Our free NBA picks are out for Monday, January 17th, 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!
Philadelphia 76ers @ Washington Wizards – 2pm ET
The Philadelphia 76ers wrap up their two game road trip on Monday afternoon when they take on the Washington Wizards. The 76ers have won 10 of their last 12 games, with their two losses coming at the hands of the Hawks and Hornets. The Wizards had their three game winning streak snapped last time out, thanks to the Trail Blazers.
Denis Kirilov
Following a fantastic run since Christmas, the Philadelphia 76ers will come up against the Wizards on Monday in Capital One Arena in Washington. Joel Embiid has been performing miracles for his team giving us more and more reasons to “trust the process”. The Cameroonian center led the way for the 76ers for their comeback against the Miami Heat on Saturday. He dropped 32 points, 25 of which came in the second half which came in crucial for the final score, 109-98. Tobias Harris has also been performing very well recently as he regularly goes for more than 20 points per game. The team has won 9 out of their last 10 fixtures in the NHL.
The Washington Wizards are coming into this match after suffering a tough loss at home against the Blazers that snapped their 3-game winning streak. This 3-0 run has not been that impressive since they managed to defeat teams from the bottom of the table – the Orlando Magic and the Oklahoma City Thunder. They are currently 10th in the East with 22 wins and 21 losses, while at the same time, keeping a close gap to the top spots. Spencer Dinwiddie, Kyle Kuzma, and Bradley Beal will surely want to make the 2022 NBA Playoffs, but they will need to level up their game, if they want to be competitive enough in order to get a chance at going deep in the bracket. I think that they might be able to surprise the 76ers, so I will avoid choosing a winner here. However, I will recommend picking the option for “under points” as Philly and Washington are able to play good defense against top teams.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Under
Michael Lantz
The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the league’s hottest teams, winning nine of their last ten games. At fifth place in the Eastern Conference, they’re just 2.5 games out of the number one seed. They’ll look to continue their rise to the top through their hard nose defense, which is ranked seventh in the NBA in opposing points per game and are just outside the top ten in defensive rating. They’ll take on a Washington Wizards team that doesn’t necessarily score a lot of points per game, but they are efficient, ranking in the top five in field goal percentage.
got the job done. ✅
🪙@Cryptocom pic.twitter.com/3R99W04v5x
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 17, 2022
The Wizards are hanging on for dear life in the Eastern Conference standings; they’re currently in ninth and while they have a fun offense with the likes of Bradley Beal, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Montrezl Harrell. Unfortunately, the Wizards will be without Beal, who leads the team in scoring, as he’s in COVID protocols. The Wizards were able to survive without Beal on Saturday, beating a depleted Trail Blazers team 115-100. That being said, the 76ers are a different monster: Joel Embiid has been putting up MVP numbers over the last couple of weeks and he’s getting great help from the likes of Tobias Harris, Tyrese Maxey, and more. The Wizards have plenty of individuals that can come together to make up for Beal’s loss, but with the way their defense has been playing, and with how good the 76ers have looked, Philly seems like the reasonable pick here.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Philadelphia 76ers -3 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
This Philadelphia 76ers team is proving that they aren’t a team to sleep on in the Eastern Conference. After a solid start to the year, they hit a rough stretch as they found themselves dealing with COVID and injury problems, but since getting virtually everyone back and healthy, they’ve run off 10 of their last 12, and are getting great minutes from Joel Embiid, who’s currently playing like an MVP candidate. If they can continue to get that level of play from Embiid, and get even just decent play from the bench, this is a team that will absolutely find itself in the mix come early May.
They get the Washington Wizards in this one, and it’s a Wizards team that’s hard to figure out. After looking like the best team in the East for the first month or so of the season, they completely fell apart, eventually dropping below .500. They did run off three straight wins before dropping a game to Portland, which has gotten them back up to a game over .500, but they’re still a team that looks like a shell of themselves from the first month of the season. Give me Philly to travel down to the nation’s capital and get a win in this one.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Philadelphia 76ers (-146)
Brooklyn Nets @ Cleveland Cavaliers – 3pm ET
The Brooklyn Nets kick off a four game road trip when they travel to Cleveland and take on the Cavaliers, who have one game at home before hitting the road again. The Nets have been very inconsistent as of late, not managing to get on a winning streak, but also not losing consecutive games, and this has taken their series record to 27-15. The Cavaliers are currently on a four game winning streak, with wins over the Kings, Jazz, Spurs and Thunder.
