Free NBA Picks Today for Friday, January 7th, 2022

Free NBA Picks Today for Friday, January 7th, 2022
Fri 7th January 2022

Our free NBA picks are out for Friday, January 7th, 2022! Make sure you check our NBA picks before the action kicks off.

Look below to find our free NBA picks for the best five games on today’s schedule!

San Antonio Spurs @ Philadelphia 76ers – 7pm ET

The mammoth seven game road trip continues on for the San Antonio Spurs, and on Friday night they travel to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers. The Spurs managed to snap a four game losing streak last time out, with a narrow win over the Celtics, 99-97. Who can stop the 76ers and Joel Emiid? The 76ers have won five games in a row, and in the last eight games Emiid has been the top scorer for the team.

Denis Kirilov

The Philadelphia 76ers take on the San Antonio Spurs in their Wells Fargo Center on Friday night in the NBA. The 76ers are back at full strength after many of their players have been through the COVID-19 protocols. On the other hand, the Spurs are entering such a period as they have 4 players who will definitely miss the upcoming fixture. On top of that, Keldon Johnson, Derrick White, Devin Vassell, and Thaddeus Young were added to the protocols a little while ago. The team will find it hard to keep their 10th place in the West as the Kings and the Blazers are quite close behind them. Both of these teams are considered to be with better rosters than the Spurs. San Antonio, however, goes through yet another tough season, recording 15 wins and 22 losses so far.

The Philadelphia 76ers are a step ahead of their opponents recently. They have won 5 games in a row, which helped Joel Embiid getting selected as the MVP in the Eastern Conference for December. The 21-year-old center is looking to make his statement a reality. Trusting the process has given Philly nothing so far as the whole city had big hopes in the 76ers to reach the Finals in 2019, but they were outplayed by Kawhi Leonard from the Raptors with one of the most intense buzzer-beaters in the history of the game. However, this year presents a new opportunity and if the team manages to use the best of players like Tyrese Maxey and Seth Curry in the Playoffs, they will surely have a shot at the title. When it comes solely to this game, I think that the 76ers will smash the Spurs by more than 10 points. 

Denis’ NBA Pick: Philadelphia 76ers -7 (-110)

Michael Lantz

After starting the season with numerous injuries and COVID cases, the Philadelphia 76ers seem to finally be in the groove. They’ve won five games in a row and have moved into fifth-place in the Eastern Conference. Joel Embiid continues to evolve, just two games ago against Houston, he had a triple-double as he is averaging 26.7 points per game and almost 11 rebounds per game. Embiid is also getting some very big support, as Tobias Harris and Seth Curry are averaging 18 and 16 points per game respectively. They’ll try to make it six straight on Friday against the San Antonio Spurs.


Despite only being 15-22, the Spurs are a young team that’s shown they can rise to the occasion. They’ve had some big wins this year against the likes of the Golden State Warriors, Utah Jazz, and Los Angeles Lakers. On Wednesday they got leading scorer Dejounte Murray back from COVID protocol, and he nearly recorded a 22-point triple-double. The Spurs will look to continue to play great against top opponents as they are slowly but surely creeping into playoff contention. That being said, Philly is starting to look like the team that captured the one-seed last season. I think San Antonio can give them a fight, but with the spread being just +7 and Philly playing at home—I’ll pick the 76ers.

Michael’s NBA Pick: Philadelphia 76ers (-295)

Noah Dunlap 

Ignoring the disservice to the San Antonio Spurs that the NBA pulled off this season, as they’re currently on a seven-game road trip, and that doesn’t even include their eight game “Rodeo Road Trip” coming up next month, this is a Spurs team that has still struggled as of late, as they’ve only won one of their last four. A lot of that isn’t necessarily their fault, as they are finding themselves multiple players down due to health and safety protocols, but even without these guys being out, they aren’t a great team by any means. 

