NBA Best bets: Dallas to Keep It Close, Jazz to Cover Tonight

Segment Spotlight: Quick Hits From Game Time Decisions

Dallas and Utah Backed to Keep Tonight’s Matchups Close

The Lakers and Clippers headline the late-night action, while the Thunder also face the Mavericks. Dallas is the pick to keep its game close behind Cooper Flagg, who looks poised to dominate the league. Oklahoma City is dealing with the emotional toll of losing two of its best players and starters for the season, along with the absence of Chet Holmgren.

Utah is also an appealing choice against San Antonio. The Spurs should not be laying that many points on the road, especially on the second night of a back-to-back in Utah’s altitude. San Antonio was an 18.5-point favorite against Sacramento and covered comfortably, winning 130-103.

Jaren Jackson Junior is now out for Utah, taking away an important player and defender, while Nurschik is already unavailable. Even so, Utah still has multiple scoring options capable of going toe to toe with San Antonio.

With such a large spread and a long season to manage, San Antonio could turn to its bench late. That may create an opportunity for Utah to secure a backdoor cover in the fourth quarter.