Our free NBA picks are out for Monday, February 14th, 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 @ Chicago Bulls – 8pm ET
The mammoth road trip continues on for the San Antonio Spurs, who take on the Chicago Bulls on Monday night. The Spurs have gone 2-1 so far in their road trip, as they have wins over the Hawks and Pelicans. The Bulls are currently on a three game winning streak which takes their season record to 36-21.
Jeffery Thomas
DeMar DeRozan is going to look to continue his stretch of 30 point games against his old team. He’s gone over that mark in six straight games (a career high) and he’ll look to become the first Bull to do it in seven straight since Michael Jordan in 1996-97. Chicago had to comeback to beat OKC 106-101 in their last game on Saturday behind DeRozan’s 38 points. They trailed 89-90 midway through the fourth before going on an 8-0 to grab the lead for good and secure their 4th straight win. The Spurs just beat the Bulls a couple weeks ago and will be looking for the season sweep, but will have some new faces this time.
They made a trade at the deadline with the Celtics for Josh Richardson and Romeo Langford who are both expected to make their Spurs debuts on Monday night. San Antonio had a 124-114 win in their last game out, led by their All-Star Dejounte Murray, who scored 31 points and dished out 12 assists. That was his second consecutive 30-10 performance as he’s really having a breakout season and will be the piece they look to build around for the future. The Spurs haven’t tailed in the past 2 games and have a three game winning streak against Chicago so they will be coming into this one with the utmost confidence. Bulls’ other All-Star guard Zach Lavine will also be out for this one along with their laundry list of other injuries and I think it will be too much to overcome for them to cover this spread. Give me the spread and the streaking Spurs who have been playing some really good basketball lately.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: San Antonio Spurs +4.5 (-108)
Michael Lantz
Injuries continue to be an issue for the Chicago Bulls: just as they’re about to get defensive stoppers Javonte Green and Derrick Jones Jr. back, the team loses All-Star Zach LaVine. While LaVine isn’t expected to miss too much time, the Bulls still would love to have as many of their key players playing together as possible. The Bulls are currently in the midst of a three-game win streak and sit just one game out of the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
Three wins in a row 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/HegCnRbYCl
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 13, 2022
The San Antonio Spurs have won three of four, as they continue to make a late push for a play-in position in the playoffs. The team is elated to have Dejounte Murray playing in the All-Star Game as he’s averaging 20 points, over 8 rebounds and over 9 assists per game on the year. While the Spurs are 22-35 on the year, they have been known to play some of the league’s best teams down to the final buzzer. With LaVine out and some of the Bulls supporting cast listed as questionable, the Spurs may have the perfect opportunity to beat a very good Bulls team. I’ll pick the Spurs to cover this one that should end up being quite close.
Michael’s NBA Pick: San Antonio Spurs +4.5 (-108)
Noah Dunlap
The Chicago Bulls have consistently been one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference all year long, and now they take on one of the worst teams in the West in the San Antonio Spurs. San Antonio has shown flashes of a bright future, but they’re still dealing with the limits of a roster that’s extremely young and needs more pieces in order to become a real threat.
With Chicago, they made offseason moves that have already proven to be a bit of a difference maker, as adding DeMar Derozan has been huge. They also added Lonzo Ball, who has played well, but is currently out indefinitely due to injury. As for this matchup, I think the play has to be taking the Bulls, at home, to take care of business against an improving Spurs squad, but one that’s still a long way off.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Chicago Bulls -4.5 (-112)
Portland Trail Blazers @ Milwaukee Bucks – 8pm ET
The Portland Trail Blazers kick off a short two game road trip when they take on the Milwaukee Bucks. The Trail Blazers have turned around their six game losing streak with back-to-back wins over the Lakers and Knicks. The Bucks had their four game winning streak snapped last time out, thanks to the Suns.
Jeffery Thomas
Following a four game road trip, the Bucks will return home and look to keep their offense rolling against a very vulnerable Trail Blazers defense on Monday night. Milwaukee won three of the four games during the trip and averaged 128 points. However, the last game was a 107-131 loss in the NBA Finals rematch against the Suns, which snapped their four game winning streak to open February. Portland is starting to adjust to life without CJ McCollum, who they traded away to New Orleans. They’ve won consecutive games over the Knicks and Lakers at home, after dropping six straight prior to that.
