There is a monster 14-game slate tonight in the NBA to pick and choose the best side and total — should be easy enough. The new year is right around the time of the season where identities are finally solidified. To be fair, we knew the Detroit Pistons weren’t making the playoffs, but any major push out of the basement is going to come in the next week or two. The Warriors are the only team coming in on a back-to-back, so rest should be an equal factor across the board. Be it the Knicks in Philadelphia, the Timberwolves in Atlanta or the Grizzlies in Los Angeles — we are far from short of any value tonight. Let’s dig into the best NBA side and total bets for Jan. 5.
Best NBA Bets Today: Picks, Side Bets & More
Best NBA Side Bet: Grizzlies-Lakers
As of now, the Lakers are laying 4 points against the visiting Grizzlies. Things looked great with Ja Morant‘s return, but that seemed to be short lived at best, with the Grizzlies losing four of their last five — the lone win coming against the Spurs. Memphis just isn’t a good basketball team this year, and maybe it’s the slow start without Morant, maybe the Grizzlies didn’t do enough to overcome offseason losses. Either way, they remain one of the worst scoring teams in the NBA — 30th overall in points per game.
Their lack of defensive presence kills them in this matchup because the Lakers are more than OK playing down the tempo. Things are not much better for LeBron James and Anthony Davis; their team has now dropped three straight, four of five and eight of its last 10. Both James and Davis have injury designations, but Davis should play — James is questionable (again) with an ankle injury. L.A. won’t have D’Angelo Russell for the third straight game but should be OK here against Memphis.
The Lakers have been embarrassed, and according to the Athletic, players have had it with Darvin Ham’s lineups, among other issues. There is no better time than against a bad Grizzlies team for James and Davis to take back control of this team and win the old-fashioned way. The Lakers should cruise here.
Best NBA Side Bet: Lakers -4 at Caesars Sportsbook
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Best NBA Total Bet: Timberwolves-Rockets O/U 217.5
This is the lowest total on the board mainly because of pacing within this matchup. Neither of these teams is interested in running up and down the floor, so the total dips. Each is top 10 for slowest pacing in the NBA, but that doesn’t always correlate to lower-scoring games. Free throws, scoring runs and simply knocking down shots can bump up the scoreboard. This should be a physical game where Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith make life difficult for Karl-Anthony Towns.
Unfortunately for Houston, no pacing on the planet is going to take out Anthony Edwards, so the Rockets are going to have to push at some point to keep up with Minnesota’s early MVP candidate. Both of these teams are in the bottom third in scoring points per game, but the Timberwolves should look to break out a little more on the road. They’ve dropped their last two games but still sit atop the Western Conference; it’s just going to take more scoring for this team to stay in true contention. While the T-wolves aren’t desperate to push out of the basement, tonight’s game is a great way to start expanding their offense while taking more shots.
Best NBA Total Bet: Timberwolves-Rockets Under 217.5 (-110 at BetMGM)
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