Stephen Nover looks go 5-1 on his NBA plays this month finding a strong winner on today's menu. There is more than meets the eye here as Stephen details. Take advantage of his long-time expertise, elite analysis and hot hand.
Member Notes
Today’s Free Picks
| Sport | Game Selection | Game Time |
|---|---|---|
| NBA | (509) Sacramento Kings at (510) New Orleans Pelicans | 8:10pm EST - Feb 9/2026 |
The PLAY: Sacramento Kings +8 (-112)
The Pelicans are by far the biggest favorites they have been all season in this game. Sign me up for the Kings.
I understand the Kings would set a franchise record for most consecutive losses with 13 if they lose this game. But that should give Sacramento added motivation plus the Kings should get back Domantas Sabonis. He missed Sacramento's last game, a 132-126 loss to the hot Cavaliers this past Saturday, with a sore back.
The Kings are 12-42. That is the worst record in the NBA. But New Orleans isn't much better at 14-40.
It's an advantageous situational spot for Sacramento even being on the road. New Orleans last played a home game on Jan. 30. The Pelicans have been on the road since. They just concluded their four-game road swing with probably their best win of the season upsetting the Timberwolves, 119-115, as an 8 1/2-point underdog.
The Pelicans can't afford to have any kind of letdown and not be fully focused laying this many points, a role they are totally unaccustomed to.
(Editor's note: Stephen Nover is 4-1 this month on his NBA plays and has his NBA Bookie Basher going today in addition to this free selection.)
Consultant Bio
Stephen Nover is unique among professional handicappers. A multiple award-winning sportswriter for numerous newspapers, including the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Nover has one the best combinations of gambling and media sources in the world.
The author of two sports gambling books, "Las Vegas Sports Beat" and "Sports Gaming Beat", along with a book on fantasy football titled, "Winning Fantasy Football", Nover is a former professor at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas having taught a football handicapping class there. He also was the co-host of the Sunday night sports betting radio show "The Stardust Line" during the 1990's.
Parlaying nearly 50 years worth of professional gambling experience with tremendous knowledge of the players through elite deep-roster Rotisserie leagues and building on copious gaming and media sources - having worked for newspapers in the Midwest, South and West and also for legendary Hall of Fame oddsmaker Roxy Roxborough - Nover is a true Las Vegas wise guy. He helped learn his craft from such masters as Roxborough, Dave Malinsky, Lem Banker and Russ Culver.
Part of what makes Nover so special is the pride he takes in writing his deep-dive analysis, which always is unique, well-researched and sometimes entails out-of-the-box thinking.