Ethical Sports Takes continued its impressive run on Sunday, November 8, finishing with six correct predictions across seven NBA games. After going 7–2 on Friday and 5–2 on Saturday, we followed up with a 6–1 Sunday, improving our season record to 96–48–2 (66.7%).
That gives us an 18–5 record over our last three slates, with Sunday’s only disappointment coming from the Los Angeles Clippers, who defeated our selection, the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Lakers delivered one of the night’s most impressive victories without Luka Dončić, while Philadelphia, Minnesota, Dallas, Boston, and Miami all came through for us.
Philadelphia 76ers Defeat Chicago Bulls 127–121
Our Pick: Philadelphia 76ers — Correct
Philadelphia bounced back from its disappointing loss to Cleveland with a six-point victory over Chicago.
The 76ers scored 68 points in the first half to establish a seven-point halftime advantage. Chicago remained competitive throughout the second half, but Philadelphia maintained enough control to secure the victory.
Jaylen Brown led Philadelphia with 29 points as the 76ers improved to 9–2.
We expected Philadelphia’s offense to respond against Chicago’s struggling defense, and that’s exactly what happened.
Los Angeles Lakers Defeat Detroit Pistons 121–116
Our Pick: Los Angeles Lakers — Correct
This was arguably our most satisfying selection of the night.
We backed Los Angeles despite Detroit’s strong defensive start to the season, and the Lakers rewarded our confidence even without Luka Dončić, who missed the game with lower-back tightness.
Austin Reaves delivered a spectacular 43-point performance, helping Los Angeles overcome a determined Detroit comeback.
The Lakers dominated the opening quarter 38–14, but Detroit gradually fought its way back. The Pistons cut the deficit to three late in the third quarter and continued threatening in the fourth.
Reaves eventually delivered a difficult three-pointer in the final minute before securing the victory at the free-throw line.
We expected a close game, and that’s what we got, although the Lakers certainly made things interesting after their dominant start.
Minnesota Timberwolves Defeat Utah Jazz 115–100
Our Pick: Minnesota Timberwolves — Correct
Minnesota handled business against Utah, securing a comfortable 15-point victory.
The Timberwolves steadily built their advantage throughout the contest, leading by six at halftime before extending the margin to 12 entering the fourth quarter.
Even without Anthony Edwards, Minnesota demonstrated the depth and defensive strength that made this one of our more confident selections.
Utah simply couldn’t generate enough offense to seriously threaten the Timberwolves down the stretch.
Dallas Mavericks Demolish Brooklyn Nets 130–93
Our Pick: Dallas Mavericks — Correct
Dallas delivered the most dominant victory of Sunday’s schedule, crushing Brooklyn by 37 points.
The Mavericks scored at least 30 points in every quarter, building a 20-point halftime advantage before continuing their offensive assault in the second half.
Cooper Flagg led Dallas with 25 points.
We highlighted Brooklyn’s difficult turnaround after playing Atlanta on Saturday, and the Nets struggled to keep pace with a Dallas team that looked comfortable from the opening quarter.
This was our most convincing result of the evening.
Boston Celtics Defeat Milwaukee Bucks 117–97
Our Pick: Boston Celtics — Correct
Boston continued its excellent start to the season with a commanding 20-point victory over Milwaukee.
The Bucks actually led 27–25 after the opening quarter, but the Celtics took control by outscoring Milwaukee 33–18 in the second.
Boston entered halftime with a 13-point advantage and never allowed Milwaukee to regain control.
We expected the Celtics to capitalize on the Bucks’ ongoing struggles, and Boston delivered another convincing performance.
Los Angeles Clippers Defeat New Orleans Pelicans 139–123
Our Pick: New Orleans Pelicans — Incorrect
Our only incorrect selection came from Los Angeles, where the Clippers finally ended their seven-game losing streak.
We backed New Orleans because of its offensive options and the Clippers’ difficult opening stretch, but Los Angeles responded with its best offensive performance of the season.
The Clippers scored 67 points in the first half and added another 72 after halftime, finishing with 139 points.
New Orleans scored 123 itself, but its defense couldn’t contain Los Angeles.
We knew this was one of Sunday’s toughest matchups to predict, and ultimately we backed the wrong side.
Miami Heat Defeat Sacramento Kings 114–108
Our Pick: Miami Heat — Correct
Miami closed out our Sunday selections with a six-point victory over Sacramento.
The Heat established control early, scoring 68 first-half points to build a nine-point halftime advantage.
Sacramento fought back during the second half and outscored Miami in the fourth quarter, but the Heat held on.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led Miami with 29 points as the Heat secured an important victory following their difficult start to the season.
We believed Miami had enough talent to overcome Sacramento’s defensive problems, and the Heat delivered.
Final Results and Season Record
Category
Record
November 8
6–1
November 7
5–2
November 6
7–2
Last three slates
18–5
Overall season
96–48–2
Season accuracy
66.7%
Final Thoughts
Another day, another winning performance for Ethical Sports Takes.
Sunday’s 6–1 finish was particularly satisfying because several of our selections faced genuine challenges. The Lakers survived without Dončić, Philadelphia held off Chicago, and Miami avoided a late collapse against Sacramento.
Dallas and Boston delivered the comfortable victories we anticipated, while Minnesota took care of business against Utah.
The Clippers were our lone mistake, but six correct predictions out of seven is a result we’ll gladly take.
More importantly, we’ve now put together three consecutive strong slates, going 18–5 across 23 games.
With our overall season accuracy climbing to 66.7%, we’ll look to keep that momentum rolling into Monday’s eight-game schedule.
Stay tuned to Ethical Sports Takes for more NBA predictions, game recaps, and analysis.
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