Our free NBA picks are out for Sunday, December 19th, 2021! 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!
Miami Heat @ Detroit Pistons – 6pm ET
The Miami Heat wrap up their road trip in Detroit when they take on the Pistons on Sunday night. The Heat have won four of their last five games, with their only loss coming against the Cavaliers, which brings their season record to 18-12. The Pistons struggles have continued on in December, they are still yet to win a game, and their record is currently standing at 4-23.
Denis Kirilov
The Miami Heat who seem to be back on the winning track travel to Detroit as they will play the Pistons on Sunday night. The Heat look great this year, holding onto an 18-12 record. They defeated the 76ers without their top 3 players – Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro. In their last game, the Heat outclassed the Orlando Magic by 10 points, a match in which Max Strus scored 32 points, while Gabe Vincent added 27 points. They have proved that they can be a dangerous opponent even without some of their core players.
The Detroit Pistons is the worst performing team in the NBA at the moment. They have won just 4 out of 28 matches which results in just 14% win-ratio. The team is on a 14-game losing streak (the second worst after the Rockets’ 15 games). They will be looking to avoid getting yet another anti-record this season, but they will need to go past the Heat, which doesn’t look like an easy task. Their team is quite off-balanced and also lacks a leader and a player around whom the coach can build a decent roster. Cade Cunningham seems to be a good draft pick, but only time will show whether he will stay at Detroit for long. I think that this game will go in favor of the Heat, since the Pistons are really bad in defence. I will go with Miami’s spread here.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Miami Heat -6 (-110)
Michael Lantz
The Miami Heat have continued to impress despite missing Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler. They’ve had multiple players step up from veteran Kyle Lowry to Duncan Robinson. They’ll look to keep things going strong as they take on a Detroit Pistons team that’s still in the rebuild process.
Dr. Strus 👌👌 pic.twitter.com/txwBSh8wWm
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) December 18, 2021
Detroit is headed for another top three pick, but at least rookie Cade Cunninham has lived up to expectations, leading rookies in scoring and nearly tallying a triple-double against the Houston Rockets. Still, they’ve struggled to win any games this year at 4-24, so I can’t see them being much competition, even for a bit of a depleted Miami Heat team.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Miami Heat -6 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
Despite some injury issues, the Miami Heat continue to perform like one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. They went through a brief lull that had some people concerned, but since then they’ve played much better, including winning four of their last five, and all of that has come without Bam Adebayo in the lineup, as he tries to return from injury. They’ve also been without Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro at times, yet they still continue to roll, which is a good sign as we progress deeper into the year.
On the other sideline, the Detroit Pistons are the worst team in basketball, and they’ve currently lost 14 straight, and I think this one is going to push that to 15, as the Pistons just don’t have the talent to match up with a Heat team that is playing well, especially if at least one of the Butler/Herro duo is playing. I like Miami to win this one on the road, and probably in a big way, so give me the Heat and the points here.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Miami Heat -6 (-110)
Portland Trail Blazers @ Memphis Grizzlies – 6pm ET
The Portland Trail Blazers and Memphis Grizzlies go at it again after playing each other on December 15. That game a few days ago was won by the Grizzlies, 113-103. Can the Trail Blazers get revenge on the road, or will the Grizzlies be too good once again?
Denis Kirilov
The Portland Trail Blazers and the Memphis Grizzlies will face each other for the third time this season on Sunday night at FedExForum. Both teams shared a win in Moda Center, Portland. In their most recent game, the Grizzlies got the better of the Blazers, defeating them 113-103. This was a seventh straight loss for the Blazers who seem to be quite out-of-form at the moment. Damian Lillard is not feeling well, while CJ McCollum has been out injured. Moreover, the Blazers is one of the worst teams away from home as they have won only once in 12 attempts. The victory was against the worst team back then – the Houston Rockets.
