Thursday brings us a small five-game NBA slate tipping off in Toronto at 7:30 p.m. ET for Bulls-Raptors. The slate is highlighted by two of the hottest teams in the NBA facing off in Utah as the second-place Thunder take on the Jazz, who have won six straight and nine of their last 10 games. We’ll close out the slate in Sacramento with the highest total of the night at 248 for Pacers-Kings, with Indiana will play without Tyrese Haliburton or Pascal Siakam who’s not ready to make his debut. Let’s dive into the best PrizePicks NBA picks and player predictions for Jan. 18, starting with Domantas Sabonis. Need more action? Our PrizePicks optimizer has plenty more picks waiting for you to view, and our PrizePicks guide can help you make the sharpest plays possible.
PrizePicks NBA Player Predictions: Domantas Sabonis & More
Domantas Sabonis M/L 25.5 Fantasy Score
Domantas Sabonis is on a heater right now, averaging 52.8 fantasy points per game over his last 10. Tonight, he gets a favorable matchup against a Pacers team that allows the most points in the paint in the NBA. Sabonis ranks eighth in the NBA with 14.6 PIP per game.
This is a pace-up spot against the Pacers, who run the second most plays per game and rank 26th in defensive rating. Sabonis is averaging 36.7 minutes per game in January, his highest of any month this season. Sabonis is averaging 1.42 fantasy points per minute but with Tyrese Haliburton just ruled out and Pascal Siakam not ready to play yet this game could get ugly in the second half leaning me towards his first half fantasy score instead of full game.
Best PrizePicks NBA Player Prediction: Domantas Sabonis More Than 25.5 1H Fantasy Score
Vince Williams Jr. M/L 27.5 Fantasy Score
The Memphis Grizzlies have been decimated with injuries, losing Ja Morant for the season, and Marcus Smart and Desmond Bane both set to miss multiple weeks. They have been without Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke all season, while Derrick Rose has also missed multiple games. They are 12.5-point underdogs against Minnesota, who has the best defense in the NBA. This game has a 215 total, the lowest of the day. However, with everyone out, Vince Williams Jr. has soaked up a ton of minutes. In the last three games, he’s averaging a team-high 34.3 minutes per game, while he played 38 minutes in the one full game without Bane. The Grizzlies have no one else to play, so I expect him to play 35 or more minutes again, even in a blowout.
Without Bane, Williams Jr. is averaging 1.16 fantasy points per minute since January 1. He’s recorded more than 43 fantasy points in the previous two games, and with this lineup likely to stay the same for the next few weeks, this projection will likely be between 31-33 by the next game. A spot where minutes and opportunity trump the bad matchup.
Best PrizePicks NBA Player Prediction: Vince Williams Jr. More Than 27.5 Fantasy Score
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RJ Barrett M/L 33.5 Fantasy Score
The Raptors will play the second leg of a back-to-back after their second big trade in the past few weeks went through yesterday morning. In their first game without Pascal Siakam, the Raptors came out strong, putting up 41 points in the first quarter against Miami on their way to a 24-point victory. RJ Barrett played a team-high 36 minutes with a 24.4 % usage rate. The Raptors are 2-point underdogs in Toronto against the Bulls, who are 14th in defensive rating over their last five games since Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic returned from injury.
Since joining the Raptors, Barrett is averaging 1.06 fantasy points per minute, and without Siakam on the floor, he’s up to 1.18. The Bulls are middle of the pack against small forwards, ranking 14th and allowing 21 real points per game to the position. With a close spread in this one, I expect Barrett to play 35+ minutes tonight, and if you do the math with his fantasy points per minute, he’s going over 33.5.
Best PrizePicks NBA Player Prediction: RJ Barrett More Than 33.5 Fantasy Score
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