Denis Kirilov
The Brooklyn Nets have been struggling in recent games despite Kyrie Irving’s return (for away games). Their dynamic trio in offense has already played some matches together, but overall, Jason Kidd still prefers to experiment with his squad. His ideas, however, aren’t paying off as the team has been bouncing up and down from game to game. It seems that James Harden is the only player in rhythm for the Nets as Kevin Durant has been struggling to keep his high level up throughout the whole season. Kyrie Irving and Blake Griffin are still adapting to the game this year. The Nets remain 2nd in the table in the Eastern Conference with 27 wins and 15 losses. The situation in the top has become even tighter following the Chicago Bulls’ disappointing performance recently.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are also in the mix for the top spots. They are currently sitting in 6th place as they are just one win away from being 4th and a couple more wins away from contesting the leading position. The Cavs managed to build a team around Darius Garland and Kevin Love and even though they have been without Collin Sexton and Ricky Rubio, they still show high ambitions and even greater potential. They are coming into this fixture on a 4-game winning streak, all of which came on the road. In my opinion, we might see yet another victory for the Cavaliers this season.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers (-146)
Michael Lantz
The Brooklyn Nets received some tough news on Saturday night: Kevin Durant will miss the next month or so with an MCL sprain. KD was looking like a front-runner for the MVP award, so his absence will be missed. Still, imagining his recovery goes accordingly, Durant should be back at full health for the final month or so of the season and into the playoffs, which is when Brooklyn will need him the most. So the team will depend heavily on James Harden, Patty Mills and some of their young talent including Cam Thomas and Day’Ron Sharpe to help make things happen while Durant is out. Plus, when they play on the road, they’ll have the option of playing a certain Kyrie Irving, who should be of great help. Since Monday’s game is in Cleveland, the Nets should have Irving to face his old team.
Cleveland continues to be one of the league’s biggest surprises. They are currently the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, and have the third highest defensive rating in the NBA. This is thanks in large part to their impressive frontcourt, which includes Jarrett Allen (former Net), Lauri Markkanen, and Evan Mobley. They should be able to frustrate a Durant-less Nets squad, a team that they haven’t quite been able to figure out this year. But in those prior matchups they have been without key pieces. Sometimes the Nets have a hard time in their rebounding and physicality down low; the Cavaliers should be able to dominate in that aspect of the game. On the other hand, if Harden and Irving both play, it should be a rough time for a Cavs backcourt that’s had its fair share of injuries this year. Still, with this one being in Cleveland, and Durant sidelined, I think that’s enough for this exciting Cavs team to capitalize.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers (-146)
Noah Dunlap
This Cleveland Cavaliers team just doesn’t stop. Despite losing Colin Sexton and Ricky Rubio for the year, they continue to find ways to win, as they’re currently sitting at sixth in the East. Their play slid for about two weeks, but now with the emergence of Darius Garland, along with Kevin Love still playing Kevin Love-type basketball, they’re a team that has the ability to continue to stick around despite these injuries. They’ve now won four straight, and at this point, I don’t see why you would expect them to drop off anytime soon.
The Brooklyn Nets come in as the two seed in the East, trailing only the Chicago Bulls, but they’re chances of catching the Bulls may have just taken a hit, as it’s been announced that Kevin Durant will miss 4-6 weeks with an injury. They do now have Kyrie Irving back for road games, and James Harden has finally begun to look like the Harden we expected to see from the beginning of the season, but I’m not sure this is going to be able to be the same team without KD in the lineup. I would look for them to go through some struggles as they adjust, which is why I think the play here is to take Cleveland to sneak out with a win at home over Brooklyn.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers (-146)
Chicago Bulls @ Memphis Grizzlies – 3.30pm ET
The Chicago Bulls wrap up their road trip on Monday afternoon when they travel to Memphis and take on the Grizzlies. The Bulls are currently on a three game losing streak, as they have lost to the Nets, Warriors and Celtics. The Grizzlies winning streak has finally come to an end, after going down to the Mavericks, 85-112.
