Peter’s Points: NBA Best Bets Today (Predictions, Prop Bets for Luka Doncic, Trae Young, Celtics vs. Hornets)

Week 2 of NBA Cup Group Play is upon us on Friday with a massive nine-game slate, as several teams look to position themselves for a run into the quarterfinals.

There are several high-profile games on Friday, led by the one-loss Philadelphia 76ers taking on the Cleveland Cavaliers and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder facing No. 3 overall pick Cameron Boozer and the Memphis Grizzlies.

Now, I know some of my loyal and appreciated readers wanted some picks for the NBA Cup action last week, and I didn’t have an edition of Peter’s Points to share. So, we’re changing that on Friday.

But, before I get into the picks, it’s time for our two recurring segments in this column after an interesting two-game night on Thursday.

Dew’s Review: Make it six in a row for the Golden State Warriors behind another 29 points from Steph Curry. The Warriors star has this team in the thick of the playoff race, and there is the looming Jimmy Butler return that could make the Warriors even more dangerous in a suddenly open Western Conference.

Peter’s Point: The 76ers are mowing through Eastern Conference opponents, beating the New York Knicks twice (including in the NBA Cup last week), and they just took down the Detroit Pistons. The starting lineup of Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James and Joel Embiid may be the best in the league when healthy, and Philly gets another test against an East contender in the Cavs, who are 4-4 this season. Cleveland has some things to figure out on the wing this season after dealing for Peyton Watson, and this is a nice test for both squads as they battle for superiority in the East this season.

The last big-time slate of games this week (Wednesday) didn’t produce a ton of winners in this column, but I’m aiming to turn that around with three picks for Friday’s NBA Cup action, including a bet for Luka Doncic.

Peter Dewey NBA Betting Record

2026-27 season record: 25-24 (-1.97 units)
OVERALL (since 2021-22 season): 1646-1552-27 (+28.19 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

Boston Celtics First Half -4.5 (-115) vs. Charlotte Hornets
Trae Young UNDER 2.5 3-Pointers Made (-139)
Luka Doncic OVER 4.5 3-Pointers Made (-125)

Boston Celtics First Half -4.5 (-115) vs. Charlotte Hornets

There’s a trend that I’ll be betting a lot this season when it comes to Boston, especially at home and when it’s facing one of the worst teams in the league.

Over the last three seasons, Boston has been one of the best teams in the NBA against the spread in the first half, and Joe Mazzulla’s high-octane offense has led to an impressive first-half net rating this season after the team covered against Milwaukee on Wednesday.

Celtics First Half ATS Record

2025-26 season: 53-31-1 (+17.05 units)
2024-25 season: 48-45-0 (-4.35 units)
2023-24 season: 66-34-1 (+26.05 units)

Boston is No. 2 in the league in first-half net rating (plus-18.1) this season while the Hornets are 19th (minus-1.1). In addition to that, the C’s are a much better offense than this Charlotte team that is once again without Kon Knueppel after he was injured in his return on Wednesday.

The Hornets are dead last in the league in offensive rating while Boston is eighth, and Charles Lee is running a similar style offense to Mazzulla after he was an assistant under Mazzulla earlier in his career.

I think this matchup sets up well for the C’s with Jayson Tatum returning after resting on Wednesday.

Trae Young UNDER 2.5 3-Pointers Made (-139)

Wizards guard Trae Young has a tough matchup on Friday night against an Atlanta Hawks defense that he faced on Wednesday and put up 18 points and six dimes against in a loss. Young was just 2-for-6 from 3 in that game.

The Hawks are No. 1 in the league in opponent 3-pointers made per game and No. 3 in opponent 3-point percentage through the first two-plus weeks of the season, allowing less than 11 3s per game.

Young’s shooting hasn’t been great in the 2026-27 campaign, as he’s hitting just 40.6 percent of his shots from the field and 27.8 percent of his 3-point attempts.

The four-time All-Star has just two games with over 2.5 made 3-pointers and has four games with one or fewer made shots from beyond the arc. He’s an ideal fade candidate against an Atlanta defense that has some elite guard defenders in Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Lu Dort.

Luka Doncic OVER 4.5 3-Pointers Made (-125)

Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic has scored 40 or more points in three games in a row and five of his last six matchups to lead the team to a 7-2 start.

He had 41 points and was 6-for-15 from beyond the arc against the Portland Trail Blazers earlier this season, and I expect another big game from 3 from the MVP candidate.

Luka has five or more made 3-pointers in six consecutive games and seven of his eight appearances in the 2026-27 season, taking more shots than anyone in the NBA from beyond the arc.

Doncic is averaging 13.6 3-point attempts per game and is shooting a robust 43.1 percent from deep. He’s a must bet at this number with that kind of volume, even though the Blazers have been a top-10 defense against the 3 this season.

There has been just one game all season where Doncic has taken fewer than 12 3-point shots.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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