NBA Predictions and Best Bets – January 18, 2021

A new week of NBA action tips off on Monday, January 18th, with a big nine-game betting slate.

It’s a pretty massive day in the league (and everywhere), with The Association remembering the great Martin Luther King Jr. on MLK Day. See who is playing.

The action gets started early in the day, with Orlando heading to New York for the first game of the slate at noon ET.

You’ll want to begin formulating your NBA bets well ahead of that, so join me as I look over the schedule and provide my NBA predictions and top betting picks.

The Magic aim to get back to .500 with a trip to the Knicks. They’ve been struggling after a hot start, and losing Markelle Fultz for the year hasn’t helped matters.

That said, the Magic have a little more talent with Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon leading the charge. Expect a close game, but the Magic should gut this one out.

Both the Hawks and T’Wolves are floundering below .500 these days, but the more talented Hawks may hold the edge at home here.

Trae Young got going offensively in a tough loss to the Blazers in Atlanta’s last game, and nobody on Minnesota can really stop him.

Look for him to stay hot, and the Hawks to take advantage of the absence of big man Karl-Anthony Towns.

The Heat have gotten off to a poor 4-7 start thanks to health woes, but they’re starting to get back on track. Bam Adebayo returned in Miami’s last game, and Jimmy Butler’s return is just around the corner.

Detroit comes in at 3-9, with the Pistons completely wasting a career-year out of Jerami Grant.

Jerami Grant over the last 9 Games:

28 PTS – 10 REB – 64 FG%
27 PTS – 6 REB – 45 FG%
27 PTS – 7 REB – 42 FG%
24 PTS – 4 REB – 37 FG%
22 PTS – 6 REB – 50 FG%
24 PTS – 4 REB – 40 FG%
31 PTS – 10 REB – 45 FG%
31 PTS – 10 REB – 66 FG%
28 PTS – 4 REB – 47 FG%

MIP candidate. ?? pic.twitter.com/DHIy9UDlKb

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) January 10, 2021

He makes the Pistons a bit easier to watch, but he can’t will them to wins on his own.

Miami is getting healthier, they’re at home, and they’re the far better team. Look for them to get the win.

Portland is starting to round into form at 8-5, but they’ll have to weather the storm of a catastrophic wrist injury to center Jusuf Nurkic.

So far, so good, as Enes Kanter was fantastic in his stead in Portland’s last outing.

The 7-6 Spurs will probably give the Blazers a tough fight, but Portland is tough at home. I don’t fear San Antonio’s surprisingly great 5-2 road record in this spot.

Ja Morant finally returned from an ankle injury, and he chipped in to help the Grizzlies win their fourth straight game.

It’s an alarming streak given their injuries, but it’s one I suspect hits a snag against the Suns.

Phoenix should be able to limit Morant with Chris Paul up front, while the Suns are simply a better defensive team in general, so I favor them in this one.

This is up for the game of the slate on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. James Harden already made a splash in his Nets debut, and it’s possible Kyrie Irving is back for Brooklyn here.

Milwaukee will use this as a measuring stick to see if they can handle Brooklyn’s star power, but it won’t be easy keeping tabs on Irving, Harden, and Kevin Durant.

The Over is at risk here, and I think the Nets get the job done on their home floor.

Luka Doncic wasted an epic triple-double in a loss yesterday, but I expect him to bounce back and deliver another elite showing against the Raptors.

Normally I’d favor Toronto against a potentially tired Mavs team, but the Raptors haven’t looked too formidable to start the year. I’d monitor the status of Kristaps Porzingis, but I’d favor the Mavs, regardless.

• Rockets to beat Bulls
• Predicted total: 225-230