The 2025-26 National Basketball Association (NBA) season has a total of six games on the slate, including the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics meeting at 8:00 p.m. ET in the front end of the nationally-televised doubleheader on NBC and Peacock. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors meet at 11:00 p.m. ET in the second end of the doubleheader. We analyze Tuesday’s contests for the best bets. Let’s build our bankroll with our best NBA picks & predictions for Tuesday, December 2nd.
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Tuesday’s Best NBA Picks & Predictions
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All bets are for 1 unit
New York Knicks (-104) at Boston Celtics (-112) | O/U 231 (-110/-110)
The Knicks (13-6) and Celtics (11-9) meet at TD Garden at 8:00 p.m. ET in the first game of the NBC/Peacock doubleheader.
New York has managed a sparkling 10-1 record this season at Madison Square Garden, but it is just 3-5 so far on the road. Boston is 6-4 at home and 5-5 on the road. The Celtics are starting to get healthier, though, and that’s bad news for the rest of the Eastern Conference.
The Knicks will again be without key parts. OG Anunoby is still nursing a strained left hamstring. Landry Shamet will be out again due to a sprained left shoulder. For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum remains out. However, Neemias Queta (ankle) and Derrick White (calf) are each listed as probable and ready to roll.
New York has won and covered four straight games, and the Knicks have scored 113+ points in eight straight outings. Defensively, the Knicks have been outstanding recently, allowing 109 or fewer points in each of the four games during the win streak. The under has cashed four in a row.
Boston has won three of the past four games and six of the previous eight outings, while covering four in a row and five of the past six contests. The under is 4-2 in the past six games and 7-3 across the previous 10 contests.
These teams met once already this season, with the Knicks winning 105-95 as 3.5-point favorites as the under (231) cashed at Madison Square Garden. New York has won three of the past four meetings, including a Game 6 playoff series clincher on May 16th last season in the second round. The under is 4-2 in the past six encounters, too.
Let’s back the Knicks to get the job done, while going low on the total.
Picks: Knicks Moneyline (-108) & Under 231.5 Points (-110)
Oklahoma City Thunder (-590) at Golden State Warriors (+440) | O/U 222.5 (-110/-110)
The defending champ Thunder (20-1) is heads and tails better than they were in their championship season, and that has to be very scary for the rest of The Association. They’re 20-1, and the next best team is the Detroit Pistons at 17-4, while the Los Angeles Lakers are next up in the Western Conference at 15-5.
The Warriors (11-10) are barely keeping their collective heads above water, as Steph Curry has been sidelined. The heart and soul of the Dubs is nursing a bruised quadriceps injury, while Jimmy Butler is dealing with a left gluteal contusion, and he carries a questionable tag into the game. Al Horford is out with a right sciatic nerve irritation, too. The good news is that Draymond Green has been battling a mid-foot sprain, and he is probable for Tuesday’s battle.
Oklahoma City has won 12 in a row since November 5th, although the Thunder have failed to cover three in a row, while going just 2-6 against the spread (ATS) in the past eight outings. The over has cashed in two in a row, while the Thunder have scored 122+ points in two in a row, and four of the past five games. The Thunder have coughed up 117 points per game (PPG) in the past two games, too.
These teams met on November 11th in Oklahoma City, with the Thunder pounding the Warriors 126-102 as 8.5-point favorites in a game Curry played. Look for Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski to pick up the slack for Curry.
Golden State topped New Orleans 104-96 last time out, but it failed to cover as 10-point favorites. Golden State is just 2-4 straight up (SU) and 1-5 ATS in the past six games, while the under has cashed in two in a row. However, the over has a slight 4-3 edge in the past seven games, while going 8-5 in the past 13 outings.
Let’s go with the Thunder to beat the Warriors, and we’ll go high on the total.
Picks: Thunder -12 (-112) & Over 222.5 Points (-110)
Joe Williams is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Joe, check out his archive and follow him @winwithjoe