In the Knicks win, they had to erase a 15 point deficit in the fourth quarter to win. Damian Lilliard’s replacement Anfernee Simons poured in 30 points and 8 assists, with new addition Josh Hart adding 23 points. This is the last matchup between these teams, with the preview game going to the Bucks 137-108. Bobby Portis led the way for Milwaukee in that one, dropping a season-high 30 points, alongside 29 from Giannis. I see this one going in a similar fashion, especially with Milwaukee being at home where they are 19-9 this season. It’s a big spread for a reason and I think the Bucks will have no problem covering it.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Milwaukee Bucks -15 (-110)
Michael Lantz
After a 100-136 loss to the Denver Nuggets on January 30, the Bucks kicked things into gear and were starting to look like the team that won the NBA Championship last season. So what better way to prove that, than beating the team you faced in the Finals? The Bucks had a great chance to keep their season going strong on Thursday as they faced the Phoenix Suns. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as well as last year’s Finals, the Bucks lost 107-131 to the Suns, proving they aren’t quite in the clear for a repeat. Luckily they’ll have a pretty good chance to get back to winning on Monday as they face a Portland Trail Blazers team that looks like it’s headed for rebuild mode.
But, you can’t count out the Trail Blazers yet: they’ve won two games in a row, as Anfernee Simons has continued his rise to stardom, dropping 29 and 30 points in those games and looks like he is playing quite well with new acquisition Josh Hart. The Blazers are currently the tenth seed in the Western Conference as they look to keep their postseason hopes alive. Along with Simons and Hart, the team has the likes of Jusef Nurkic and Ben McLemore who are capable of contributing on the scoring end as well. But, where their recent wins came against struggling squads like the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks, they’ll now have to face a very good Bucks team that has championship aspirations and arguably the best player in the world, Giannis Antetokounmpo. With this one being in Milwaukee, I expect the Bucks to bring the Blazers back down to earth, with what should be a comfortable victory.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Milwaukee Bucks -15 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
I have even more doubts about this Portland team, after their decision to trade CJ McCollum at the trade deadline. They’ve won two straight, but they were against the Knicks and Lakers, two teams that have been massive disappointments this year. Against better teams, especially with Damian Lillard potentially out for the year, without McCollum, I think this is a Blazers team that is going to have trouble putting up enough points to find a way to win games.
The Milwaukee Bucks, despite struggling a bit more than expected this season, are the defending champions and have virtually the same roster from last year, meaning that they have the ability to turn things on at will. With Giannis as the leader, I think you simply have to lean Milwaukee in any game not taking place against the top-3 or 4 teams in the league, so I’m taking the Bucks in a big way here.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Milwaukee Bucks -15 (-110)
Orlando Magic @ Denver Nuggets – 9pm ET
The Orlando Magic wrap up their four game road trip on Monday night with a trip to Denver to take on the Nuggets. The Magic are on a two game losing streak after going down to the Jazz and Suns. The Nuggets have won three of their last four and this takes their season record to 31-25.
Jeffery Thomas
A year ago, the Nuggets made a deal with the Orlando Magic that they felt was the move to take them to that next level. They acquired Aaron Gordon in exchange for Gary Harris and then a few weeks later star guard Jamal Murray suffered a season-ending ACL injury, which highlighted their lack of backcourt depth after dealing Harris away. Now a year later, the Nuggets are back in the playoff mix while the Magic are still in a full rebuild. They are 1-2 on their current four game road trip that ends with this game in Denver. It started with a win over Portland, followed by 15 and 27 point losses to Utah and Phoenix. They are 13-45 and learning on the fly how to hang with some of the better teams in the league.
Monday will be another test of that, as they face the Nuggets who are coming off a dramatic 110-109 win on Saturday over the Toronto Raptors. Nikola Jokic saved the day with a block on OG Anunoby with 0.3 seconds left. This is going to be a tough test for a young Orlando team who just can’t seem to figure out how to win games this season. They also won’t have an answer for former-MVP Jokic down low who will get whatever he wants and will also pick apart their defense with his passing. He’s always a triple double threat and it won’t surprise me if he notched his 67th career one in this game. Whether he does or not, I see Denver winning this one by double digits and covering this spread at home.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Denver Nuggets -10.5 (-110)
Michael Lantz
Let’s cut to the chase, the Orlando Magic are bad. They’re 13-45, and have suffered four losses in five games, all by double-digit points. Still, they have some up-and-coming talent with the likes of Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs, and Franz Wagner showing a lot of promise this year. This team is still a couple more lottery picks away from being able to compete, but they’re thrilled to see some early progress from their young roster—even if it’s not resulting in wins.