Now they have to travel up to Philadelphia to take on a Sixers team that is surging now they have virtually everyone back from protocols. Philly has run off five straight, and this is largely due to the borderline MVP-level play from Joel Embiid, who is currently averaging 27/11/4 on the year. With the rest of the roster being back, I like the supporting cast to help give Embiid the help he needs, and I like Philly to cruise to a relatively easy win at home, to a Spurs team that has to be tired at this point.  

Noah’s NBA Pick: Philadelphia 76ers -7 (-110)

Milwaukee Bucks @ Brooklyn Nets – 7.30pm ET

The Milwaukee Bucks kick off a three game road trip in Brooklyn on Friday night when they face off against the Nets. The Bucks are on a surprising two game losing streak, after losing to the Pistons and then the Raptors. The Nets managed to get back in the winners club last time out, after losing three games in a row they won against the Pacers, 129-121.

Denis Kirilov

Get ready for one of the most anticipated games in the Eastern Conference in recent times. The two super-teams of the Milwaukee Bucks and the Brooklyn Nets will go head-to-head for a second time this season. After losing the opening game for the campaign by 23 points, the Nets will be looking to get their revenge at home. Giannis Antetokounmpo missed the Bucks’ last game due to a non-COVID illness, but this can surely impact his performance tomorrow in a negative way. His absence was crucial as the Raptors took the win, 111-117. This was Milwaukee’s second straight loss after suffering an upset to the Detroit Pistons once again at home. The team, however, remains 3rd in the East, but they are now much closer to the Heat and the 76ers than they are to the Chicago Bulls who top the Conference.

The Brooklyn Nets have gone through a tough period recently, losing three straight games after Christmas. They were consecutively surprised by the 76ers, the Clippers, and the Grizzlies, but managed to stay out of trouble against the Pacers on the road. When everyone thought that Kevin Durant may be out of rhythm, he came back with a monstrous 39-point performance against Indiana. He averages 30 points this season which puts him in the contention for the MVP for the regular season. James Harden, on the other hand, is second with most assists per game, while Patty Mills is 4th in most 3-pointers made during this campaign. I think that we will see the Nets grabbing the victory this time as it seems that Durant and Harden are ready to dominate the court once again.

Denis’ NBA Pick: Brooklyn Nets (-198)

Michael Lantz

Kyrie Irving returned to the Nets on Wednesday night and for about three quarters, the Brooklyn Nets looked like they were in trouble. Despite their “Big Three” of Irving, Kevin Durant, and James Harden all back in action, the team trailed a subpar Indiana Pacers team 94-101 through three quarters, but in the fourth the Nets turned it on, outscoring the Pacers 35-20, almost as if they were toying with them for the first three. Now they’ll play a team that they’ve had a great rivalry with in the Milwaukee Bucks.
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Milwaukee keeps getting hit with the injury/COVID bug; yesterday it was announced Jrue Holiday must enter COVID protocols, right after a few of the Bucks key role players entered in prior days. But, as long the Bucks have Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, nothing is out of reach. This clash of the Eastern Conference’s two best players in Antetokounmpo and Durant should be another classic. But, after the Nets broke a four-game skid on Wednesday, I’ll look for them to keep it coming against the Bucks at Barclays Center in a game that has major playoff implications. 

Michael’s NBA Pick: Brooklyn Nets (-198)

Noah Dunlap 

Well this one should be fun, as two of the most talented teams in the Eastern Conference (and the league) match up with one another in Brooklyn. This is a rematch of a conference semifinal series from last year that saw Milwaukee get the win, in part due to the fact that Brooklyn ended up injured in a pretty major way. Now both sides seem to be almost completely healthy, at least in terms of stars, except for Kyrie Irving, who still won’t be playing in home games due to personal reasons, which has the potential to hurt the Nets minorly, even though they’ve been without Irving for nearly the entire year. 