Denis Kirilov
Two of the most entertaining teams this season will face each other on Monday in the NBA. The Chicago Bulls who top the Eastern Conference will host the high-flying Memphis Grizzlies, led by Ja Morant. The Grizzlies enjoyed a fantastic 11-game winning streak that ended with a 27-point loss to the Dallas Mavericks. This performance lifted them to 3rd place in the West for a moment, but they quickly dropped down to the 4th spot following their loss. Ja Morant and Desmond Bane have been the most valuable players for the team this season, but overall, the team has been doing well.
The Chicago Bulls went for a 9-game winning streak around Christmas, but the efforts they have put into this achievement took its toll on them. They lost 4 out of their last 5 matches in the NBA, including a 26-point loss to the Brooklyn Nets and a 42-point loss to the Golden State Warriors. Zach LaVine picked up an injury early in the first quarter in the match against Steph Curry and his teammates. His status is still uncertain as the MRI will be re-evaluated the upcoming week. I think that this incident will surely turn into a huge challenge for the Bulls and in my opinion, the Grizzlies should be able to get back to their winning run. So, I’d rather pick Memphis’ spread in this one.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Memphis Grizzlies -6 (-110)
Michael Lantz
The Memphis Grizzlies had won eleven games in a row, skyrocketing them to third in the Western Conference. But on Friday night, that streak came to an end as Memphis lost to the Dallas Mavericks 85-112, after they had a hard time containing Luka Doncic. Still, that win streak was the second time this young team has gone on a double-digit run this season. The Grizzlies are a top ten scoring team, and even though their defense isn’t outstanding, it’s improved month by month. On Monday they’ll face a Chicago Bulls team that’s leading the Eastern Conference—for now.
right back on our grizzly. pic.twitter.com/6umqUWiVxH
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) January 16, 2022
Chicago has been hit hard by injuries recently. They were already without defensive wizard Alex Caruso, but in the last couple of days they’ve lost all-star Zach LaVine, Derrick Jones Jr., and Lonzo Ball. While Caruso looks to return this week, he won’t be available against Memphis, which means Ja Morant should have a field day in the one. When healthy the Bulls can be one of the league’s most exhilarating teams on both sides of the ball, but without LaVine’s 25 point per game, Caruso and Jones’ defensive prowess, and Lonzo Ball’s ability to control the game, this team could be in trouble facing a confident young team in Memphis. While I expect Bulls leading scorer DeMar DeRozan to go off in this game, I just don’t think they have enough to take this exceptional Grizzlies team down in Memphis. Grizzlies should cover that spread with ease.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Memphis Grizzlies -6 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
Surprising to virtually everyone, these have been two of the best, most exciting teams in the league all year long. The Chicago Bulls come in as the one seed in the East, being led by the likes of DeMar Derozan and Zach LaVine, however, they’ve taken a hit as of late, dropping four of their last five, as well as losing LaVine for an undetermined amount of time. Since his injury, the Bulls have lost two games, to the Nets by 26 and the Golden State Warriors by 42, which makes me question how serious they are right now without LaVine in the lineup.
Now they travel down to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies in the annual MLK Day game, and it’s one that’s sure to be entertaining. The Grizz, led by Ja Morant, have surprised nearly everyone, as they’re giving Ja major help from guys like Desmond Bane, De’Anthony Melton, and Jaren Jackson Jr. They also ran off 11 straight wins before slipping up in their last outing to the Dallas Mavericks, in a game that they quite simply looked gassed in the second half. In this one, with LaVine being out for Chicago and the Bulls looking somewhat confused because of his absence, I think your best bet is to take the Grizz at home, and the spread, as the line currently sits at a modest 6.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Memphis Grizzlies -6 (-110)
Milwaukee Bucks @ Atlanta Hawks – 6pm ET
The Milwaukee Bucks have one game on the road before returning home again, and on Monday night they will take on the Atlanta Hawks. The Bucks will be looking to get things back on track after winning just two of their last seven games, and this drops their season record to 27-18. The Hawks are currently on a five game losing streak, as they have lost to the Lakers, Clippers, Heat (twice) and Knicks.