The Grizzlies are coming into this fixture on a 10-1 run as they gave us a sneak peak of the huge potential of the whole roster. When Ja Morant returns to the NBA, the Grizzlies will surely be a top contender for the Playoffs in the West. They might turn into a pleasant surprise this year as they have everything they could need to stop teams like the Jazz, the Lakers, or the Clippers. They have been quite confident recently dismantling the likes of the 76ers, the Lakers, the Heat and setting a new record for a highest margin victory over the OKC Thunder, defeating them by 73 points. The Grizzlies will be a tough team to play against, but seeing how easy it was for Portland to take a convincing lead against the Hornets in their last game, gives me some doubts in terms of choosing a winner. Hence, I will go with the better pick in my opinion and that’s the option for “over points”.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Over 219.5 (-108)
Michael Lantz
The Memphis Grizzlies have been the NBA’s hottest team; without Ja Morant. They’ve been carried by Desmond Bane, Dillon Brooks, and Jaren Jackson Jr. All three players had 20+ points in the Grizzlies victory over the Sacramento Kings. They’ll look to keep it going against a Portland Trail Blazers team that still hopes to make a playoff run.
Portland is coming off a big win against the Charlotte Hornets and their lethal offense. In their 125-116 victory, the Blazers’ Damian Lillard had his best game of the year scoring 43 points. He’s getting into his “Dame Time” mindset, especially with CJ McCollum out. Still, with Memphis playing at home, I’m having a hard time picking against this team.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Memphis Grizzlies -4 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
At some point, the Memphis Grizzlies are going to lose another game, but will it come to the Portland Trail Blazers, who just snapped a seven game losing streak in a win over Charlotte. The problem with Portland as of late is that Damian Lillard hasn’t been playing well, until dropping 43 on the Hornets, and CJ McCollum is still out as he tries to return from a punctured lung. The rest of this Portland lineup is shaky, and the other issue is that they are atrocious away from Portland, as they’re 1-11 on the road, with the only win coming against the Houston Rockets, before they started playing a little better.
Memphis comes into this one on a 5-game winning streak, and winners of 10 of their last 11. Even with Ja Morant out with a strained knee and a few weeks from returning, the Grizzlies are getting balanced production up and down the roster, with Jaren Jackson Jr and Desmond Bane leading the way, going along with good play from De’Anthony Melton and Kyle Anderson. I think the difference in this game is Portland’s issues away from home, as I think the Grizzlies continue the winning streak in close fashion.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Memphis Grizzlies (-174)
Denver Nuggets @ Brooklyn Nets – 7.30pm ET
*This game has since been postponed.*
The Denver Nuggets are in the middle of their three game road trip, and on Sunday night they take on the Brooklyn Nets. The Nuggets have won three of their last four games, which helps to bring their record up to 15-14. The Nets are playing on back-to-back nights, and last time out they had their four game winning streak snapped, thanks to the Magic.
Denis Kirilov
The Denver Nuggets will take part in a very interesting contest against the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday in the NBA. The Nets participated with only 8 players against the Orlando Magic in their last game, losing 93-100. The team struggles with Covid-19 issues as most of the roster has entered the health and safety protocols. The Nets will be without Kevin Durant, James Harden, LaMarcus Aldridge and should rely only on Blake Griffin and Patty Mills. Griffin is still out of rhythm while Patty Mills is not the same player as he used to be. The Nets, however, are still on top of the Eastern Conference with 21 wins and 9 losses.
Nikola Jokic continues to be an MVP material this season as he averages numbers that have not been achieved by any player in the NBA throughout the whole campaign. He is without a doubt the main driving force for his team as his impact on their performance can be felt each single game. The Nuggets are 7th in the West with a 15-14 record, while trading some wins and losses recently. The team entered a 6-game losing streak in late November which affected their overall rankings, but they have managed to bounce back after a couple of wins against top teams like the Heat, the Knicks, the Wizards, and the Hawks. I think they will take advantage of the situation in Brooklyn and they will earn a convincing win over them on Sunday. Hence, I will suggest picking their spread for this one.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Denver Nuggets Cover
Michael Lantz
There’s really not much to discuss in this one. The Brooklyn Nets are incredibly depleted due to COVID. They’re currently led by Patty Mills and Blake Griffin, and they lost to a lowly Orlando Magic team on Saturday. Things won’t get easier as they face the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.