Jrue Holiday is the other star who will miss this one, as he just entered health and safety protocols, so he’ll be out for the next few days. For Milwaukee, they seem to have run across a few issues of late, as they’ve lost two in a row. It’s important to note that Giannis missed one of those, which with his talent, is obviously going to have a relatively large impact on the game, The other absence for Milwaukee is head coach Mike Budenholzer, who is in protocols, as well. Even with some of the absences, we still get the chance to see Giannis vs. Durant/Harden, and in the end, I think the scoring ability of KD, to go along with the passing and facilitating that we’ve seen from Harden this year proves to be too much for a somewhat understaffed Bucks roster right now, so give me Brooklyn in this one at home. 

Noah’s NBA Pick: Brooklyn Nets (-198)

Utah Jazz @ Toronto Raptors – 7.30pm ET

The road trip continues on for the Utah Jazz who will play the Toronto Raptors on Friday night, who themselves kick off a three game homestand. The Jazz have won eight of their last nine games, and this brings their season record to 28-10. The Raptors are flying high after giving the Bucks their second loss in a row, defeating them 117-111, and this takes their current winning streak out to four.

Denis Kirilov

The high-flying Utah Jazz will face the Toronto Raptors who have been performing really well recently. The Canadian team won its last four matches in the NBA against strong teams including the Milwaukee Bucks, the San Antonio Spurs, the New York Knicks, and the Los Angeles Clippers. This put them back into the top 10 in 7th place with 18 wins and 17 losses. The team will definitely try to battle it out with the rest in the East for one of the spots in the Playoffs. They’ve got everything they need, starting with Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, and Fred VanVleet being healthy.

The Utah Jazz has been one of the most dominant rosters this season. They might be 3rd in the West, but their overall performance is slightly better than the one of the Golden State Warriors and the Phoenix Suns. They lead the NBA in total points difference scoring 372 more points than what they have conceded already. The team is almost at 100% right now but they might be without Rudy Gobert and Joe Ingles who entered the health and safety protocols. This might be the beginning of something bad for the Jazz as they will surely need to get their players ready for the end of January when they will face the Suns, the Warriors, and the Grizzlies. My opinion is that they will do their best to get the victories in such games and let everything else resolve on its own. Therefore, I will go with their spread during their visit to Toronto. 

Denis’ NBA Pick: Utah Jazz +11 (-110)

Michael Lantz

The Raptors are starting to put it together: they’ve won four straight games, and finally have their starting five healthy and ready to wreak havoc. They further proved that on Wednesday as they outlasted the Milwaukee Bucks 117-111. Sure, the Bucks didn’t have Giannis Antetokounmpo, who missed the game with an illness, but the Raptors will take it as they look to continue their rise in the Eastern Conference standings. 


Normally, the Raptors would undoubtedly have their hands full against a complete Jazz team. But, it’s looking like Utah will be without a majority of their starting lineup and bench due to COVID protocol and injury issues. This team still has plenty of players that can step up, but going against a Raptors team that is finally clicking and full of talent, might be difficult to overcome. The Raptors are getting great performances from Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam, the two guys they turned to to take over the reigns after Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka all left in recent years. I’ll pick Toronto to continue their streak in this one and cover.

Michael’s NBA Pick: Toronto Raptors -11 (-110)

Noah Dunlap 

This has the potential to be a fun matchup between two teams that are both playing really good basketball. Utah has won eight out of nine, but after making it to the new year without having anyone from their franchise enter health and safety protocols, it looks as if COVID has finally caught up to them. They’ve been without Joe Ingles since Tuesday, and now they’re without Rudy Gobert, as well as potentially a few others. That makes this a tough situation for this Utah team, especially as they travel north of the border to take on the surging Toronto Raptors.

The Raptors come in on a four-game winning streak, and now that they’re fully healthy, they are looking more like the Raptors that started the year with many people wondering if they could make a deep run in the Easterrn Conference playoffs. With Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam leading the way, I like Toronto to sneak by with a win at home in this, but even with the absences that Utah is facing, having the Jazz as a near 11-point dog just seems disrespectful, so give me Utah to cover. 

