betting money lines vs spreads

[walbjj]

ok, im a noob to betting nba, i followed it years ago, but not so much lately. why would one choose to bet a spread rather than bet it straight up
more often than not, one can get an idea of who should win, but not gauge by how much. anything can happen in sports, but more often than not, then better team wins.

so, my question is, is it better to bet straight up?
and in saying this, what picks do people have for straight bets this first week?