NBA Preview | October 29, 2026
Thursday is a three-game night, and every game gets the full card. Cleveland and Atlanta both played Wednesday and meet again on the second night of a back-to-back, with the Hawks trying to stop a three-game slide. Sacramento and New Orleans are both 0-4, and one of them leaves with a first win. And the night closes in Portland, where two unbeaten teams meet: the 3-0 Trail Blazers, fresh off a win over the Lakers, and a 4-0 Memphis team that has covered every number it's been given. All times are Eastern.
Cleveland and Atlanta Run It Back on the Second Night
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Atlanta Hawks | 8:00 PM ET | NBA TV
KEY STAT
3
Straight losses for Atlanta, two to Houston and Wednesday's 129-117 home loss to Miami. The Hawks opened the season 2-0.
Atlanta's fast start has stalled. After wins in Orlando and Charlotte, the Hawks lost twice to Houston and then 129-117 at home to Miami on Wednesday, when Giannis Antetokounmpo had 24 points and 18 rebounds and Bam Adebayo added 24. Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Kingston Flemings scored 23 each for Atlanta, and Jalen Johnson had 12 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists. The frontcourt has thinned out: Henri Veesaar tore his right ACL and is out for the season, and Mouhamed Gueye had surgery on a fractured foot.
Cleveland is 3-1 after beating Washington 121-111 on Wednesday. Evan Mobley led with 24 points and 12 rebounds, Peyton Watson added 22, and Donovan Mitchell had 19 and seven assists. James Harden scored 16 but needed 18 shots. Both teams' reports for Thursday were not yet filed at our deadline, since both played Wednesday night.
The line has moved three points since it opened, from Atlanta as a 1.5-point favorite to Cleveland by the same amount, which says the market thinks less of the Hawks after three straight losses. The matchup is Mobley and Jarrett Allen against an Atlanta frontcourt down two bigs.
Cleveland wins if Mobley keeps controlling the paint, Mitchell and Harden find better shots than Wednesday, and the Cavaliers handle the back-to-back better than the home team.
Atlanta wins if Johnson keeps running the offense, Alexander-Walker and Flemings stay hot from the perimeter, and the Hawks hold up on the glass without Veesaar and Gueye.
Lean Atlanta +1.5 (Strong), and lean the under 239.5 (Toss-up).
THE CARD · CLE @ ATL
The line CLE -1.5 · total 239.5 · DraftKings (opened with Atlanta favored by 1.5, spread moved 3 toward Cleveland; total unchanged)
Our number ATL -4.3 · total 235.9
So far CLE 2-2 O/U · ATL 2-3 ATS
Rest & availability CLE second night of a back-to-back · ATL second night of a back-to-back, report not yet filed; Gueye (foot surgery) and Veesaar (torn ACL, out for the season) are out
The public 60% of tickets on the under (SportsbookReview, as of Oct. 28)
Lean ATL +1.5 (Strong) · Under ↓ 239.5 (Toss-up)
Driven by the number. Our number still has Atlanta by about four at home, in part because of the Hawks' 47-point win in Charlotte last week, while the market has moved three points the other way through three straight Atlanta losses. Strong is the size of that gap. Both teams played Wednesday.
Two 0-4 Teams, and One of Them Gets a Win
Sacramento Kings @ New Orleans Pelicans | 8:00 PM ET | NBA League Pass
KEY STAT
0-4 vs. 0-4
Both teams' records. New Orleans is on the second night of a back-to-back; Sacramento has had a day off.
New Orleans lost 104-91 at home to Denver on Wednesday, its fourth straight loss to open the season. Zion Williamson scored 25 on 10-of-14 shooting, and Derik Queen had 11 points and 12 rebounds, but the Pelicans shot poorly around him and lost Jordan Poole to an ankle injury during the game. Yves Missi is out with a knee bone bruise, and New Orleans's report for Thursday hadn't been filed at our deadline.
