Our free NBA picks are out for Saturday, February 12th, 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!
Memphis Grizzlies @ Charlotte Hornets – 7pm ET
The Memphis Grizzlies are in the middle of their three game road trip when they travel to Charlotte and take on the Hornets. The Grizzlies are on a four game winning streak and have won seven of their last eight games, which takes their season record to 38-18. The Hornets are playing on back-to-back nights, and last time out they won 141-119, against the Pistons.
Jeffery Thomas
The Ja Morant led Grizzlies are coming off a 132-107 win over the Detroit Pistons in a game where they led 41-19 at the end of one. They’ve really been emphasizing fast starts and recently their opponents have had no answer for them. That was their fourth straight win and 7 of 8, as they now sit at 39-18 on the season. Desmond Bane added 22 points in a game he had circled, as he mentioned how the Pistons passed on him three times in the draft after saying they would take him. Charlotte, funny enough, is also coming off a win over Detroit, a game on Friday night.
LaMelo Ball went off for 31 points and 12 assists in the 141-119 win, snapping their 6 game losing streak. The 79 points they scored in the first half was a franchise record, and they had 3 different players score 25 points (Terry Rozier and Miles Bridges). They avoided falling under .500 with this win and sit a game back of the 8 seed in the East. We can’t overreact to Charlotte beating up on a terrible Pistons team. It could serve as a confidence boost but this Memphis team is much better and has shown it all season taking down some of the league’s top teams. This is a very professional bunch and they do not take any opponent lightly, and I expect them to jump on the Hornets early and maintain that level enough to cover this short spread on the road.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Memphis Grizzlies -7 (-114)
Michael Lantz
The Charlotte Hornets continued their offensive dominance last night as they blew by the Detroit Pistons winning 141-119. Guards LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier scored 25 points a piece as they ended a six-game skid. Now they’ll have a bit harder of an appointment on Saturday as they take on one of the NBA’s best teams, the Memphis Grizzlies. Memphis also secured a huge win over the Detroit Pistons in their last matchup, winning 132-107, for their fourth win in a row.
one quick appreciation tweet for the best uni/accessory in the league 🔥
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) February 11, 2022
They also received great guard play against the Pistons as All-Star Ja Morant scored 23 points and the ever-improving Desmond Bane scored 22 points. While the Grizzlies defense will have to work hard to contain a high powered Hornets offense, they also are aware that Charlotte has one of the worst defenses in the NBA. With how good this Grizzlies team has been this year offensively, they should have no problem putting up a ton of points in “Buzz City”.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Memphis Grizzlies (-310)
Noah Dunlap
I like the Memphis Grizzlies to win this ballgame, as quite simply I think they’re the better team, but I don’t think that’s the safest bet in this one. Memphis comes in as one of the biggest surprises of the year, sitting all alone at third in the West right now, including being winners of four straight, and seven of eight, but the key to this team has been their offense. Their defense is extremely shaky much of the time, which raises some questions in this one, as they take on a Charlotte team that is also very offensively minded.
The Charlotte Hornets enter this one having struggled a bit as of late, but they did manage to get a win in their last one, a win over Detroit last night. The key to this Charlotte team is similarly the fact that their offense is really good, but their defense is almost non-existent at times. With two teams that play limited defense, but have two of the most exciting offenses in the league, I think this is the kind of game that the over becomes the obvious play. For this one, don’t worry about the winner or the spread, and instead just focus on taking the over, as I think we get plenty of points in Charlotte tonight.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Over 235.5 (-110)
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Philadelphia 76ers – 7.30pm ET
The road trip continues on for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who travel to Philadelphia on Saturday night to take on the 76ers. The Cavaliers are currently on a four game winning streak, which includes wins over the Hornets, Pacers (twice) and Spurs. The 76ers won their game yesterday, 100-87, against the Thunder, and this takes their season record to 33-22.
Jeffery Thomas
Both of these teams played Friday night so fatigue could be a factor. The Cavs took care of the Indiana Pacers by a score of 120-113 in Caris LeVert’s return to his old stomping ground. It was only his second game as a Cav and he needed to step up big time with the absence of Darius Garland. He logged 35 minutes, dropping 22 points and adding 5 assists. They had to exert a lot of energy to win this one, falling down 18 points, late in the third before storming back to win. This was a very similar script to when they had to mount a 20 point comeback over the Pacers at home just 5 days ago. With that win on Friday, the surprise Cavs moved up to 2nd place in the Eastern Conference. For Philly, they still await the debut of James Harden, but in the meantime they’re still taking care of business on the court, beating OKC by a score of 100-87.
