Saucy Saturday — Expert Picks in the NBA Today (10/24)
Written by: Varun Sharma
Published: Sat Oct 24, 2026, 12:10 pm ET
Read Time: 5 minutes
nba
Spread
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Moneyline
+2.0
-110
244
-110o
+105
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Moneyline
-1.5
-110
243.5
-110u
-125
First Saturday full of NBA hoops this year and I couldn't be more excited. Games tip off a little later in the day, but I've got a few matchups I'm locked in on and 3 props I love.
Let's jump right into and talk Saucy Saturday.
For additional information on picks, props, moneylines, and more on today's slate, take a look at our NBA Picks Page or our NBA Odds Page.
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Demar Derozan o14.5 Points (-130) | Lucky Rebel
It looks like Demar Derozan's time on the bench might be over. It was just one game, but an injury to Cam Johnson really changes things for this Denver Nuggets' starting five.
Derozan played 28 minutes off the bench in his Nuggets' debut. He scored 13 points on 5/9 from the field, but strangely enough, he shot 3/6 from the stripe. Derozan's a career 84% free throw shooter and if he just hits 80% of his free throws last game; he clears this number with ease.
Tonight with no Cam Johnson and no Spencer Jones; I'm expected Derozan to make the most of the increased usage. The Pelicans come into this game on the second night of a back to back, coming up just one bucket short of the win in Utah.
New Orleans has given up 120+ points in both games so far this year. The Pelicans have allowed opponents to shoot 51% from the field and they're giving up an average of 31 free throw attempts per game. With guys set to miss tonight's game, I love the increased usage for Derozan and this matchup feels perfect.
The Pelicans were 30th in points allowed to the SG position last year, they were 22nd in opponent effective field goal percentage and 29th in opponent 2-point percentage.
Trae Youing o11.5 Assists (+115) | Lucky Rebel
Trae Young looks like he's having fun out there with this new Wizards squad. He's recorded 25 assists through the first two games, he's cleared this line in both games and he's averaging close to 18 potential assists per game.
Last night the Wizards hosted the Raptors and the offense sputtered. They scored just 102 points, shot 38% from the field and 32% from beyond the arc. Washington turned the ball over 23 times, gave up 19 offensive rebounds and allowed 52 points in the paint.
The Wizards lost that game by just 10 points.
Ice Trae has this offense humming and he hit this assists line even with an abysmal shooting night from Anthony Davis. Davis returns to the city he grew up in, ready to play in an arena he spent so much time in as a kid.
That along with the fact that AJ Dybantsa may finally make his NBA debut tonight; I ran straight to Trae. The Bulls gave up 135 points to the Raptors in their season opener and then followed that up by giving up 125 points to the Bucks.
Through just two games this year, the Bulls have been playing at the highest pace in the NBA. Chicago's high pace but porous defense makes it the perfect matchup for Trae.
More possessions means more shots, which leads to more assist opportunities and higher scoring games. The Wizards have a variety of young/athletic hoopers and it's why we've seen Trae stack up the assists in the first two games. .
Lastly, Trae's had 13+ assists in his last 4 games here at the United Center and in 10 of his last 12 against the Bulls overall.
Dillon Brooks o20.5 P/R (-105) | Lucky Rebel
This one's the funniest narrative I'll probably bet all year, but just hear me out. Warriors' rookie, Yaxel Lendeborg, is making enemies all over the NBA and we're just two games into his rookie campaign.
Yaxel's already caught the wrath of Luka Dončić, the Memphis Grizzlies and tonight it looks like we're going to add Dillon Brooks to the list. Lendeborg was live streaming on Twitch, when one of his chatters commented that his matchup with Brooks will be fun.
Yaxel's response was (basically) that he's giving Brooks the belt.
Brooks and this Suns team was embarrassed in their season opener. They lost to the Trailblazers by 40 points and went down 24 before even scoring a bucket.
Brooks scored 10 points, shot 4/11 and played just 27 minutes in the blowout. He and most of the starters sat the 4th quarter and now tonight they get the Warriors on the second night of a back to back. This feels like the perfect bounce back spot for Brooks and this Suns' team in general.
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