Noah’s NBA Pick: Utah Jazz +11 (-110)

Washington Wizards @ Chicago Bulls – 8pm ET

This will be the first of a two game road trip for the Washington Wizards, as they face off against the Chicago Bulls on Friday night. The Wizards are looking for some consistency in their play, as they have won three of their last seven games, which takes their season record to 19-19. The Bulls, on the other hand, are flying high and are currently on an eight game winning streak, which does include a narrow win over the Wizards, on January 1, 120-119.

Denis Kirilov

The Washington Wizards will face the Chicago Bulls on Friday night in the United Center. The Bulls have found their rhythm recently, winning 8 games in a row. The way they have been dominating the East this year suggests that they will be one of the top contenders to take home the Conference title. With players like Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan the team surely has a huge potential this year. They top the Eastern Conference with 25 wins and 10 losses, averaging 71.4% win-rate. The team has been playing on a very high level recently and there is only one concern about that. It’s whether they can keep it up until the 2022 NBA Playoffs.

The Washington Wizards, on the other hand, will have to level up their game, if they want to reach the same destination as the Bulls at the end of the season. They are coming into this match after a tough narrow 111-114 loss to the Houston Rockets at home. Bradley Beal, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Kyle Kuzma topped the scoring list for the game, but there was only one Washington’s player in-between six players of the Rockets who posted double figures. Both the Bulls and the Wizards faced off recently as the team from Chicago took the win via a 3-point buzzer-beater from DeMar DeRozan. This time the game will be in the “Windy City” and I would expect a more dominant performance from the hosts. They are only missing Alex Caruso which gives me enough confidence to pick their spread. 

Denis’ NBA Pick: Chicago Bulls -6.5 (-110)

Michael Lantz

The Chicago Bulls are the NBA’s hottest team, winners of eight straight games. They’ll look to keep that streak going as they have Lonzo Ball back from COVID protocol. Even though he struggled a bit against the Magic in his first game back, but it can take a game or so to get back in the rhythm. The Bulls are not only getting great scoring from DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, but they’re also getting some great bench production from Coby White. They hope to keep the good times rollin’ as they face a Washington Wizards team they barely beat on New Year’s Day. 
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At one time, earlier in the season, Washington looked like a force to be reckoned with. Now, they sit at ninth in the Eastern Conference, and while they’ve had to battle a lot of injuries and COVID protocol issues, they just continue to struggle. This was evident on Wednesday as they fell to the Houston Rockets, a team that sits at the bottom of the Western Conference. Washington will be happy to have Spencer Dinwiddie back and maybe Montrezl Harrell in this ever-important matchup against the Bulls. Still, with this one being in the United Center, and the Bulls thriving, I can’t find it in me to pick against them. 

Michael’s NBA Pick: Chicago Bulls -6.5 (-110)

Noah Dunlap 

After a red hot start to the year, the Washington Wizards have fallen on hard times, and have been in free fall lately, as their record has plummeted to .500, at 19-19. Bradley Beal continues to lead the way for this Wizards team, but he’s getting virtually no help from anyone else on the roster, apart from what seems like one other guy in each game they may play reasonably well, which manages to keep a lot of games close, even though they always seem to come up short. 

Now they get the challenge of taking on the one-seed in the Eastern Conference at this point, the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls come into this one on an eight-game winning streak, and since a bit of a lengthy pause due to a COVID surge in their locker room, they’ve quite simply been playing lights out basketball. Led by DeMar Derozan and Zach LaVine, and also getting solid minutes from Lonzo Ball, this Chicago team is the real deal, which is why I’m taking them to potentially run away with this one, especially at home in the Windy City against a team that is struggling greatly right now. 

Noah’s NBA Pick: Chicago Bulls -6.5 (-110)

Atlanta Hawks @ Los Angeles Lakers – 10pm ET

The road trip continues on for the Atlanta Hawks who will now take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday. The Hawks have won two of their last four games, and this brings their season record to 17-20. The Lakers have finally managed to get above the .500 mark again, as their season record currently sits at 20-19, which is thanks to their current three game winning streak.

