NBA picks today: Best bets and predictions for every game | 29 October 2026

Three games make up tonight's NBA schedule on Thursday, 29 October, and all three tip off in the early hours of Friday morning in the UK.

The headline act sees two unbeaten sides collide as Ja Morant faces his former team for the first time since Memphis moved on from him, now lined up for Portland alongside Damian Lillard.

Elsewhere, Cleveland and Atlanta both play the second night of a back-to-back, while two of the West's still-winless sides, Sacramento and New Orleans, meet in search of a first result.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Atlanta Hawks

Cleveland head to Atlanta on a three-game unbeaten run, sitting 3-1 and 5th in the Eastern Conference, while the Hawks are 2-3 and have lost three in a row since their opening-night win. Both sides play the second night of a back-to-back tonight.

The Over 239.5 points is built on Atlanta's recent scoring. The Hawks have gone over 220 combined points in each of their last two games, averaging 240.5 points per contest across that stretch.

Atlanta remain without Mouhamed Gueye, who had surgery on a fractured left foot over the summer, and centre Henri Veesaar, who is out for the season. Cleveland are also missing forward N. Tomlin.

With both teams on the second night of a back-to-back and Atlanta down two frontcourt regulars, this has the look of a bench-heavy, open finish that favours the total staying high.

Sacramento Kings vs New Orleans Pelicans

Sacramento and New Orleans arrive both winless at 0-4, sitting 15th and 14th in the Western Conference respectively. The Pelicans are the more tired side, playing their second night running after a 13-point road loss at Denver, while the Kings had a full day off.

The Kings +5.5 leans on that rest gap. New Orleans are on zero rest while Sacramento gets a normal turnaround, which narrows a line built around two sides that have both struggled badly to start the season.

New Orleans also list Jordan Poole as questionable with an ankle issue and Yves Missi out with a knee injury. Sacramento are missing four regulars, including Keegan Murray, D. Cardwell, M. Raynaud and B. Simmons.

With the Pelicans fatigued on the road and both teams already thin in the rotation, the extra half-possession in the spread looks generous to a Kings side getting the fresher legs tonight.

Memphis Grizzlies vs Portland Trail Blazers

Memphis arrive in Portland both sides still unbeaten, the Grizzlies 4-0 and 2nd in the West, the Trail Blazers 3-0 and 3rd. It is also Ja Morant's first game against his former team since Memphis moved on from him in the off-season.

The Trail Blazers -7.5 is backed by the underlying numbers. Portland's net rating sits at plus 16.9 against Memphis's plus 9.7, and the Trail Blazers are averaging 129.3 points per game at home this season on 51.1% team shooting.

Portland are blending a returning Damian Lillard, back after roughly 16 months recovering from an Achilles tear, with the newly added Morant under first-year head coach Micah Nori. Shaedon Sharpe is out with a knee injury and C. Youngblood is sidelined with an ankle issue.

Memphis were widely projected for fewer than 30 wins this season in a rebuilding year, which makes their unbeaten start notable. Even so, a true road game against a Portland side scoring freely at home looks like the sterner test of the two.