Sacramento is also 0-4 after a 130-103 loss in San Antonio on Tuesday. De'Andre Hunter scored 24 there, Zach LaVine added 22, and Domantas Sabonis had 20 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists. The Kings are without Dylan Cardwell, Keegan Murray, Maxime Raynaud and Ben Simmons, who had surgery on a torn Achilles last week and is out for the season.
The matchup is Sabonis against Queen and Williamson in the paint, and the public has taken a side: 72% of tickets are on the Kings with the points.
Sacramento wins if Sabonis controls the glass, Hunter and LaVine keep scoring from outside, and the Kings take advantage of a Pelicans team on short rest.
New Orleans wins if Williamson stays efficient, the Pelicans' guards shoot better than they did Wednesday, and Queen holds up against Sabonis.
Lean Sacramento +5.5 (Toss-up), and lean the under 238.5 (Lean).
THE CARD · SAC @ NOP
The line NOP -5.5 · total 238.5 · DraftKings (spread unchanged from the open, total up 1)
Our number NOP -4.1 · total 233.5
So far No settled records yet for either team
Rest & availability SAC one day off, Cardwell, Keegan Murray, Raynaud and Simmons out · NOP second night of a back-to-back; Missi out, Poole (ankle) day-to-day
The public 72% of tickets on SAC · 54% on the over (SportsbookReview, as of Oct. 28)
Lean SAC +5.5 (Toss-up) · Under ↓ 238.5 (Lean)
Driven by the number. Two 0-4 teams, and our number has New Orleans by about four at home, inside the book's 5.5. The total is where the gap is: five points under a number that has crept up since it opened.
Two Unbeaten Teams Close the Night in Portland
Memphis Grizzlies @ Portland Trail Blazers | 10:00 PM ET | NBA League Pass
KEY STAT
7-0
These teams' combined record. Memphis is 4-0 and has covered all four; Portland is 3-0 after beating the Lakers 136-129 on Tuesday.
Portland just handed the Lakers their first loss. The Blazers won 136-129 in Los Angeles on Tuesday, with Deni Avdija scoring 23 with nine assists, Ja Morant 23 on 9-of-13 shooting, Jrue Holiday 22 off the bench and Damian Lillard 21, including a step-back three with 43 seconds left. Portland made 18 threes. Shaedon Sharpe is out after meniscus surgery that could cost him six months.
Memphis is 4-0. The Grizzlies won 110-105 in Utah on Monday with Cedric Coward scoring 16 with 11 rebounds, Ty Jerome adding 15 and eight assists and rookie Cameron Boozer 13 and seven. They've had two days off, Portland has had one, and Memphis had no one on the injury list.
The book has Portland by 7.5, and our number has the Blazers by less than four. The matchup is Portland's guards, Lillard, Morant and Holiday, against a Memphis team that has gone under the total in three of its four games.
Memphis wins if the depth keeps working, Coward and Boozer win the glass, and the Grizzlies make Portland's guards work for every look.
Portland wins if Lillard, Morant and Holiday keep shooting the way they did in Los Angeles, Avdija controls the game, and the Blazers stay unbeaten.
Lean Memphis +7.5 (Lean), and lean the under 233.5 (Toss-up).
THE CARD · MEM @ POR
The line POR -7.5 · total 233.5 · DraftKings (spread unchanged from the open, total up 1)
Our number POR -3.8 · total 231.2
So far MEM 4-0 ATS · POR 2-1 O/U
Rest & availability MEM two days off, no one listed · POR one day off, Sharpe (meniscus) out
The public 64% of tickets on POR · 69% on the over (SportsbookReview, as of Oct. 28)
Lean MEM +7.5 (Lean) · Under ↓ 233.5 (Toss-up)
Driven by the number. Two unbeaten teams, and our number has Portland by under four at home against a book that has the Blazers by 7.5. Memphis has covered all four of its games; the public is on Portland and heavily on the over.
What to Watch For Thursday.
Watch whether Atlanta's frontcourt holds up on a back-to-back, which 0-4 team breaks through in New Orleans, and whether Portland's guards can keep up their pace against a Memphis team that hasn't lost yet. That's three cards on the side and three on the total. We'll have the recap Friday with every card graded.
