Best NBA Betting Picks and Parlay Today - Thursday, December 8, 2022

There's only three games in the NBA on Thursday night, but we're going to try and nail all three of them with our best bets for the evening. 

You're just not a basketball fan if you're not sitting down and soaking in some of these games, so why not get some action on them in the process? Not only are we confident in our ability to deliver winning picks, but we also have risk-free sportsbook promos that can get you some free money. With that in mind, make sure you check out our NBA best bets for Thursday, December 8, 2022.

As always, we've simulated all of the night's NBA games 10,000 times each to determine where the value lies for sports bettors across the United States.

Best NBA Bets Today

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Miami Heat, 7:30PM ET

The Clippers face lineup uncertainty almost every night, but it's hard to make a case against backing them as underdogs against this Heat team. Sure, Miami is getting back Victor Oladipo tonight, but this is still a team that is largely unproven this year. If anything, the Heat have proven to be disappointing, with Erik Spoelstra's team being just 26th in offensive rating this year. Miami also isn't inside the top 10 in defensive rating. 

Los Angeles also happens to be 29-15 against the spread in road games with totals of 210 to 219.5 under head coach Ty Lue. The Clippers have won those games by an average of 3.2 points per game, which just means that they tend to perform at a high level when playing games that are supposed to be sloppy. Also, Lue-led teams are 21-8 ATS in road games when coming off losses of six or less points, so his teams also tend to bounce back, too. 

BET: Clippers +6 (-110) with DraftKings ➡️ here ⬅️.

🏀 Clippers vs. Heat Predictions
📈 Betting preview: Clippers vs. Heat

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Houston Rockets vs. San Antonio Spurs, 8:30PM ET

The Rockets are looking like a real basketball team all of a sudden. Houston comes into this game after having won two of its last three, with those victories coming over the Suns and 76ers. The Rockets have also covered in five of their last eight games, so they'll be confident when they take the floor against a Spurs team that has lost 16 of its last 17 games. 

Of course, betting against San Antonio is never fun, as it's an outstanding organization — no matter who is on the roster. But the Spurs will be without Devin Vassell, the team's best two-way player, in this game and that spells bad news for this group. It also doesn't help that Jakob Poeltl is out for San Antonio, as he is one of the better interior defenders in the league and he would have been useful in a matchup with Alperen Sengun, who is one of the best post players on the planet. 

Our DimersBOT also gives the Rockets a 56% chance of winning this one, if you're looking for another reason to believe in Houston. 

BET: Rockets -1 (-110) with DraftKings ➡️ here ⬅️.

🏀 Rockets vs. Spurs Predictions
📈 Betting preview: Rockets vs. Spurs

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Denver Nuggets vs. Portland Trail Blazers, 10:00PM ET

This is another play that our predictive analytics model likes, as it gives Denver a 55% chance of winning tonight. The Blazers have more firepower in the backcourt in this matchup, but the Nuggets aren't exactly lacking for that. Jamal Murray and Bones Hyland are both capable of getting themselves going and holding their own in any backcourt duel, and Denver also has the luxury of using Bruce Brown as a defender on one of Portland's two guards. 

The reason to back the Nuggets is, however, the presence of Nikola Jokic, who just should be able to dominate his battle with Jusuf Nurkic tonight. Doing that would open up a lot of things for Denver, which also just has an advantage in the X's and O's department here. 

The Blazers have looked like a much better basketball team this year, but asking them to beat the Nuggets is difficult. Denver is also coming off a tough loss and will want to get back in the win column. 

BET: Nuggets PK (-110) with DraftKings ➡️ here ⬅️.

🏀 Nuggets vs. Blazers Predictions
📈 Betting preview: Nuggets vs. Blazers

Your game not here? Find out who we're betting on for every basketball game on Thursday via our NBA Bet Hub, where we deliver you NBA predictions and suggested bets, or check out the NBA Betting News section.

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Best NBA Parlay Today

There are numerous different ways you can wager on NBA games in 2022, such as the moneyline, spread, total, player and team props, and, of course, parlays. While we normally suggest taking our picks on their own, we recognize the need to service a parlay-loving audience! With that said, check out the fat payout you can get by throwing all of our best bets together tonight. 

🔥 Clippers +6 (-110)
🔥 Rockets -1 (-110) 
🔥 Nuggets PK (-110)

*All odds and lines correct at time of publishing