NBA Best Bets: Top Basketball Betting Picks for Wednesday (Oct. 22)

The 2025-26 NBA season gets its first loaded Wednesday slate of the year, and we’ve got three best bets ready to roll. At Madison Square Garden, the Knicks look to start strong as home underdogs against a banged-up Cavaliers squad. In Boston, the retooled Celtics open against the 76ers, where Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey aim to take advantage of Boston’s thin frontcourt. Down in Orlando, the Magic’s elite defense hosts a Heat team searching for scoring.

From plus-money home value to sharp spreads and team totals, tonight’s board offers strong betting opportunities as the season gets rolling.

Let’s start off with a bang!

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New York Knicks Moneyline (+100) vs Cleveland Cavaliers

Is there any sweeter time than opening night at the Garden. The New York Knicks begin their 2025-26 campaign at Madison Square, hosting last year’s Eastern Conference regular-season darlings, the Cleveland Cavaliers. To our delight, we are getting plus money on the Knicks at home, something that doesn’t happen every day. New York is a +1.5-point dog, but we are happy to take them straight up for even money.

The Knicks come into this one a little banged up, with Josh Hart (back) and Mitchell Robinson (load management) already ruled out. At the same time, Karl-Anthony Towns (quadriceps) is questionable, and OG Anunoby (ankle) is probable. Expect a heavy dosage of Jalen Brunson, who averaged 24.7 points in three games against the Cavs last season. 

New York will also have to rely on a calling card from last season – defense. The Knicks ranked ninth, allowing 111.7 points per game last year, and were a smidge better at home, giving up 110.8 per game. That D helped propel New York to the eighth-best home record in the league, where they went 27-14 at MSG. The Knicks stoppers will also get a little help thanks to the injury bug in Cleveland.

Darius Garland (toe) has already been ruled out, which is great news for NYK fans, as he was a bit of a Knick-killer last season. Garland had big games of 34 and 26 points in Cavs wins over New York in 2024-25, and his absence leaves a large hole in Cleveland’s backcourt. 

Even though the Knicks struggled against Cleveland last season, Garland’s injury, Brunson’s success, and getting plus-money at home are all great reasons to love New York tonight.

CLE vs NYK Odds & Predictions, Free Picks, Prop Bets Today & Injury Updates

Philadelphia 76ers +3.5 Spread (-108) at Boston Celtics

What a difference a year makes. The once-mighty Boston Celtics are a completely different team to start the 2025-26 campaign. Gone are Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Jrue Holiday, who the Celts shipped out in the offseason, while Jayson Tatum may miss the entire season with a ruptured right Achilles tendon he suffered in last year’s playoffs. If Jaylen Brown (questionable, hamstring) plays tonight, he will now lead a very different-looking team, one that I expect will need some time to gel and adjust to their new roles. If Brown is out, this 3.5-point line in Boston’s favor will swing quickly to the team, usually concerned with injury issues, the Philadelphia 76ers. 

Philly comes into their season opener at TD Garden relatively healthy, although Paul George will miss tonight’s game. Their most crucial piece, Joel Embiid, is not on the injury report and should be a significant factor tonight. Without Porzingis and Horford, the Celtics are small up front and really lack big man depth. No one on Boston’s roster can hang with Embiid in the paint, and the C’s will likely go small a lot this evening. Averaging an impressive double-double of 27.1 points and 11.4 rebounds in 26 career regular-season meetings with Boston, Philly’s dominant center should be in store for a big night in Beantown. 

I also expect Tyrese Maxey to continue his NBA ascent after a fantastic season last year, where he averaged 26.3 PPG, despite being limited to 52 regular-season contests. Maxey was a machine against Boston last year, averaging 27.7 points on 50% shooting to go along with 8.3 assists over three meetings. Healthy and ready to go, I expect this former Kentucky Wildcat to bring his game face to Boston.

While I’m choosing a safer route with the spread, taking a shot on the +138 moneyline is not a bad play either. Like I said earlier, if Brown sits, the Sixers immediately jump to the favorite. While Embiid may not have a full load, he should do enough damage against this new-look Celtics squad to keep Philly in it until the final buzzer, while Maxey will continue to shine. The Sixers are a solid play tonight.

PHI vs BOS Odds & Predictions, Free Picks, Prop Bets Today & Injury Updates

Miami Heat Under 103.5 (-115) Team Total at Orlando Magic 

A divisional all-Florida Southeast slugfest opens the season at the Kia Center as the Orlando Magic host the Miami Heat to kick off 2025-26. While this one may not be pretty with just a 215.5 game total, I’m banking on Miami tossing most of those bricks tonight.

After the Heat sent Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors ahead of last year’s trade deadline, they really struggled carving out an identity on offense. For so long, Butler was Miami’s leading scorer, go-to-guy, and top option in the clutch. Without him, Miami limped to the 2025 finish line with a 37-45 record, missing the playoffs and struggling to put up points on a regular basis. The Heat sat seventh from the bottom in scoring last year, putting up just 110.6 points per game. 

Miami also had some ugly showings against its divisional rivals, the Orlando Magic. The Heat were held under 100 points twice by Orlando, averaging just 92.5 points per game across those two defeats. Miami’s shooting was atrocious in both games, failing to hit more than 41% of its shots from the field. Tonight, they may see similar struggles without their best shooter.

Tyler Herro, who led the Heat in scoring last season and was the only Miami player to average more than 20 a game, putting up 23.9 PPG on 47.2 percent shooting, is out after undergoing foot surgery. Herro, who also led the team in threes, hitting 3.3 per game, while shooting 37.5 percent from deep, is expected to miss at least another month. This is a big loss for the Heat, as the former 13th overall pick played in all four meetings with the Magic last season, averaging 21.5 points per game. 

In addition to missing Herro, it doesn’t help Miami’s offensive cause that the Magic allowed a league-low 105.2 points per game last year. Orlando was as stingy as they come in 2024-25, holding opponents to 38.1 percent shooting from the field and a league-low 11.4 threes per game. 

It’s going to be a long night for the Miami offense, as the big underdogs will struggle to find their shots against an elite defense.

MIA vs ORL Odds & Predictions, Free Picks, Prop Bets Today & Injury Updates

Wednesday NBA Best Bets

• New York Knicks Moneyline (+100)
• Philadelphia 76ers +3.5 Spread (-108)
• Miami Heat Under 103.5 (-115)

Odds Subject to Change. Get the Most Up-to-Date Odds Here.