NBA picks today: Best bets and predictions for every game | November 8

Seven games make up Sunday 8 November's NBA schedule, tipping off at 8.30pm GMT and running into the early hours of Monday. Five of the 14 teams in action have won only once all season, and Luka Doncic is questionable for the Lakers' trip to Detroit.

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Chicago Bulls prediction

The 76ers finish a three-game road trip a day after a 95-119 defeat at Cleveland. The Bulls have had three days off since losing 105-135 at New York, but they are still searching for a second win this season. Chicago have lost both home games, conceding 124 and 133 points.

76ers -9.5 is the pick because Chicago have lost five straight by an average of 20.8 points and concede 129.6 per game, a net rating of -17.5 against Philadelphia's +2.5. Joel Embiid is probable with a foot problem.

For lineups, player props and a full score prediction, read our full breakdown of 76ers vs. Bulls ahead of tip-off.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Detroit Pistons prediction

Los Angeles have won four in a row, powered by Luka Doncic's 53-point night against Portland and a 45-point game against Toronto, but this is the first game of a back-to-back with Atlanta to follow. Detroit arrive with three days' rest.

Pistons -4.5 rests on a defence conceding 103.0 points per 100 possessions, giving Detroit a net rating of +9.4 against +7.8 for the Lakers. Doncic is questionable with back tightness, and the Pistons swept this series last season.

Our full breakdown of Lakers vs. Pistons covers lineups, player props and a score prediction for the game at Little Caesars Arena.

Utah Jazz vs. Minnesota Timberwolves prediction

The Timberwolves open an eight-game homestand against a Jazz side that has lost five in a row and is winless in four road games. Minnesota have won four of their last five, including road victories at Houston and New Orleans.

Timberwolves -11.5 is the pick because Minnesota's home games have produced an average margin of +14.0 points, while Utah's road games have gone the other way at -15.3. A spread of 11.5 sits well inside that gap, and Utah's net rating of -11.2 backs it up. The Jazz score only 106.9 points per game against Minnesota's 118.4.

Depth is why Minnesota can cope without Anthony Edwards, who is out. LaMelo Ball, Ayo Dosunmu, Jaden McDaniels and Jonathan Kuminga each average between 13.1 and 17.7 points, so the Wolves do not need one player to carry the scoring. Joan Beringer, the backup centre, is questionable with a nose injury.

Utah's offence runs through Keyonte George at 21.3 points per game, and Lauri Markkanen, the second-leading scorer at 18.0, is questionable with a wrist sprain. Jaren Jackson Jr. is out, which leaves the Jazz thin up front against Rudy Gobert.

Brooklyn Nets vs. Dallas Mavericks prediction

Brooklyn play the second night of a back-to-back after Saturday's 121-124 defeat at Atlanta. Dallas beat Utah 112-100 on Friday and have had a full day to prepare, which makes the rest gap the first thing to weigh.

Nets +9.5 is the pick despite the back-to-back, because Dallas have outscored visitors by only 2.0 points per game at home this season. A spread of 9.5 asks the Mavericks to beat their own home record by a distance. Brooklyn's net rating of -5.9 is poor, yet Dallas's own +1.1 shows how thin the gap is.

Brooklyn also keep road games closer than a 1-4 away record suggests, with three of their five games decided by five points or fewer, including Saturday's loss at Atlanta by three. That profile gives them a route to covering even if the legs are heavy.

Brooklyn are without Mikel Brown Jr. and Egor Demin, both out, which leaves Julius Randle (20.8 points, 5.1 assists) and Michael Porter Jr. (21.8 points) to carry the offence. Dallas have gaps too, though Cooper Flagg averages 23.9 points and Kyrie Irving 21.4, with Dereck Lively, Tarik Biberovic and Sergio de Larrea all out.

Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks prediction

Boston visit Milwaukee four days after winning 109-102 at TD Garden. The Bucks have lost three straight at Fiserv Forum and are 1-4 at home, while the Celtics are 2-2 away from Boston. Milwaukee's last home game ended in a 107-121 defeat to Toronto.

Celtics -12.5 is supported by the margins, with Milwaukee's home games averaging -14.0 and Boston's road games +6.5. The net-rating split is wider still, at +10.3 for the Celtics and -12.0 for the Bucks, which supports a double-digit spread. Boston's offence rates 116.7 per 100 possessions against a Bucks defence at 118.6.

Boston concede 105.1 points per game and Milwaukee concede 122.1, a gap of 17 points that Jayson Tatum, averaging 27.9 points and 8.0 assists, can exploit. Tyler Herro scores 22.3 for the Bucks, but nobody else on the roster reaches 17.

Neither team has a player on the injury report, so there is no late-news risk behind a spread this large. Boston's last defeat was 93-109 at Houston on the second night of a back-to-back, and they have won twice since, including a 119-80 rout at Charlotte.

New Orleans Pelicans vs. LA Clippers prediction

New Orleans had won four in a row, the last two in overtime, before Friday's 115-109 home defeat to Minnesota. They open a two-game California trip at the Clippers, who have lost seven straight.

Over 228.5 points fits a Pelicans side whose three road games have averaged 261.3 combined points, all three finishing above 230. It is a small sample, but New Orleans also score 120.2 points per game. The Clippers' home games average 220.8 combined points, so it is the Pelicans who push this beyond 228.

The Clippers supply the extra possessions, turning it over 20.1 times per game, the most in the NBA, with Darius Garland alone averaging a league-high 5.5, and conceding 115.6 points per game. Rest favours Los Angeles, with three days off against one for the Pelicans, but their defence still leaks.

Los Angeles led Miami by 10 late on Wednesday before losing 117-116 in overtime, and Brandon Ingram, who is out, has yet to play for the club. Yves Missi is also out for New Orleans, so Karlo Matkovic carries the centre minutes.

Miami Heat vs. Sacramento Kings prediction

Miami lost 100-120 at Golden State on Thursday, the second night of a back-to-back, when Giannis Antetokounmpo had 20 points and 14 rebounds, and now face a Kings side that matched its franchise record for the worst nine-game start. Sacramento are 0-4 at home.

Under 238.5 points is built on the splits, with Miami's road games averaging 235.8 combined points and Sacramento's home games 233.8. Both averages sit below the line, but only by between three and five points, so the pick leans on the Kings' slow home scoring.

The risk is a Kings defence that has allowed 120 or more in seven of nine games. Against that, Sacramento score only 111.0 points per game at home, which holds the combined total down even when the defence leaks.

Keegan Murray is questionable with an ankle injury for Sacramento. The scoring load sits with Giannis Antetokounmpo (27.3 points, 12.7 rebounds) for Miami and rookie Darius Acuff Jr. (25.2 points, 7.1 assists) for the Kings, the two highest scorers in the game.