This courtside view of last night’s game winning block🤩 pic.twitter.com/7hvqFjp3CI
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) February 13, 2022
On Monday, the Magic will face a Denver Nuggets team that’s staying alive in the Western Conference standings as they’re currently the six seed. They’ve won three of their last four games and Nikola Jokic looks like he’s hungry to repeat as the MVP. He’s also been getting great help from his supporting cast which includes veterans Will Barton, Jeff Green and Aaron Gordon. With this game being in the Mile High City against arguably the worst team in basketball, I think the Nuggets should be able to cover their 10.5 spread in this one.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Denver Nuggets -10.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
After being a disappointment for much of the year, the Denver Nuggets appear as if they’re trying to play better basketball as of late. The problem still remains that they are too reliant on Nikola Jokic to lead the way, as he’s still virtually the only star on the team. That works pretty well against lesser teams, as last year’s MVP is able to win games, but against some of the elite teams in the league, he finds himself coming up short. Good news for Nuggets fans though, they take on arguably the worst team in basketball in this one.
The Orlando Magic are awful. They’re 13-45 on the year, and it’s not getting any better. There’s limited young talent on the roster, with Cole Anthony being the key young piece, but outside of him, I’m not sure where they find the bright spots on this roster. That doesn’t bode well against Jokic and the Nuggets, who should be able to dominate the paint in this one. Give me Nuggets with relative ease.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Denver Nuggets -10.5 (-110)
Houston Rockets @ Utah Jazz – 9pm ET
The Houston Rockets hit the road for four games, and on Monday they head to Utah and take on the Jazz. The Rockets have lost their last four games, and eight of their last nine, taking their season record to 15-40. The Jazz have won five games in a row, which includes wins over the Nuggets, Nets, Knicks, Warriors and Magic.
Jeffery Thomas
The road Rockets come into this game losers of four straight and eight of nine, including a 120-139 blowout loss to the Raptors on Thursday. The one silver lining they can take out of the losing is the improving play of point guard Kevin Porter Jr. who dropped a career-high 30 points in the game. With the worst record in the Western Conference, they will hope to get KPJ more experience this season and hopefully be able to build a sting nucleus around him for the future. It will be a tough test for Porter and crew on Monday night, as they travel to a hostile environment in Utah for a date with the Jazz.
Utah is a perfect 5-0 in the month of February with an average margin of victory of over 17 points. All the games have been on their home court where they are 20-10 on the season. This is the third meeting of these teams on the season, with both sides getting a victory so far. The first meeting went to the Jazz 122-91 in Houston and then the Rockets got the second meeting over a short-handed Jazz team in Utah. The Jazz will be looking to avenge that loss which was just last month and Vegas fully expects this one to be a blowout, setting the line at 14 and I agree with them. Give me the Jazz in a rout, as they are getting healthier and are by far the better team.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Utah Jazz -14 (-110)
Michael Lantz
Despite some recent injuries, the Utah Jazz are looking to prove they can hang with the best teams in the Western Conference. They’ve won five games in a row, including a massive 111-85 victory over the Golden State Warriors. The Jazz have gone on this current streak without All-Star Rudy Gobert; when the x3 Defensive Player of the Year returns, that should propel the Jazz to an even higher level. While it’s easy to look at the Houston Rockets record and write them off, the Jazz can not come into this game and just expect to cruise through.
The Houston Rockets may sit in dead last in the Western Conference, but they have a variety of up-and-coming talent that they’re excited for. This team has plenty of offensive firepower thanks to Christian Wood and youngsters Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. They’ve lost four straight games, but they are always entertaining to watch and at one point in the season went on a seven-game win streak. Still, I don’t see them starting up on Monday as they will have a hard time containing one of the league’s hottest teams in the Utah Jazz. But, with the spread being at 14, I think the Rockets will at least cover, making that the best bet for your money.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Houston Rockets +14 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
Much like the previous game, I think this is another matchup that has the chance to get ugly in a hurry. The Houston Rockets are abysmal, sitting at only 15-40, and while they’ve seen signs of some young talent that could be building blocks for the future, it hasn’t been enough to get them the results they would like to see, as they’ve dropped eight of their last nine. And the problem is that I don’t see that changing in this one.
