Ethical Sports Takes continued its strong run Saturday night, finishing 5–2 across seven NBA games and improving our overall season record to 90–47–2 (65.7%).
Following Friday’s 7–2 performance, we’ve now correctly predicted 12 of our last 16 games. Saturday brought several convincing victories, a couple of close finishes, and two selections that didn’t go our way.
Let’s review how each pick turned out.
1. Denver Nuggets 114, Indiana Pacers 102
EST Pick: Denver Nuggets — Correct
We started Saturday with a victory as Denver defeated Indiana 114–102 in Mexico City.
Nikola Jokić finished with 19 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists, once again showing that he doesn’t need a huge scoring night to control a game.
Denver took command with a 15–0 run in the second quarter, building a comfortable advantage that Indiana couldn’t overcome.
The Nuggets’ ability to move the ball and limit mistakes was exactly what we expected to make the difference.
2. Atlanta Hawks 124, Brooklyn Nets 121
EST Pick: Atlanta Hawks — Correct
This one was considerably closer than we would’ve liked.
Atlanta overcame a 17-point deficit to defeat Brooklyn 124–121, extending its winning streak to four games.
Jalen Johnson returned from injury and delivered 30 points, helping the Hawks complete their comeback. Atlanta finished the contest with a 10–0 run to steal the victory.
We expected Atlanta’s offensive talent to overcome Brooklyn’s rest advantage, but the Hawks certainly made us sweat.
A win is a win, though, and we’ll gladly take it.
3. New York Knicks 109, Cleveland Cavaliers 97
EST Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers — Incorrect
Our first miss came in Cleveland, where the Knicks defeated the Cavaliers 109–97.
We backed Cleveland following its impressive victory over Philadelphia on Friday, believing the Cavaliers could carry that momentum into Saturday.
Unfortunately, New York had other plans.
Jalen Brunson scored 31 points, including 18 consecutive Knicks points during the second quarter. Karl-Anthony Towns added 29 points and 13 rebounds.
Donovan Mitchell delivered 37 points for Cleveland, including 21 in the fourth quarter, but the Cavaliers couldn’t overcome New York’s advantage.
We said Cleveland’s back-to-back schedule could be a concern before the game, and ultimately our confidence in the Cavaliers proved misplaced.
4. Oklahoma City Thunder 114, Washington Wizards 75
EST Pick: Oklahoma City Thunder — Correct
This was arguably our easiest selection of the night, and Oklahoma City certainly justified that confidence.
The Thunder demolished Washington 114–75, holding the Wizards to just 29.6% shooting from the field.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with 30 points, while the Thunder continued demonstrating their impressive depth despite missing important players.
Washington simply couldn’t generate consistent offense.
We expected Oklahoma City’s defensive discipline to make the difference, and that’s exactly what happened.
5. Golden State Warriors 126, Orlando Magic 119 (OT)
EST Pick: Golden State Warriors — Correct
Golden State extended its winning streak to seven games, although Orlando pushed the Warriors all the way to overtime.
Stephen Curry delivered another outstanding performance, finishing with 41 points, six rebounds, and six assists.
Franz Wagner kept Orlando competitive with 30 points and 11 assists, but Curry and the Warriors made the necessary plays in overtime to secure the victory.
We backed Golden State because of its offensive rhythm and home-court advantage.
The Magic made this much more competitive than expected, but the Warriors ultimately delivered.
6. Phoenix Suns 102, Houston Rockets 99
EST Pick: Houston Rockets — Incorrect
Our second incorrect selection came in Phoenix, where the Suns defeated Houston 102–99.
We expected the Rockets to respond after their loss to Minnesota, especially given their impressive start to the season.
Instead, Houston struggled offensively, shooting just 38.7% from the field.
Devin Booker finished with 24 points and took control late, scoring nine consecutive Phoenix points to help secure the victory.
Kevin Durant recorded 21 points and 10 rebounds against his former team, but Houston couldn’t find enough offense down the stretch.
We believed the Rockets had the more complete roster, but Phoenix executed better when it mattered most.
7. San Antonio Spurs 125, Portland Trail Blazers 103
EST Pick: San Antonio Spurs — Correct
We closed Saturday with another convincing victory as San Antonio demolished Portland 125–103.
Victor Wembanyama finished with 29 points in just 24 minutes, helping the Spurs extend their winning streak to eight games.
San Antonio completely took over during the middle quarters, scoring 42 points in the second and another 45 in the third.
By the fourth quarter, the Spurs had built such a commanding advantage that their starters could rest.
We expected Wembanyama’s versatility and San Antonio’s defense to make the difference, but even we didn’t anticipate such a one-sided result.
An excellent way to finish the night.
EST NBA Picks — Final Record
November 7 Record: 5–2 (71.4%)
Previous Slate: 7–2 (77.8%)
Last Two Slates: 12–4 (75.0%)
Updated Season Record: 90–47–2 (65.7%)
Final Thoughts
Another positive night for Ethical Sports Takes.
Our strongest selections delivered, with Oklahoma City and San Antonio producing dominant victories. Denver also handled its business, while Atlanta and Golden State required considerably more effort to get across the finish line.
Cleveland and Houston were our two misses. Both selections had reasonable arguments behind them, but New York’s strong performance and Phoenix’s late execution proved decisive.
The encouraging part is our consistency. We’ve now recorded consecutive winning slates, going 12–4 across Friday and Saturday.
With our season record improving to 90–47–2, we’ll look to keep building that momentum heading into Sunday’s seven-game schedule.
Stay tuned to Ethical Sports Takes for our next round of NBA picks and predictions.
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