Denis Kirilov

The Atlanta Hawks will have a really tough visit to California as they will take on the Los Angeles Lakers who are coming into this game after 3 straight wins. The team from Los Angeles defeated the Blazers, the Timberwolves, and the Kings, suggesting that this has been only the beginning. LeBron James really reached his 4th prime at 37 years of age as he carries the team in this intense period. He has played 7 games in a row with at least 30+ points, which has helped the team to get a couple of victories. Russell Westbrook did something extraordinary as he went for 0 turnovers against the Kings, snapping a 407-game streak with a turnover. The team is slowly, but surely turning into a title contender, but they all know that the journey is quite long as something might surprise them at any point. 

The Atlanta Hawks are far away from enjoying this season. They are struggling in 12th place in the East as the only hope they have is that the competition in the East is quite fierce this season, thus not allowing the teams to slip away from them. On top of that, Trae Young set a new career-high of 56 points against the Blazers which were simply not enough to get the victory in the end. The team, however, is in a lot of trouble right now as half of the roster will be sidelined due to COVID-19. Trae Young, Cam Reddish, and John Collins might miss the upcoming fixture due to injuries. Keeping in mind the Lakers’ conservative approach this season, I will go for the option for “over points” as both teams have put up big numbers recently. 

Denis’ NBA Pick: Over 225.5 (-112)

Michael Lantz

The Lakers have won four of their last five games, as they’re finally starting to look like the team many believed they would be. Even more impressive—it’s all been without Anthony Davis. LeBron James, who just turned 37, looks as lethal as ever and the Lakers are starting to get some awesome production from the likes of Malik Monk and Carmelo Anthony—two of their big offseason acquisitions. On Friday they’ll look to keep the wins coming as they face an Atlanta Hawks team that’s had a bit of a tough time this year.


This Hawks team is coming off a stellar season where they went to the Eastern Conference Finals. Unfortunately, they’ve had a hard time repeating that play this season, due in large part to injuries and COVID cases. This team will hope to field the most complete team they’ve had in sometime on Friday as John Collins and Bogdan Bogdanovic are now listed as questionable after missing some time. Trae Young is in the same book; after a 56-point performance against the Trail Blazers, he sat out against the Kings on Wednesday. The Hawks hope he’s back for this big showdown against the Lakers on Friday. Imagining he will, I think the Hawks definitely make this a game, and with their ability to hit big shots and the Lakers lackluster defense, I’ll pick the Hawks to pull off the upset.

Michael’s NBA Pick: Atlanta Hawks (+118)

Noah Dunlap 

Well, what do we make of this Los Angeles Lakers team? After an abysmal start to the season, they’re finally playing better basketball, having won three straight, and it’s all been without Anthony Davis. While a lot of people seem to want to jump on board with the notion that they will finally be turning into the contender that a lot of people thought they could be, I’m just not convinced. Yes, they’ve gotten better play from Russell Westbrook as of late, but the team is still too heavily reliant upon LeBron James, who, at 37-years old, is playing phenomenal ball. The problem is that I’m not sure that he can continue this play for the rest of the year, and potentially the playoffs, which is what the Lakers will need if they want to compete. That’s why I’m hitting the pause button on this Los Angeles talk for now. 

They get the Atlanta Hawks in this one, and we’re talking about a Hawks team that has been a bit disappointing so far this year, as they sit at 17-20 currently, after making a run to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. The problem for this Atlanta team to this point is the same thing that has plagued Los Angeles, they’re too reliant upon their star, Trae Young, to put up massive numbers. This reliance on Young has already shown to have problems this season, as we can see by their record, but I don’t think that matters here. I’m not sold on the Lakers, and Trae Young has shown the tendency to love the big stage (just watch clips of him at MSG vs the Knicks), and playing LeBron and the Lakers in Los Angeles is the type of big stage that I could see him thrive on. Give me Young to lead Atlanta to a tight win on the road. 

Noah’s NBA Pick: Atlanta Hawks (+118)

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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.

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