The Utah Jazz are one of the best teams in the NBA, if they can just get everyone healthy. They’ve been without Rudy Gobert for a substantial amount of time, which coincided with Donovan Mitchell being out with a concussion, causing a lengthy rough stretch where they struggled mightily. However, despite Gobert still being out, the return of Mitchell has provided a spark, as they’ve now run off five straight. That continues in this one, as they just have way too much for a Rockets team that is still quite a bit away from challenging with the league’s best teams.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Utah Jazz -14 (-110)
Golden State Warriors @ Los Angeles Clippers – 10.30pm ET
We wrap up Monday night in the NBA with a game between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers. The Warriors managed to snap their losing streak at just two games, with a win over the Lakers last time out, 117-115. The Clippers also snapped their losing streak last time out, and it stood at three in a row, which takes their season record to 28-30.
Jeffery Thomas
The Warriors got back on track after a two game skid, earning a hard fought home 117-115 victory over the Lakers on Saturday night. Klay Thompson had a vintage performance, dropping 33 points on his dad’s former team. That 33 was 10 points higher than previous high since his return and they needed each point to pull out the win, with 16 of them coming in the 4th quarter. His splash brother Steph added 24 points and 8 assists to help the cause, and the win pushed their record to 42-15 on the season. The Clippers bounced back from an embarrassing loss to Dallas where Luka dropped 51 to turn around and beat them 2 days later 99-97.
It was a good win, but they have still lost five of their last eight games dating back to January 28 and are clinging on to a playoff spot at 28-30. The Warriors have already won the first two meetings between these teams. They beat the Clippers in Los Angeles’ season opening game 115-113 and then again 105-90 on November 28. Now with no Paul George for the Clippers, new acquisition Norman Powell out indefinitely and Klay back for the Dubs side, it should be more of the same. The Warriors are on the road but this isn’t an intimidating opponent for them and this short spread shouldn’t be a problem for them to cover.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors -6 (-112)
Michael Lantz
The Los Angeles Clippers are currently the eight seed in the Western Conference. They’ve been able to be resilient despite Paul George and Kawhi Leonard being injured and out indefinitely. The Clippers did make a big trade at the deadline to help better their chances with those two out, as they acquired Norman Powell from the Portland Trail Blazers. But, their luck continued to go sour, as Powell injured his foot after playing just a couple of games with the Clippers. Their team will continue to have to fight through adversity and they’ll have a massive task on Monday against the Golden State Warriors.
next stop, los angeles pic.twitter.com/9LGgzuDvPK
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) February 13, 2022
The Warriors were in the midst of a nine-game win streak despite not having Draymond Green on the roster. Last Wednesday that streak ended as they fell to the Utah Jazz, a game in which they didn’t have Klay Thompson playing. But things got a bit worrisome the next night when Thompson came back and the team lost to a lowly New York Knicks squad 114-116. They bounced back with a win after that game, as they squeezed by the Los Angeles Lakers 117-115. Still those three games caused a little bit of concern for this Warriors team that’s normally pretty dominant on both sides of the ball. They’ll hope to erase last week’s matchups in this game against a Clippers team who they could potentially meet in the first round of the playoffs. With the spread being at -6 in favor of the Warriors, I’ll pick them to get it together and take down this Clippers team that just continues to have bad injury luck.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors -6 (-112)
Noah Dunlap
If both of these teams were fully healthy, I think this is the kind of game that would be extremely intriguing. However, with the fact that the Clippers are missing Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, I’m just not sure they have enough on the offensive end with what they’re about to see from Golden State. That’s not to take away from what they’ve done this year, as they’ve still managed to stay afloat, as despite those injuries preventing Kawhi from playing at all and PG-13 missing most of the season, they’re still a playoff team in the West, but they just aren’t at the elite level they could be, or arguably should be.
Now they take on a Warriors team that has virtually everyone healthy, and after a few weeks of Klay Thompson struggling to find his form after nearly two and a half years out, he seems to have found his rhythm, which gives Golden State yet another piece to work with. Already having Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins was enough for them to be the obvious second best team in basketball, now that they have Klay back, it’ll be interesting to see if they can compete with the Phoenix Suns for the top spot. Whatever the case, they simply have too much firepower for a depleted Clippers squad. Give me Golden State on the road, in a game that should be taken care of relatively easily.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors -6 (-112)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