Joel Embiid had a down game by his standards, but still went for 25 points and 19 rebounds in 34 minutes. Tyrese Maxey, finally free of the shadow of the Ben Simmons drama, spread his wings in the first game post trade, dropping 24 points on 9-14 shooting. The Sixers sit comfortably at the 5th seed in the East entering Saturday. This is an interesting matchup and possible playoff series preview. The Cavs will hope to have Darius Garland for this one and I anticipate he’ll be able to go for this one in Philly. It’s very likely they just sat him out against the lesser opponent to avoid him playing on the back to back. So working under the assumption that Garland is going, I like getting the spread here with Cleveland. Yes, they are the road team but they are a great defensive team and that always travels. They also rebound well and have an offense that is capable of going on insane runs as we’ve seen plenty of times this year. I can see them winning this one outright but I’ll just take the spread to be safe.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers +4.5 (-110)
Michael Lantz
This should be a thrilling matchup between two teams that could meet in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Both of these squads made major trade deadline deals but only one team will have their new talent available. The Cavs will look to improve their three-seed after they beat the Indiana Pacers 120-113 the other night. In that game new acquisition Caris LeVert scored 22 points against his old squad, showing his new Cavs teammates he’s a great fit going forward. The Cavs will now look to improve their impressive season with a big win against the Sixers.
Philly made massive headlines on Thursday when they traded for future Hall-of-Famer James Harden. They unloaded disgruntled star Ben Simmons and key role players Seth Curry and Andre Drummond to Brooklyn as they look to better their shot at an NBA title. But, they’ll have to wait a little longer as Harden isn’t scheduled to make his team debut until early next week. While Joel Embiid should continue to put up big numbers I’m not sure this Sixers squad will be able to handle this up-and-coming Cavs squad without Harden on the floor.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers (+162)
Noah Dunlap
The Cleveland Cavaliers look to continue the great run they’ve been on all year, despite injuries, and now a few roster changes. The addition of Caris LeVert has seemed to help, or at least not hurt, at least to this point, and now they test that out against the Philadelphia 76ers, who are far and away the best team they’ve played since he’s been in Cleveland.
Philly, similarly, made moves at the deadline, but I’m not convinced they were great moves. They acquired James Harden from Brooklyn, but it cost them multiple pieces, and two first round picks as well. A guy who has struggled as much as he has to be a leader over the years should never be worth that much, and with everything Philadelphia gave up, as well as the fact that Harden is currently set to miss the whole weekend as he still deals with a sore hamstring, makes me think Cleveland should be the play here. Give me the Cavs in a tight one on the road.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers +4.5 (-110)
Brooklyn Nets @ Miami Heat – 8pm ET
These two teams come into this game on different trajectories. The Brooklyn Nets are in free fall at the moment, their losing streak has reached double digits, at 10 in a row, and they haven’t won a game since January. The Heat are winners of four games in a row, which includes wins over the Spurs, Hornets, Wizards and Pelicans.
Jeffery Thomas
These two teams are heading in two totally different directions, as far as results on the floor, but the Nets have been making a lot of news off the court. On trade deadline day, Brooklyn traded away former MVP and 10x All-Star James Harden in a package centered around Ben Simmons. Simmons fell out of favor with the Philly organization during the 2020 playoffs and he forced his way out. Now the Nets, who are on a 10-game losing streak, will hope whenever they get him on the court he can perform to his All-NBA level play he showed so far in his career.
