The NBA Cup continues Saturday with nine games in total across the two conferences. One of the highlights will be the Nuggets visiting the Rockets in the West, while the Heat and Bulls clashing in the East could be a close contest. Here are our three best bets and player prop bets for the day!
NBA Betting Tips: Saturday, November 22nd 2025
Miami Heat at Chicago Bulls (12:00pm AEDT)
The Chicago Bulls (8-6) host the Miami Heat (9-6) in NBA Cup Group Play, and the Bulls will have nightmares as the Heat have constantly ended their Playoff dreams in Play-In games. The stakes aren’t as high here, but the two teams continue to hover near each other in the standings – the Heat are sixth in the East, and the Bulls are seventh.
Chicago almost threw away a huge lead against the Portland Trail Blazers last game before center Nikola Vucevic hit a three-point buzzer beater. Coby White may rest as he recovers from injury for the Bulls, while Andrew Wiggins, Tyler Herro and Nikola Jovic are out for the Heat.
Bam Adebayo and Norman Powell will do the heavy lifting offensively for the Heat and this should be a high-scoring contest with both teams leading the league in pace, and both in the top four for points per game. Adebayo often scores 20+ points against Vucevic and the Bulls, so I like his chances of scoring well in this contest with Wiggins out.
Player Prop: B. Adebayo Over 20.5 Points $1.90 (1 Unit)
Miami Heat to Win
$2.10 (1.5 Units)
New Orleans Pelicans at Dallas Mavericks (12:30pm AEDT)
The Dallas Mavericks (4-12) have had a shocking start to the season, and they will be looking for an important win when they host a struggling New Orleans Pelicans (2-13). The Mavs will be without Anthony Davis, which means rookie Cooper Flagg, P.J. Washington and D’Angelo Russell become key offensive pieces for the game. Klay Thompson will likely attempt the most threes for the team, but he is a shell of the superstar that he was in Golden State.
Zion Williamson is the key for the Pelicans and this game could be decided by whichever team shoots the ball better for 48 minutes. The Pelicans score the fewest points per game in the league, and the Mavericks aren’t much better, sitting 27th. Most of the offensive metrics rank in the bottom third in the NBA so don’t tune in if you are expecting to see an offensive masterclass.
With home court advantage, and a poor defensive team facing them, the Mavericks should boast enough firepower to cover the small line of -3.5. Hoping Flagg can have a breakout game here.
Player Prop: C. Flagg 20+ Points $2.95 (0.8 Units), 30+ Points $17 (0.2 Units)
Dallas Mavericks -3.5
$1.95 (1 Unit)
Denver Nuggets at Houston Rockets (1:30pm AEDT)
The highlight on the day’s schedule will see the Houston Rockets (10-3) host the Denver Nuggets (11-3) in a battle between two heavyweight teams. It will be Kevin Durant vs Nikola Jokic – two of the biggest names in basketball! Jokic is on a tear right now, averaging 29.1-13.2-11.1 and playing at an MVP level.
Aaron Gordon is likely to play which makes a big difference, if he is a late out, then the Rockets will have a distinct advantage in the contest. Regardless, the Rockets are playing excellent team basketball. They are the best offensive team in the league and the Nuggets are right there with them. Neither team is a gun-and-run offense though, with the Rockets playing methodical offense drawn up by Ime Udoka, who is showing he is one of the best NBA coaches.
With Jokic likely to put up insane numbers, expect triple double territory, Durant will likely want to make a statement of his own, just to remind everyone he is still an elite talent at the age of 37.
Player Prop: K. Durant Over 26.5 Points $1.86 (1 Unit)
Houston Rockets -2.5
$1.90 (1.5 Units)
