a win. The Memphis Grizzlies look to establish their dominance when they take on the Eastern Conference's Cleveland Cavaliers. And jockeying at sixth and seventh in the East, the Miami Heat and New York Knicks face off!

Let's check out the bets!

Los Angeles Lakers @ Indiana Pacers

When: 7:00 PM EST

Moneyline: Indiana Pacers (+100) @ bet365

While they may not be competitive in their conferences, the Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers are sure to put on an exciting game. The Los Angeles Lakers are currently 13th in the West with a 24-28 overall record and an 11-16 road record. The Indiana Pacers are 10th in the East with a 24-28 overall record and a 16-10 home record.

The Los Angeles Lakers are all about scoring, averaging 117.0 points per game (5th in the NBA), despite the fact that their defence and shooting are relatively terrible. They found victory in their last game, actually hitting 11 threes on 33% from the field but they still allowed 123 points on 44.9% shooting. The Pacers own a pass-heavy offence that hits impressively from deep, as they average 115.1 points (10th in the NBA) while hitting 13.8 threes per game (6th in the NBA). They lost their last game, against the Memphis Grizzlies, due to their poor three-point shooting but they may see the return of Tyrese Haliburton in this game.

We're taking the Pacers in this matchup as the Lakers' defensive inconsistencies are too prominent to ignore. Indiana's interior defence and volume from three-point range is set to overwhelm the Lakers, whose defence is suspect even with their star players back in the fold.

Miami Heat @ New York Knicks

When: 7:30 PM EST

Moneyline: New York Knicks (+105) @ Caesars Sportsbook

Both the New York Knicks and Miami Heat are jockeying for position in the Eastern Conference, with just two games separating them in the table. The Miami Heat are sixth in the East with a 29-23 overall record and a 12-14 road record. The New York Knicks are seventh in the East with a 27-25 overall record and a 12-14 home record.

The Miami Heat are one of the league's premiere defensive teams, holding opponents to 108.2 points (2nd in the NBA) while forcing 16.5 turnovers per game (3rd in the NBA). They most recently won a tightly contested matchup against the Cavaliers by holding their opponents to just 97 points on 48.2% shooting from the field. The Knicks are also all about limiting the quality of their opponents' shots, holding them to just 45.4% from the field (3rd in the NBA) and 34.9% from three (5th in the NBA). However, they've lost back-to-back games by allowing their opponents to shoot 52.2% from the field and 45.2% from three-point range.

Despite recent form, we're taking the Knicks in this matchup. They should find success trying to limit the Miami Heat on the offensive end, and their diversity on all tiers of offense should help them overcome the Heat's defense. We see the Knicks pulling off the upset.

Memphis Grizzlies @ Cleveland Cavaliers

When: 7:30 PM EST

Spread: Cleveland Cavaliers -5.5 (-104) @ BetRivers

In what should be one of the league's most exciting matchups, the Memphis Grizzlies face off against the Cleveland Cavaliers! The Memphis Grizzlies are currently second in the West with a 32-19 overall record and an 11-15 road record. The Cleveland Cavaliers are now fifth in the East, with a 31-22 overall record and a 21-6 home record.

The Memphis Grizzlies are one of the league's premiere two-way threats, allowing 112.3 points per game (9th in the NBA) on 44.9% from the field (1st in the NBA) while scoring 116.7 points of their own (7th in the NBA) on 46.9% from the field (20th in the NBA). They've lost four of their last five games, as they've allowed their opponents 115.6 points per game on 49.5% from the field and a scorching 40.8% from deep. The Cavaliers have an intimidating defense of their own, allowing just 106.8 points (1st in the NBA) on 46.6% from the field (8th in the NBA) while forcing 15.0 turnovers per game (9th in the NBA). In their 97-100 loss to the Heat in their last game, the Cavaliers' offense wasn't enough as they shot 48.2% from the field but just 27.5% from three-point range.

We're taking the Cavaliers in this matchup, as they have the dominant roster when it comes to battling in the paint. With Adam unavailable, we expect Cleveland to feast at the rim.