We always pick ourselves up. pic.twitter.com/aIB6tcgsOZ
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 19, 2021
The Denver Nuggets are 15-14; hanging onto a playoff spot in the Western Conference. They beat the Atlanta Hawks 133-115 on Friday and have been led by last season’s MVP Nikola Jokic. Jokic is finally getting some big help from teammates, including Monte Morris and Jeff Green. With the Nets having none of their stars or even some of their best bench players, the Nuggets should cruise in this one.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Denver Nuggets Cover
Noah Dunlap
The Denver Nuggets look to continue their streak of better play, as they struggled for a stretch, but have since seemed to find a better rhythm. The question is whether or not Nikola Jokic can lead this Denver team and keep the momentum going. They now get the best team in the East, the Brooklyn Nets, who have struggled with Covid issues as of late.
With Brooklyn, I still think they’re the best team in the East, despite having major Covid issues that they’re currently dealing with. They’ve now activated Kyrie Irving on a part time basis, as he can only play on the road, but he and Kevin Durant are both in health and safety protocols so currently his activation doesn’t make much of a difference. For Denver to want to be taken seriously as a postseason contender, they have to be able to beat a Covid depleted Brooklyn team, which is why I lean Denver by a nose here.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Denver Nuggets
Los Angeles Lakers @ Chicago Bulls – 8pm ET
The Los Angeles Lakers wrap up their three game road trip on Sunday night when they take on the Chicago Bulls, who themselves are coming off two postponed games, meaning they haven’t played since December 11. The Lakers had their three game winning streak broken last time out, courtesy of the Timberwolves, 92-110. The Bulls are currently on a two game losing streak, with losses to the Cavaliers and Heat.
Denis Kirilov
The Los Angeles Lakers will have yet another tough match in the NBA, this time facing the Chicago Bulls. The team from the “City of Angels” has been having troubles with Covid-19 cases recently as they were forced to sign Isaiah Thomas on a 10-day contract. Russell Westbrook, Dwight Howard, Malik Monk are sidelined for the Lakers. On the other hand, the situation within the Bulls’ roster is partially the same. They will be without 8 of their players in this game as the names that stand out are the ones of Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. DeRozan is still uncertain as he was reported to be officially out of the NBA health and safety protocols.
The Bulls are definitely the better team this season as they hold onto a 17-10 record, while the Lakers struggle to keep a positive ratio, but as of this moment they have won 16 out of 30 games. LeBron James will try to lead his team to yet another Finals, but with the fierce competition in both the West and the East, this won’t be an easy task to accomplish. Such games are really important for the Lakers’ future and they show a lot of hesitation exactly in such matches. It will be a miracle if the team from Los Angeles manages to snatch a victory over a fully healthy top-tier team from the NBA. They have only managed to defeat the Mavs without Doncic and the Celtics without Jaylen Brown. Their only win they can be proud of dates back to November 10th when they outclassed the strong roster of the Miami Heat. Due to the Lakers’ inability to play against bigger teams, I will suggest picking Chicago in this one.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Chicago Bulls (-172)
Michael Lantz
The Lakers suffered a brutal loss on Friday night; not only because they were blown out by the Anthony Edwards-less Minnesota Timberwolves, but they lost Anthony Davis for four weeks with an injury. They’ll hope to bounce back against a Chicago Bulls team that’s been hit by a lot of injuries and COVID cases as of late.
Luckily, the Bulls will have leading scorer DeMar DeRozan back against the Lakers, which should elevate them back to a major offensive threat. The Bulls have been alright without him, but have still lost two games in a row. They’ll be happy to have their leading scorer back against a Lakers team that appears to be in tough times. With this one being at the United Center and the Bulls gaining strength while the Lakers lose one of the league’s best players, I’ll go with Chicago.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Chicago Bulls -4 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
The Los Angeles Lakers are looking to show that they can have some consistency, as currently they’ve struggled this year, and the offseason moves simply haven’t paid off. Now they’ve also lost Anthony Davis for an extended period of time, which doesn’t help them in terms of trying to stay afloat in a tough Western Conference. The question for Los Angeles now becomes whether LeBron can continue his streak of hot play in AD’s absence, to try to keep the Lakers alive.