The Heat didn’t make any noise at the deadline and are sitting pretty at the 1 seed in the East. They are winners of four straight after beating the Pelicans on Thursday by a score of 112-97. Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo both led the way with a game-high 29 points and Kyle Lowry posted a triple double with 14 points, 11 assists, and 11 rebounds. Ben Simmons will not be available yet, but Seth Curry and Andre Drummond may make their Nets debut, although it won’t be enough to end this losing skid. The Heat have too much fire power right now and paired with their terrific defense it’s easy to see why they are the best in the East right now. They will add to their winning streak with a big home victory on Saturday night.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Miami Heat -10 (-110)
Michael Lantz
The Brooklyn Nets have had a bizarre week: they’ve suffered 10 losses in a row and on Thursday’s trade deadline they pulled off a blockbuster. They sent All-Star guard James Harden to Philadelphia in exchange for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, and Andre Drummond. The Harden experiment worked for just over a year for the Nets as the star player grew weary of Brooklyn’s always hectic environment. In the Nets defense they’ve been without Kevin Durant for some time. With his injuries, Harden unhappy, and Kyrie Irving only able to play on the road, it’s not as much of a surprise they’ve lost so many in a row.
Playing on another level 📈 pic.twitter.com/7lTZrCPWJE
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) February 11, 2022
The team won’t have Durant back yet and they won’t have their new additions with the team right away, so it could be 11 in a row for the Nets as they play the Eastern Conference’s top team the Miami Heat. Meanwhile, Miami have been cruising: the South Beach squad have won four straight, after they went on a three game skid at the end of January. They’re undoubtedly one of the league’s most complete teams with all star talent in Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Kyle Lowry; plus great shooters like Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson. The Heat should really not have a problem with this Brooklyn team that’s hobbled and incomplete right now—especially at home. I’ll take them to cover in this one.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Miami Heat -10 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
Despite giving up James Harden, I think the Brooklyn Nets managed to get better at the trade deadline. They picked up multiple role players that can give productive minutes, as well as two first rounders for the future, which can’t hurt by any means. However, they are struggling as of late with KD out of the lineup, and with him still being out, I have doubts as to whether they manage to end this skid they’re on.
Now they take on the Miami Heat, who are on a four game winning streak, and are currently sitting as the one seed in the East. With a roster that’s absolutely loaded, led by Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, and Jimmy Butler, all of whom should be healthy for this one, I think you have to feel confident about Miami continuing the hot streak, getting a win at home over a new look Nets squad that just haven’t had the chance to play together yet.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Miami Heat (-520)
Los Angeles Lakers @ Golden State Warriors – 8.30pm ET
The Los Angeles Lakers travel to Chase Center in San Francisco to take on the Golden State Warriors in what could be one of the most interesting games of the day. The Lakers come into this game on a two game losing streak, after defeats to the Bucks and Trail Blazers. The Warriors are also surprisingly on a two game losing streak, after they went down to the Jazz and Knicks.
Jeffery Thomas
Neither of these teams made a move at the trade deadline even though a lot of people felt the Lakers were a few moves away from being serious contenders. There were reports of them shopping veteran Russell Westbrook, but with how bad his season has gone it’s understood why no teams wanted to take him. The day before the deadline, the Lakers had a pitiful performance, losing 105-107 to the Trail Blazers who just traded CJ McCollum. Like the Lakers, the Warriors come in losers of two straight after dropping a home date with the New York Knicks Thursday. It was a 114-116 final, and Klay Thompson had an elbow jumper to send it to overtime that he missed as time expired. He quickly shifted his focus to Los Angeles, the team his father used to play and broadcast games for.
These two teams met on opening night in Los Angeles, when the Warriors escaped with a 121-114 victory on the back of Steph’s 21 point triple double. He only shot 5-21 in that one and Westbrook went 4-13, foreshadowing how his season would pan out. Nobody saw this Lakers team being this bad back then, but now that we’ve been able to see almost 4 months of them it’s clear they are nowhere near this Warriors team and I see Golden State cleaning them up. The Warriors likely took that Knicks team for granted but they’re not about to lose two straight at home. Give me the Dubs to cover.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors -7 (-112)
Michael Lantz
After a nine-game win streak, the Golden State Warriors had a Wednesday and Thursday they’d soon like to forget. On Wednesday they were blown out by the Utah Jazz 85-111, but they were able to use Klay Thompson’s absence as an excuse. The following night they got Thompson back, but still fell to a lowly New York Knicks team 114-116. Hopefully the latter game was just a result of the Warriors playing a back-to-back, but they’ll look to avoid making it three straight losses on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers are in shambles. They’ve looked far too old, been injured, and have received flawed performances from Russell Westbrook. But, even with Westbrook out the other night, the team still lost to a Portland Trail Blazers team that’s looking to rebuild. The Lakers are just hanging into a play-in game position, and with the Pelicans and Hornets having a strong trade deadline, the team really needs to watch its back. While the Warriors are one of the best teams in the NBA, they are in a bit of a drought, so this may be Los Angeles’ ideal time to grab a win. Personally, I don’t see it. I can’t see the Warriors dropping a third straight game, especially against a weak Lakers defense at home. Give me the Warriors to pull this one off.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors (-300)
Noah Dunlap
Put simply, I refuse to bet on the Los Angeles Lakers. We were sold on the idea of them being a legitimate contender to start the season, and all they’ve done is disappoint. Their ragtag group of former All-Stars hasn’t worked out at all, as Russell Westbrook and Dwight Howard have been abysmal failures for the most part, while LeBron has continued to virtually have to carry the team night in and night out. And now they take on what may be the second best team in basketball in Golden State.
