Starting off the new year in the green! We come off a 2-0 night with both Utah and the under covering in Los Angeles, but we get no rest, as a six-game slate presents plenty of options. The largest spread is up to 16 at some books, with the Kings hosting the lowly Hornets, the 76ers double-digit favorites at home against the Bulls, and the upstart Magic getting points in Golden State. Let’s look at the best NBA side and total bets with a little help from OddsShopper!
Best NBA Bets Today: Picks, Side Bets & More
Best NBA Side Bet: Celtics-Thunder
The biggest game on the schedule resides in Oklahoma City as the Thunder take on the Boston Celtics. It’s been an incredible year for the Thunder, who are near the top of the Western Conference, just behind the Minnesota Timberwolves. While the shakeup out west was hardly predictable, the Celtics being first in the East comes with little surprise. Boston is riding a six-game win streak, while the Thunder have won four in a row. Each team comes in with serious momentum, yet the Thunder are catching 4 points at home.
The biggest weapon the Thunder have beyond the play of All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is their ability to score off turnovers. They are one of the league’s best in turning over opponents and scoring, something Boston has done quite well in limiting this year. Playing on the road at the start of January is a little different than this being a playoff game for Boston, yet the Thunder are too “new” to know anything else. Look for the Thunder to treat this like the monster matchup it is, while the Celtics are still hoping for a healthy Jrue Holiday to return to a lineup already featuring Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
There’s value with both plays here, be it the spread or the moneyline. However, getting over 3 points on a good home team is too good to ignore. OddsShopper found a 4.5 play at -115 on BetMGM that’s worth your time.
Best NBA Side Bet: Thunder +4.5 at BetMGM
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If you’re looking for some player prop action on this Celtics-Thunder game, OddsShopper’s betting model found a key pricing disparity. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is -105 on DraftKings to fall short of his high line of 32.5 points, which is below the true odds of -121 and well below sharp book Pinnacle (-140). That makes this wager on Gilgeous-Alexander a +EV Bet by a whopping 7%%. For the rest of our model’s projections — more than just the NBA — subscribe to OddsShopper Premium!
Best NBA Total Bet: Hornets-Kings O/U 232
One book currently has 232 versus every other book in the market carrying 232.5. If this hits 232, then everyone loses unless you bet this total on Caesars and it pushes — yes, a push is better than a loss. That’s the beauty of OddsShopper and why finding a spot in the market is so valuable, something the site routinely does like with this total in Sacramento. The Kings are hot right now, and Domantas Sabonis makes sure nobody else gets any rebounds. Trying to keep up with the four teams above it, Sacramento has won two straight and six of 10. The Kings are doing it with offense, not so much on defense. While Sabonis comes off a season high on the glass, the Kings are still a top-10 team in points per game while struggling (18th) to limit opponents.
Their opponent tonight is one of the worst and currently riding an 11-game skid. It is hard to think the Hornets will do anything more than score tonight, especially getting back to an arena where they can breathe. Maybe it was the altitude, maybe it was the talent gap, but the Hornets were destroyed in Denver last night. Don’t expect Charlotte to come in looking to make any statement on defense; rather, take advantage of some lax defense by Sacramento.
The Kings should have no problem running up the score while allowing the Hornets to get in the 110s. Thanks to OddsShopper, we currently have a market advantage by playing over 232 at Caesars.
Best NBA Total Bet: Hornets-Kings Over 232 (-110 at Caesars)
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