Denis Kirilov
The Milwaukee Bucks will have at first sight an easy task on Monday as they will travel to Atlanta to face the Hawks who are coming into this match on a 5-game losing streak. The reigning champions, however, have been struggling recently as well. They lost their last match to the Toronto Raptors who were led by the triple-double of Pascal Siakam – 30 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists. Giannis Antetokounmpo might have been clinical from the free-throw line, but his overall performance has been poor. This biggest issue comes from the inability of someone on the team outside of their top 3 players to be consistent enough in providing the much-needed help. On top of that, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton are doing their best to come up with new offensive ideas, but this has forced them to concede a lot of turnovers per game.
The Atlanta Hawks will have a hard time reaching the 2022 NBA Playoffs. They are currently 12th in the Eastern Conference with 17 wins and 25 losses. Trae Young is unable to carry the team on his own as he desperately needs everyone to be back at full strength in order to have even the slimmest of chances at achieving something this season. The Hawks are capable of defeating a team like the Bucks, but this has happened very rarely during the current campaign. However, in their first meeting, Atlanta took a 20-point victory as Trae Young finished off with 42 points, 8 rebounds, and 10 assists on a 16-26 shooting. I think we can see yet another good performance from the Hawks who might take advantage of the inconsistency within the Bucks.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Atlanta Hawks (+144)
Michael Lantz
With Jrue Holiday missing the last couple of games, the Milwaukee Bucks have looked very vulnerable: last week they dropped back-to-back games to one of the league’s best offenses in the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets are a team the Bucks could’ve used Holiday’s defense against, but so are the Golden State Warriors—and the Bucks were just fine against them. Milwaukee exploded to a 118-99 win against one of the league’s best teams in Golden State, in a matchup many believe could be a Finals preview. It looked like the Bucks had adjusted without Holiday, but then they were blanked by the Toronto Raptors on Saturday, losing 96-103. With Holiday scheduled to miss this matchup, it’s kind of a toss up as to which Milwaukee team we’ll see.
The Hawks’ 2021-22 season hasn’t gone as planned. After a breakout season last year, where they made the Eastern Conference Finals, they are struggling to emulate last year’s success. They’re currently in the midst of a five-game losing streak; while they continue to be a threat on the offensive end, their defense has been pretty horrific. With Holiday missing for the Bucks, Hawks guard Trae Young should be able to have a great game without Holiday in his face, but this Hawks defense will struggle to slow down Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, especially with no Clint Capela down low. The Hawks offense will really need to be efficient and overpower the Bucks, but while their losing streak will need to end eventually, I just don’t see it happening against this Bucks squad that’ll be looking to bounce back after a tough loss to the Raptors.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Milwaukee Bucks -4 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
Despite struggles from Milwaukee as of late, as they’ve gone 2-5 in their last seven, I think this is a game that they end up taking care of with ease. They still have a lineup that features Giannis, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday, which is a solid trio, and if they can get those going again, they’re still a team that has the chance to look and play a lot like the Bucks team that won the NBA Finals last season. One other issue for this team as of late is that they’re getting virtually no help out of these three, which is the biggest reason for their struggles.
Atlanta, similarly, has been atrocious not only recently, but virtually all year long. They don’t look remotely like the same team that made a run to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, despite still being led by Trae Young and John Collins. They’ve struggled all year, including coming into this on a five game skid, and a large reason for that is that Trae Young can’t carry the team himself. He’s not getting enough help from his supporting cast, which has caused him to have to press more than he arguably normally would. As for this one, despite their struggles, I like Milwaukee to be able to go on the road and get a relatively easy win over the Hawks.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Milwaukee Bucks -4 (-110)
Utah Jazz @ Los Angeles Lakers – 10.30pm ET
The Utah Jazz wrap up their two game road trip on Monday night when they face off against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Jazz are playing on back-to-back nights, and last time out they won against the Nuggets, 125-102. The Lakers are looking to get back on track after losing three games in a row, which takes their season record to 21-22.
