NBA Odds, Picks & Predictions: Monday (12/15)
The 2025-26 National Basketball Association (NBA) has a total of five games on the schedule, with the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics meeting at 7:00 p.m. ET on Peacock in the front-end of a nationally televised game, with the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets meeting in the second end at 9:30 p.m. Let’s build our bankroll with our best NBA picks & predictions for Monday, December 15th.
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Monday’s Best NBA Picks & Predictions
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All bets are for 1 unit
Toronto Raptors (+188) at Miami Heat (-225) | O/U 234.5 (-106/-114)
The Raptors (15-11) and the Heat (14-11) meet at Kaseya Center in Miami at 7:30 p.m. EST.
This is the first meeting of the season. Miami picked up three victories in four regular-season matchups last season, including a pair of 10-point victories at home. The teams split 2-2 against the spread (ATS) in the four meetings, with the over going 3-1 in those matchups. Miami is 5-1 straight up (SU) in the previous six installments, while Toronto actually holds a 6-4 ATS advantage in the past 10 in the series since November 16th, 2022. The over has hit in five of the past six in the series, too.
Toronto limps into this game on a four-game losing streak, and just a single 121-118 win and non-cover over the Portland Trail Blazers on December 2nd in its past seven outings. The Raptors have failed to cover in eight in a row, too. As far as the total, the under is 7-3 in the past 10 games, while going 9-4 across the past 13 outings.
Miami is on a four-game nosedive, too, scoring 111 or fewer points in the skid. Like Toronto, the Heat have also had a difficult time covering, going just 2-6 ATS in the past eight games. The under has hit in four in a row.
Going low on the total goes against the series trends, but that’s the best play on the board. As far as the line, it’s tough to trust either team the way they’re going. But, Miami at home is the lean, as Toronto has failed to cover in eight in a row. But, really lean into the under, as that’s the better option.
Picks: Heat -6 (-110) & Under 234.5 Points (-114)
Dallas Mavericks (-118) at Utah Jazz (+100) | O/U 239.5 (-110/-110)
On the surface, a matchup between the Mavericks (10-16) and Jazz (9-16) at Delta Center in Salt Lake City at 9:00 p.m. ET looks like a dog, but it’s actually an intriguing matchup.
These teams have already met three times this season, with the Mavericks winning two of the three games, with the Jazz going 2-1 ATS in the span. The under has cashed in all three meetings, while going a perfect 6-0 in the past six installments since January 1st, 2024.
Dallas has won four of the past five meetings in this series, while going 7-2 SU in the past nine since February 6th, 2023.
The most recent meeting was on November 30th, 2024, in Salt Lake City - a 106-94 victory by the Mavericks as a 6-point favorite, as the under (229) cashed. Dallas went 46% (41-of-90) from the field and 60% (9-of-15) from the free-throw line. Daniel Gafford scored 14 points with 11 rebounds off the bench for a double-double, while P.J. Washington also had a double-double with 16 points and 11 boards. Kyrie Irving was good for a team-high 30 points.
While the Jazz had a 52 to 48 rebounding margin, it also turned the ball over three more times (15), while hitting only 36% (34-of-95) from the field and 23% (9-of-39) from behind the arc. Utah did have five players with 13+ points, led by Walker Kessler, who had 18 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks.
We’re going to side with the Jazz to get the job done at even money, and it makes very little sense to take the small amount of points on an underdog. Back the Moneyline, and go low on the total. Like the game above, the under is a stronger play than the side.
Picks: Jazz Moneyline (+100) & Under 239.5 Points (-110)
Joe Williams is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Joe, check out his archive and follow him @winwithjoe