Peter’s Points: NBA Best Bets Today (Predictions, Prop Bets for Cooper Flagg, Pistons-Wizards, Hornets-Suns)

Early in the NBA season, Thursday nights aren’t usually as exciting, as the league is gearing up for a big NBA Cup slate on Friday and avoiding competing with Thursday Night Football.

Still, there are some interesting matchups that come about, and we have a few on Nov. 12 with the Philadelphia 76ers, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves all set to take the floor:

Toronto Raptors vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Detroit Pistons vs. Washington Wizards
Dallas Mavericks vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
Charlotte Hornets vs. Phoenix Suns

There are a few injuries that could define this slate, as Kon Knueppel, Anthony Edwrds and Jalen Duren remain out while both Scottie Barnes and Kawhi Leonard were sidelined for Toronto on Wednesday against Boston. Plus, the 76ers have listed LeBron James and Joel Embiid as questionable as they look to rebound from Tuesday’s blowout loss.

So, that could make betting on the NBA a little tricky on Nov. 12. First, let’s recap my one major takeaway from Wednesday’s 10-game slate before we dive into a few plays for tonight’s action.

Dew’s Review: More injuries took some of the fun out of action on Wednesday, as Caleb Wilson (hand), Luka Doncic (ankle), Austin Reaves (heel) and Steph Curry (abdominal) all went down. If Curry misses extended time, it’s a major blow to the Warriors’ playoff hopes. For the Lakers, J.J. Redick did have a positive update on Doncic, calling his injury a “light tweak,” but Reaves is set to undergo imaging on Thursday. There’s no real takeaway in terms of a fix, I just hope we don’t see any more star players miss extended time this early in the season.

Peter’s Point: With just four games on Thursday night, I’m focused on the Dallas Mavericks vs. Minnesota Timberwolves matchup – even though Anthony Edwards is out. Dallas has gotten off to a strong start under new head coach Dusty May, and Cooper Flagg has looked like an All-NBA candidate through the first three weeks of the season. Minnesota, on the other hand, is weathering the storm with Edwards sidelined, ranking in the top-five in the NBA in defensive rating. The Wolves have some impressive wins, including one against Houston, since Ant went down, and LaMelo Ball and Ayo Dosunmu have really held things down in the backcourt. This is a nice test for a Mavs team that may be able to get into the play-in tournament – or better – in the West this season.

This hasn’t been the best week when it comes to my picks in Peter’s Points, but there’s still a long season ahead to turn things around.

On Thursday, I’m eyeing Cooper Flagg to headline this edition, as well as a play for the Detroit Pistons vs. Washington Wizards matchup.

Peter Dewey NBA Betting Record

2026-27 season record: 31-34 (-7.02 units)
OVERALL (since 2021-22 season): 1652-1562-27 (+23.14 units)

Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

NBA Best Bets Today

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Cooper Flagg 37+ Points, Rebounds and Assists (-120)
Detroit Pistons-Phoenix Suns Moneyline Parlay (-137)

Cooper Flagg 37+ Points, Rebounds and Assists (-120)

Flagg has gotten off to a great start in his second NBA season, averaging 25.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game (39.7 PRA) while shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 29.2 percent from 3.

Once the 3-point shot comes along for the 2025 No. 1 overall pick, he’s going to be one of the most dynamic offensive players in the game. Still, Flagg has put up huge numbers this season, picking up 37 or more points, rebounds and assists in six of his 10 games. He only finished nine of those games, as a shoulder injury knocked him out of the second game of the season against Indiana.

So, Flagg has hit the line at a pretty high rate in the 2026-27 season.

While the Timberwolves are a top-five defense, it’s hard not to bet on Flagg’s usage, especially after he dropped 43 points against Indiana on Nov. 9.

Flagg is taking 18.0 shots per game and averaging 12.2 potential assists and 12.5 rebound chances per game. That gives him a really high floor in this market, even against one of the best defenses in the NBA.

Detroit Pistons-Phoenix Suns Moneyline Parlay (-137)

I’m targeting a moneyline parlay to close the night, and a Detroit win would give us an opportunity to hedge with the short-handed Hornets as underdogs against Phoenix in the late game.

Here’s a breakdown for each side I’m on tonight.

Detroit Pistons

The Pistons picked up an 11-point win over Washington on Monday, and they have a major rest advantage heading into Thursday’s matchup.

Detroit was able to beat Washington despite 44 points from Anthony Davis, and there’s a chance the Wizards end up resting the veteran forward on the second night of a back-to-back after losing to Indiana on Wednesday.

Washington has dropped five games in a row, and it has fallen to just 23rd in the NBA in net rating. The Wizards’ defense has been decent (17th in defensive rating), but the team is just 26th in offense and now has to take on a Pistons team that is third in the league in defensive rating and sixth in net rating.

Detroit has weathered the storm with Jalen Duren out of the lineup, and it hung 122 points on the Wizards in Monday’s meeting. Detroit is also 7-3 against the spread while Washington has covered in just four of 11 games as an underdog this season.

Phoenix Suns

The Suns are off to a slow start in the 2026-27 season, but they’ve been a much better team at home (4-3) than on the road (0-3) through 10 games.

Phoenix has some impressive home wins over the Los Angeles Clippers, Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets this month, and it’s now 20th in the league in net rating while posting the No. 13 offense in the league.

Meanwhile, the Hornets are 27th in net rating, dead last in offensive rating and 19th in defensive rating so far this season. While Charlotte has been better than Phoenix on the defensive end, this offense has been lost without LaMelo Ball (traded to Minnesota).

To make matters worse, Dennis Schroder, Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel are all out on Thursday. While the Hornets won without them on Monday, they had by far their best shooting night of the season in that game.

I’m not sold that they’ll be able to replicate that on the road, and this Suns team has put up some big scoring games at home (133 points in their last home game) against lesser opponents.

Ultimately, I just don’t think the Hornets can survive with Miller and Knueppel out for much longer, as they’re already averaging less than 100 points per game this season.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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