Predictions & Picks, NBA Best Bets for Friday, November 7
Summary
Two NBA in-season tournament games feature teams with identical 5-2 records as the Houston Rockets visit the San Antonio Spurs. The Rockets bring a high-powered offense and a five-game winning streak, led by Alperen Şengün and Kevin Durant. They are favored to defeat the Spurs, who have lost two consecutive games despite Victor Wembanyama’s strong performances. The prediction gives Houston the edge to cover the -2 spread.
In another matchup, the 8-1 Oklahoma City Thunder face the 3-5 Sacramento Kings. The Thunder are heavily favored following their first loss of the season and are expected to bounce back strongly against a Kings team missing key players like Domantas Sabonis. With a potent offense and a history of recent dominance in this series, Oklahoma City is predicted to cover the large -8.5 point spread.
Houston Rockets (5-2) vs. San Antonio Spurs (5-2) 7:30 p.m. EST
| Spread | ML | Total | |
| Rockets | -2 (-110) | -130 | O226.5 (-110) |
| Spurs | +2 (-110) | +110 | U226.5 (-110) |
Preview
The Rockets arrive in San Antonio riding a 5-2 record and bring a high-octane offensive attack. They average roughly 124.7 points per game, shoot nearly 49.3% from the field, and bring a strong rebound presence (49.9 per game) so far this season. Their roster is firing: Alperen Şengün (22.4 points, 9.9 rebounds per game) and Kevin Durant (24.0 points per game) are leading the way. The Spurs, meanwhile, also come in strong at 5-1 and are stout defensively for stretches, albeit conceding 117.9 points per game and 46.4 rebounds.
Key match-ups
The Rockets’ pace and scoring menace will test San Antonio’s defensive cohesion. The Spurs’ standout is Victor Wembanyama, averaging 25+ points and nearly 13 boards — he’ll need to be engaged on both ends. If Houston can dominate transition and control the glass, they’ll put the Spurs on their heels. On the flip side, San Antonio at home has motivation to win their opening NBA Cup group game and can lean on home-court energy.
Injuries/Availability
The Rockets are missing Fred VanVleet (out for season) and have some day-to-day with Steven Adams and Dorian Finney‑Smith.
The Spurs list De’Aaron Fox day-to-day with a hamstring and Luke Kornet day-to-day with an ankle.
Prediction
The edge goes to Houston as the Rockets have been red hot winning 5 straight while the Spurs have sputtered after a great start, losing two in a row. Kevin Durant and Alperen Şengün should be able to outscore the Spurs and win this NBA Cup matchup. BEST BET: Houston -2
Oklahoma Thunder (8-1) vs. Sacramento Kings (3-5) 10:00 p.m. EST
| Spread | ML | Total | |
| Thunder | -8.5 (-110) | -380 | O227 (-110) |
| Kings | +8.5 (-110) | +300 | U227 (-110) |
Preview
The Oklahoma City Thunder visit the Sacramento Kinds in an NBA Cup in-season tournament group play matchup.
The Thunder are coming off their first loss of the season, a 121-119 defeat at the hands of the Trail Blazers. As usual, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team in scoring with 35 points. SGA is having another MVP type season averaging 33.3 points, 5.4 boards and 6.3 assists per game and surprisingly is delivering on defense, with 0.9 steals and 1.2 blocks per contest.
The Kings are coming off their biggest win of the season as Russell Westbrook recorded his NBA-record 204th career triple-double as Sacramento upset Golden State 121-116 Wednesday night. Dennis Schroder nailed hit three 3-pointers in the 11-0 run that broke a 104-all tie in the fourth quarter while Westbrook finished the night with 23 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists. DeMar DeRozan led the Kings with 25 points. Still, Sacramento are shorthanded as they are missing Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray and Zach LaVine.
Prediction
OKC is too good of a team to lose two in a game and has beaten the Kings in six straight. The big quesiton is can they cover this large spread? Sacramento gives up the fifth most points per game (120.4) while the Thunder score 122 PPG, fifth most in the NBA. This wreaks of a potential blowout with OKC getting back on track in a big win. BEST BET: Thunder -8.5
INJURIES: Kings: Domantas Sabonis: day to day (ribcage), Keegan Murray: out (thumb), Zach LaVine: day to day (back).
Thunder: Luguentz Dort: day to day (shoulder), Nikola Topic: out (groin), Chet Holmgren: day to day (back), Jalen Williams: out (wrist), Kenrich Williams: out (knee), Thomas Sorber: out for season (knee).
Toronto Raptors (4-4) vs. Atlanta Hawks (4-4) 7:30 p.m. EST
| Spread | ML | Total | |
| Raptors | -2 (-110) | -130 | O234.5 (-110) |
| Hawks | +2 (-110) | +110 | U234.5 (-110) |
Preview
The Raptors have won three straight to get back to .500 at 4-4 while the Hawks are also 4-4 and have won three of their last four games. The biggest concern has been the offense as the Hawks are without their best player, Trae Young (knee) who remains out of action. The Raptors have shown offensive strength this season, averaging around 120.5 points per game and are led by a trio of players, as Brandon Ingram, Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett are all averaging about 21 points a game this season. They should find success against an Atlanta defense that is near the lower half of the NBA allowing 117 points per contest.
Prediction
The Raptors have dominated this series recently winning three straight over the Hawks and four of the last five meeting. With Young out, Atlanta will rely more on secondary scoring and depth, which might allow Toronto to exploit mismatches, especially with Barrett and Barnes up front. With this being a NBA Cup game, and with a tight spread, solid defense late, should also keep this close. BEST BET: Raptors -2, and OVER 234.5.