In this one, they get a Chicago Bulls team that hasn’t played in a week due to Covid related postponements, and that had lost two in a row before the Covid issues. So the real question is whether the Bulls just needed rest, which the week-long break would have provided, or whether there are legitimate problems with this Chicago team that has struggled a bit as of late. I personally think it’s a mix of both, but I like LeBron to come out and, knowing that he’s in a situation of needing to dominate, actually do just that and play well enough to get the Lakers a much needed win to try to jump start their season.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Los Angeles Lakers (+144)
Charlotte Hornets @ Phoenix Suns – 8pm ET
The Charlotte Hornets are in the middle of a six game road trip, and on Sunday night they travel to Phoenix to take on the Suns. The Hornets have gone win-loss-win-loss in their last four games, which takes their season record to 16-15. The Suns continue their great run so far this season, and are currently on a two game winning streak, which brings their current record to 23-5.
Denis Kirilov
The Charlotte Hornets and the Phoenix Suns will wrap up Sunday night in the NBA. Both teams have been playing very well from the start of the season. The Suns are second in the West with 23 wins and 5 losses, setting a new franchise record of 18 straight wins. The Hornets, on the other hand, might be just 16-15 so far, but that’s way better than anybody had been expecting. The team, however, suffered an unpleasant loss to the Portland Trail Blazers in their last match, 116-125. The Hornets have been struggling recently, winning just 3 out of 10 in their recent appearances.
The Suns, on the other hand, seem to be one of the best developed and well-structured teams in the NBA at the moment. Alongside the Utah Jazz, they are considered to have the most balanced roster including the players on the bench. Phoenix has been trading good and bad games recently as they had to play an overtime against a weak Blazers’ team, while in their last match, the Suns just didn’t give the Wizards any chance. The Hornets are definitely a tough team to play against, but I think a full Phoenix Suns’ roster won’t face any problems against LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, and Kelly Oubre Jr. That’s why I will confidently choose the Suns’ spread for this game.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Phoenix Suns -8.5 (-110)
Michael Lantz
The Charlotte Hornets are one of the league’s highest scoring teams, ranking second in the NBA in points per game. On the contrary, they’ve allowed the most opponent points per game. As exhilarating as the Hornets have been on offense, they have some work to do defensively.
Good to be home. #ValleyProud pic.twitter.com/Qw41hOi5v6
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) December 17, 2021
Meanwhile, Phoenix have recently been without star guard Devin Booker—but they’ve been finding ways to survive. They’re still in the top six in both points scored and least points allowed in the NBA. They got a huge 118-98 win over the Washington Wizards on Thursday where they got off to a big first quarter and never looked back. As much as the Hornets bring offensive firepower, I trust the maturity of the Suns team to win at home.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Phoenix Suns (-375)
Noah Dunlap
The Phoenix Suns host the Charlotte Hornets as they try to keep the hot play moving along, and they currently sit at 23-5. The Suns are one of the two best teams in the NBA right now, and they do so with a balanced attack, as Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and De’Andre Ayton all contribute in a major way to the success, not only on the offensive end, but also on the defensive side of the ball.
For Charlotte, LaMelo Ball has been the clear leader on this team, which sits at 16-15 on the year, and has been the definition of average. The offense, in a lot of ways, has been better than a lot of people expected, but the defense has been atrocious. If this Charlotte team could play somewhat consistent defense, they would be one of the best teams in the East, but due to this lack of defense, they’re nothing more than average. With this inconsistency, I think that it has to be assumed that Phoenix can get the win at home, in a closer fashion than many expect.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Phoenix Suns (-375)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
