Every night of the 2025-26 NBA season gives us a fresh set of games and numbers to pick apart. This daily column digs into the best sides and totals on the board, using in-depth basketball analysis, betting trends, and our VSiN NBA betting splits to spot value. We’ll also be tackling these slates relentlessly on our live VSiN programming, which is why basketball fans should really consider a VSiN Pro subscription. Below you’ll find some NBA picks and predictions for February 3.

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NBA Best Bets Today – Tuesday, February 3

Nuggets +5 (-115) vs. Pistons

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Nuggets at Pistons – 7:00 pm ET

Denver’s defensive performance against Oklahoma City was a little concerning, but I can’t pass on the Nuggets as an underdog against the Pistons. I was fortunate enough to grab this at +5, but I would have played this at anything +3.5 or better. There’s just a massive gap between the Western Conference and Eastern Conference, which is something everyone is talking about when it comes to the title landscape. Well, what’s different in a regular-season matchup?

I just feel like we’re getting points with the much better team here, and the Nuggets are only getting healthier. Christian Braun is questionable for this evening, which is an upgrade on his status. If he’s out there, Denver will be adding him to Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Peyton Watson. That should be enough to handle this Detroit team.

The Pistons are an awesome defensive team, but stopping Jokic is unlike stopping anyone else. He should be able to consistently create good looks for himself and his teammates, even in the face of some nasty defense. On the other end of the floor, the challenge of defending the Pistons should feel like nothing compared to guarding the Thunder. That said, I’d expect a serious bounce-back performance here.

The Nuggets are also 8-1 straight-up and 6-3 against the spread when coming off a home loss this season. They’re also 17-9 ATS on the road. I strongly believe they’re up for this.

Nets +8.5 (-108) vs. Lakers

Lakers at Nets – 7:30 pm ET

Which version of the Nets will we see tonight? For a decent chunk of this season, Brooklyn performed like a top-10 defensive team. However, the season-long numbers show the Nets as the league’s 26th-ranked defense when it comes to adjusted defensive rating (117.6). The last 15 games have also been miserable, with Brooklyn being 29th in raw defensive rating (120.8). If the Nets don’t compete on the defensive end tonight, this game could get ugly. The Lakers are seventh in the league in adjusted offensive rating (116.7), and it sure looks like they’ll have Austin Reaves back. That’ll give LA a jolt on offense. However, something tells me Brooklyn will get up for this one.

Under Jordi Fernandez, the Nets are 27-20-1 ATS as underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points. They’re also 7-2-2 ATS when coming off a road loss of 20 or more points under Fernandez. On top of that, Brooklyn is 32-24-1 ATS when playing teams with winning records with Fernandez on the sidelines. Meanwhile, Los Angeles is just 4-9 ATS as a road favorite of 6.5 to 12 points under JJ Redick. The Lakers are also just 3-8-1 ATS when facing teams that score 108.0 or fewer points per game. They don’t put away the teams they’re supposed to bludgeon.

Reaves will also hurt Los Angeles defensively. He’s a negative on the defensive end, and he’ll be taking minutes from some of the Lakers’ stronger perimeter defenders. Let’s see what that means for this team. The Nets could have it easy on offense tonight.

Mavericks +7.5 (-121 – 1.5 units) & Mavericks ML (+210 – 0.5 units) vs. Celtics

Celtics at Mavericks – 8:00 pm ET

The Mavericks continue to be a strong ATS play when going up against good teams. That’s especially true at home. This season, Dallas is 7-2 ATS when facing teams that outscore opponents by at least 3.0 points per game. The Mavericks are also 9-5 ATS at home when going up against teams with winning records. With that in mind, I was already leaning towards going Dallas with the points. However, the Mavericks also happen to have a pretty significant rest advantage having not played since Saturday. Dallas is 2-1 both SU and ATS when playing with two days of rest this year, and the team is also 4-2 SU and 5-1 ATS when playing six or fewer games in 14 days.

I just can’t help but feel a certain way about these trends. I know a lot of people view trends as nothing but noise, but they can tell a meaningful story. These ones feel like they do, which is factoring into a sprinkle on the moneyline as well.

It also doesn’t hurt that Cooper Flagg is playing like a legitimate No. 1 option right now. He’s averaging 41.5 points per game over the last two games. That’s not sustainable or anything, but it’s clear he’s a special player. He’s just now starting to figure out all of the little tricks he can use to dominate as a scorer. Dallas also has some good role players around him, and Jason Kidd is a solid coach. I expect this team to be competitive the rest of the year.

Warriors -2.5 (-110) vs. 76ers

76ers at Warriors – 10:00 pm ET

I wish I had a little more to say about the Warriors tonight, but I’m really just playing the spot. Golden State hasn’t played a game since Friday, while this is a third game in four nights and second leg of a back-to-back for Philadelphia. That said, even without Stephen Curry, I like the Warriors to find a way to win this one.

I’d just be very surprised to see Joel Embiid on the floor for the Sixers, who are already without Paul George (suspended) for the next couple of months. Well, if Golden State only has to deal with Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, the team should do alright defensively — especially with the Sixers having tired legs. However, I wouldn’t be shocked if Embiid isn’t the only players that skips this one for the 76ers.

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2025-26 NBA Record: 314-300 (+3.28 units)

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