Golden State enters this one as the two seed out West, behind only Phoenix, and as Klay Thompson continues to find his rhythm in his return from a 2+ year layoff, this team is only going to get better. They already have Steph Curry and Draymond Green, and they’ve gotten great production from Jordan Poole, which only helps to elevate their roster even more. With them hosting an extremely disappointing Lakers team here, I think the Warriors roll with relative ease.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors -7 (-112)
Orlando Magic @ Phoenix Suns – 9pm ET
We wrap things up in the NBA on Saturday night with a game that includes one of the worst teams in the league, the Orlando Magic, playing one of the best, the Phoenix Suns. The Magic will have to back up from last night’s game against the Jazz tonight with this clash, last time out the Magic lost 99-114. The Suns are building another solid winning streak, and this one currently stands at four in a row, with wins over the Wizards, Bulls, 76ers and Bucks.
Jeffery Thomas
The Suns are by far the best team in the league at the moment. They got their revenge on the champs by beating them 131-107 on Thursday for their 18th win in the last 20 games. All starters scored double digits but it was DeAndre Ayton who led the way with 27 points and 7 rebounds. Chris Paul tallied his 500th career double double with 17 points and 19 assists! Only three other guards have accomplished that feat in NBA history.
Their league-best record now sits at 45-10 and they are 4.5 games ahead of the 2nd seed Warriors. The Magic lost again on Friday night, this time 99-114 on the Utah Jazz. It’s their 3rd loss in 4 games and their bid for a top 3 pick just grows stronger with every loss. This is a matchup of the team with the best record and the team with the worst record so we know how this is going to go. On top of that the Suns will be at home where they are 23-5 on the season. They will easily make that 24-5 against this Magic team.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Phoenix Suns -16 (-110)
Michael Lantz
After a solid 113-95 win against the Portland Trail Blazers the Magic looked like themselves again losing to the Utah Jazz last night 99-114. While they’re among the worst teams in basketball, the Magic are at least happy to have some solid young talent in the likes of Cole Anthony and Franz Wagner. They’ll hope to put up a fight Saturday as they face basketball’s best team, the Phoenix Suns.
.@CP3 approves of the moves. ☑️ pic.twitter.com/3TtxGYflUp
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) February 11, 2022
Phoenix are coming off their biggest win of the year, as they got revenge against the team that beat them for the NBA title last season, the Milwaukee Bucks. Not only did they win, but they demolished the Bucks, 131-107, to prove that they might in fact be basketball’s best team. Now their matchup takes a 180 as they play a terrible Magic team. I expect the Suns to have no problem in this one, as they should be able to cover—especially at home.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Phoenix Suns -16 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
This is the kind of game that shouldn’t even take place. The Phoenix Suns are the best team in the NBA, and it’s not close, as they’re led by a trio of DeAndre Ayton, Chris Paul, and Devin Booker, as well as having the ability to go two or three more deep in terms of solid, productive minutes. They’ve currently won four straight, and as they get what may be the worst team in basketball in this one, they’re going to push that to five.
The Orlando Magic simply don’t have anything that competes with what they’re about to face from this Phoenix team, and then you add the home court advantage that the Suns get here, and I just think this gets ugly. Give me Phoenix in an absolute destruction of Orlando in this one.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Phoenix Suns -16 (-110)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