Denis Kirilov
The Utah Jazz will face off the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night in the NBA. The Jazz are off to a really bad start of 2022 as they lost 4 games in a row, all of which were without their center, Rudy Gobert. However, the team managed to keep their 3rd spot in the West, despite the fantastic 11-game winning streak by the Grizzlies. With players like Donovan Mitchell, Mike Conley, and Bojan Bogdanovic, the Jazz are able to score a lot. However, they have failed to show that part of their game in the last couple of matches. It seems that Rudy Gobert’s absence took its toll on them, but with him back in the squad, things might become better and better.
The Los Angeles Lakers continue to raise concerns over their actual chances of winning the 2021 NBA Championship. The team has lost most of its battles against top-tier teams this season as they only defeated the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks. LeBron James might have been playing on a very high level, but something isn’t quite right for the Lakers. The rest on the squad have had their struggles throughout this campaign which reflected on their overall performance so far. The Lakers are outside of the top 5 in the West with 21 wins and 22 losses and looking at their schedule, things aren’t looking bright for them. I think that the Utah Jazz will once again force the team from Los Angeles to face reality as I will trust Utah to cover its spread for the game.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Utah Jazz -4.5 (-112)
Michael Lantz
After a few games where there seemed to be a glimmer of hope for the Los Angeles Lakers, the team has once again looked old and off in their last week. Despite LeBron James trying to put the team on his back, it just hasn’t been enough, as this team is in trouble after a tough loss to the Sacramento Kings and then a blowout loss to the Denver Nuggets on Saturday. Things won’t get any easier for them as they face the league’s top scoring team in the Utah Jazz. For anyone who questioned how valuable Rudy Gobert is to this Jazz team, all one has to do is take a look at how they played when he was absent for five games. The team went 1-4, including losing four games in a row. It was pretty inexcusable for the Jazz, who are still loaded with talent, as they lost to teams like the Detroit Pistons during Gobert’s time away.
Final. pic.twitter.com/q4DAeKtr5L
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 16, 2022
Luckily they got Gobert back last night, and to little surprise, were able to put down the Denver Nuggets by 20+ points, with Gobert scoring 18 points and grabbing 19 rebounds. That Nuggets team beat the Lakers by 30+ the night before, and now after the Jazz handled that Nuggets team, they get their shot at that exact Lakers team. Los Angeles continues to be without Anthony Davis, so the Jazz should be able to play with ease in the paint. If the Lakers can get another scoring option going aside from James (like Malik Monk or (gulp) Russell Westbrook), they have a chance to catch up to this Jazz team. But, based on how well the Jazz play when they have their most prominent players, they should be able to outplay and outcoach this struggling Lakers squad at Crypto.com Arena.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Utah Jazz -4.5 (-112)
Noah Dunlap
After struggling to start the new year, the Utah Jazz may have finally found a bit of rhythm, as they came out and knocked off the Denver Nuggets last night. They had lost four straight, and five of seven to start the year, before the win last night. The important point to make surrounding this, is that most of the losses had been without Rudy Gobert in the lineup, as he had been placed in COVID protocols. With Gobert back, and virtually the entire roster looking like it’s good to go, I think this Utah team has the chance to get back on track, and close out the season with a lot of the same success that they started the season with.
Now they get to take on a Lakers team that quite honestly, is simply horrible. This Lakers team is 21-22 on the year, yet their players continue to act like nothing’s wrong, which may actually be part of the problem. This is a roster that, when they’re playing well, has the potential/ should be one of the best in the league, but due to injuries, and simply the fact that they aren’t playing well at all, we’re yet to see anything close to the ceiling that we could from this Los Angeles team. I don’t think that changes in this one, as I like this Jazz team to get a win, especially now that they have Gobert back in the lineup and can begin to try to build towards a postseason run.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Utah Jazz -4.5 (-112)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
