NBA survivor picks · 2026-27 season
The best survivor pool picks for week 3, ranked on each team's chance to win, how much of the field is likely on it, and what using it now costs you later in the season.
vs Sacramento Kings · Mon 7:00 PM CT
85% to win
85% to win, about 9% of the field likely on them, but using them now lowers your best rest-of-season path to 95% of what it could be.
vs Brooklyn Nets · Mon 6:30 PM CT
87% to win
87% to win, about 12% of the field likely on them, but using them now lowers your best rest-of-season path to 87% of what it could be.
vs Milwaukee Bucks · Wed 6:30 PM CT
88% to win
88% to win, about 13% of the field likely on them, but using them now lowers your best rest-of-season path to 86% of what it could be.
San Antonio Spurs (92% to win at Sacramento Kings): they're worth more to you later in the season. Using them now lowers your best rest-of-season path to 82% of what it could be.
Oklahoma City Thunder (80% to win vs Washington Wizards): they're worth more to you later in the season. Using them now lowers your best rest-of-season path to 81% of what it could be.The Mavericks top the board this week. Games that have already started aren't listed.
| # | Team | Win chance | Picked (est.) | Future value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Dallas Mavericks
vs Sacramento Kings Best overall
|
85% | ~9% | 95% |
| 2 |
New York Knicks
vs Brooklyn Nets
|
87% | ~12% | 87% |
| 3 |
Boston Celtics
vs Milwaukee Bucks
|
88% | ~13% | 86% |
| 4 |
San Antonio Spurs
at Sacramento Kings Safest Worth more later
|
92% | ~23% | 82% |
| 5 |
Minnesota Timberwolves
vs Milwaukee Bucks
|
86% | ~10% | 86% |
| 6 |
Philadelphia 76ers
vs Chicago Bulls
|
83% | ~6% | 88% |
| 7 |
Los Angeles Lakers
at Sacramento Kings
|
84% | ~7% | 86% |
| 8 |
Miami Heat
at Sacramento Kings
|
82% | ~6% | 87% |
| 9 |
Atlanta Hawks
vs Brooklyn Nets Contrarian
|
78% | ~3% | 91% |
| 10 |
Memphis Grizzlies
vs Indiana Pacers
|
69% | ~1% | 100% |
| 11 |
Denver Nuggets
at Indiana Pacers
|
75% | ~2% | 91% |
| 12 |
Oklahoma City Thunder
vs Washington Wizards Worth more later
|
80% | ~4% | 81% |
| 13 |
Houston Rockets
at Phoenix Suns
|
69% | ~1% | 87% |
| 14 |
Charlotte Hornets
at Brooklyn Nets
|
58% | <1% | 100% |
| 15 |
Toronto Raptors
at Milwaukee Bucks
|
64% | <1% | 88% |
| 16 |
New Orleans Pelicans
vs Utah Jazz
|
55% | <1% | 100% |
| 17 |
Detroit Pistons
at Charlotte Hornets
|
65% | ~1% | 85% |
| 18 |
Orlando Magic
vs Washington Wizards
|
61% | <1% | 89% |
| 19 |
LA Clippers
vs New Orleans Pelicans
|
53% | <1% | 100% |
| 20 |
Cleveland Cavaliers
vs Philadelphia 76ers
|
56% | <1% | 89% |
| 21 |
Portland Trail Blazers
at Phoenix Suns
|
58% | <1% | 90% |
| 22 |
Golden State Warriors
vs Orlando Magic
|
54% | <1% | 90% |
| # | Team | Win chance | Picked (est.) | Future value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 |
Utah Jazz
at New Orleans Pelicans
|
45% | <1% | 100% |
| 24 |
Phoenix Suns
vs Orlando Magic
|
49% | <1% | 90% |
| 25 |
Washington Wizards
vs Atlanta Hawks
|
42% | <1% | 100% |
| 26 |
Brooklyn Nets
vs Charlotte Hornets
|
42% | <1% | 100% |
| 27 |
Milwaukee Bucks
vs Toronto Raptors
|
36% | <1% | 100% |
| 28 |
Indiana Pacers
at Memphis Grizzlies
|
31% | <1% | 96% |
| 29 |
Chicago Bulls
vs Philadelphia 76ers
|
26% | <1% | 100% |
| 30 |
Sacramento Kings
vs Miami Heat
|
18% | <1% | 100% |
Win chance is the team's chance to win this game, from the Vegas moneyline with the bookmaker's cut taken out, or ESPN's projection when there's no line yet.
Picked (est.) is roughly how the players still picking this week will split across the teams left to play. Survivor pools pile onto the week's biggest favorites, so this is an estimate from the odds, not a count of real picks. It matters because when a popular team loses, everyone on it goes out at once, and the fewer people left with you, the more your survival is worth.
Future value compares the best path through the rest of the season if you use the team this week with the best path if you save it. 100% means using them now costs you nothing later; lower means the team is worth more to you in a future week. It assumes you haven't used any teams yet.
The ranking weighs these together for a pool of about 20. Your own answer depends on which teams you've already used and how big your pool is. Survivor Pool Pro's pick advisor works that out for your entry automatically. It's advice, not a guarantee.
Run your pool on Survivor Pool Pro. Free for players, with reminders before every deadline, a pick advisor that knows which teams you've used, and results that settle themselves.
Start or join a poolEach week you pick one NBA team to win one of its games that week. If it wins, you move on to next week. You can only use each team once a season, and the last player standing wins. Some pools give everyone extra lives; your league's rules decide.
On Survivor Pool Pro, NBA picks lock when the week's first game tips off, so every pick for the week is in before any of its games start.
Not always. The biggest favorite is often the most popular pick, so even when it wins you haven't gained on anyone. And a team you use now is gone for the rest of the season, so a strong team with a better matchup later can be worth saving.
The one you pick. Choosing a team means choosing one of its games that week, and only that game decides whether you survive. The rankings here use each team's best game of the week.
