Free NBA Picks Today for Sunday, January 30th, 2022

Free NBA Picks Today for Sunday, January 30th, 2022
Sun 30th January 2022

Our free NBA picks are out for Sunday, January 30th, 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!

Portland Trail Blazers @ Chicago Bulls – 3.30pm ET

The Portland Trail Blazers are in the middle of their four game road trip, and on Sunday afternoon they take on the Chicago Bulls. The Trail Blazers have won three of their last five games, with wins over the Celtics, Raptors and Rockets. The Bulls have won two of their last five, and this takes their season record to 30-18.

Denis Kirilov

Although the Portland Trail Blazers suffered two straight losses at home against the Dallas Mavericks and the Minnesota Timberwolves, I would say that they have managed to find their rhythm recently. The team no longer has trouble overcoming the weaker opponents like the Magic and the Rockets, as they also successfully competed against the Raptors and the Celtics. They are coming into this match on a 7-4 run in the last 20 days which marks a decent improvement in their performance. However, the Blazers continue trailing back in 10th place, but they have managed to slip away from the Spurs and the Pelicans. 

The Chicago Bulls is undoubtedly one of the best teams in the NBA at the moment. Although they had to go through Zach LaVine’s minor injury, the Bulls found a way to minimize the damages. They might have lost the top spot in the Eastern Conference to the Miami Heat, but they are still looking good in the overall standings with 30 wins and 18 losses. This will be a tight one as both teams have their strengths and weaknesses, but I will trust the Blazers, hoping that they will cover their spread in the end. 

Denis’ NBA Pick: Portland Trail Blazers +6.5 (-110)

Michael Lantz

Even with Damian Lillard out indefinitely and Nasir Little likely for the season, the Portland Trail Blazers are truly starting to mesh, as they hang onto a play-in game spot for the Western Conference playoffs. CJ McCollum, Jusef Nurkic, and Anfernee Simons are turning up the heat on offense as this Portland team has now won three of their last five, but have scored 109 or more in all five. They’ll face another team that loves to score on Sunday as they go up against the Chicago Bulls.


The Bulls have been hit hard with injuries in the past month, losing the likes of Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso, and Derrick Jones Jr. Still, with DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine healthy, they’re still putting up points and trying to stay atop the Eastern Conference. With some of their key defenders out, expect the Bulls to squander a lot of points to Portland. That being said, the Blazers certainly aren’t poster boys for defense either. With the Bulls having the scoring duo of DeRozan and LaVine, I expect them to have the advantage in this one.

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

Noah Dunlap 

These two teams come into this struggling just a bit. The Portland Trail Blazers have struggled all year long, but a large part of that is the fact that they’ve been without Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum for much of the season. They’ve finally gotten McCollum back, after he missed multiple months with a punctured lung, but they are now without Lillard, who may be out for the rest of the year, as he had surgery about two weeks ago for an injury. 

Now they take on the Chicago Bulls, who have hung around the top of the Eastern Conference all year long. They do have Zach LaVine back after a bit of an absence, but have now lost Lonzo Ball, which while not quite as big of a loss, is still a bit of a big deal, which is part of why they’ve lost seven of their last 10. However, for this matchup, I like Chicago to get the win at home over a Portland team that lacks an identity due to their injuries and setbacks they’ve faced all year. 

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

Cleveland Cavaliers @ Detroit Pistons – 6pm ET

Two Central Division rivals, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons, will face off against each other on Sunday night. The Cavaliers are on a three game winning streak, and this takes their season record to 30-19. The Pistons are currently on a four game losing streak after losing to the Jazz, Nuggets (twice) and Magic.

Denis Kirilov

The Cleveland Cavaliers will try to build on their fantastic momentum at the moment after winning three straight matches against some tough opponents from the East, including the Milwaukee Bucks. They actually managed to surprise the defending champions even without the help of Lauri Markkanen who has been sidelined due to an ankle injury. On top of that, the Cavs forced a lot of turnovers for the Bucks which came in crucial in the end. The team from Cleveland finally reached the top 3 in the Eastern Conference, holding a 30-19 record. 

The situation within the Pistons is kind of the opposite. The team struggles in the bottom of the table, sitting in 14th place with just 11 wins from 48 matches. Having lost their last four meetings in the NBA further damaged their reputation. The Pistons might have some players with big potential like Cade Cunningham, but overall the team lacks a leader who can take charge. That’s why I think they will be a punching bag until the end of the season which makes me choose the Cavs’ spread for the upcoming fixture between the two teams.  

Denis’ NBA Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers -7.5 (-110)

Michael Lantz

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been a joy to watch this season, as they are blossoming into one of the league’s finest teams, just one season after having a top three pick in the draft. They’ve gone 8-2 in their last ten and currently sit as the three seed in the East. Even with Collin Sexton and Ricky Rubio out for the year, and Lauri Markkanen out for at least two weeks, this team continues to find ways to win, whether it’s through young players like Darius Garland or vets like Kevin Love. They’ve also gotten a major boost from rookie Evan Mobley who is averaging 15 points and 8 rebounds per game. On Sunday, Mobley will face the player who is in close competition with him for that Rookie of the Year award: Cade Cunningham.
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Despite the Detroit Pistons awful 11-37 record, they’ve seen some silver lining from the play of their young core including Cunningham, Saddiq Bey, and more. This team is still a few seasons from being good, but they’ll hope to follow in the Cavaliers path and make that turnaround sooner, rather than later. This Pistons team is coming off an ugly loss to the Orlando Magic, the one team worse than them in the Eastern Conference. That 103-119 loss won’t sit well with them, so they should be coming out aggressive in this one. But, with the way the Cavs have been playing, that likely won’t matter. I expect this Cavaliers team to handle the lowly Pistons with ease. 

Michael’s NBA Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers -7.5 (-110)

Noah Dunlap 

The Cleveland Cavaliers have continued to be one of the best teams in the NBA, despite all of the injuries they’ve faced throughout the season. They’ve been without Ricky Rubio and Colin Sexton for much of the year, and while they were already playing better with those two than many thought they would, they’ve continued that without them. Darius Garland has stepped up in a big way, showing that he’s the kind of guy that can potentially lead a team in the future. 

They now get one of the worst teams in the league, the Detroit Pistons, in the Motor City. While being on the road may be a bit of a hindrance, the Pistons are quite honestly so bad that it shouldn’t matter. I like the Cavs to be able to travel north just a bit and take care of business against a Pistons team that simply doesn’t have the talent to hang around. 

Noah’s NBA Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers -7.5 (-110)

Denver Nuggets @ Milwaukee Bucks – 7pm ET

The road trip continues on for the Denver Nuggets when they travel to Milwaukee on Sunday night to take on the Nuggets. The Nuggets have played three games on the road so far this trip, and are 3-0, taking their current winning streak to four. The Bucks have won four of their last five games, with their only loss coming at the hands of the Cavaliers, 99-115.

Denis Kirilov

The Denver Nuggets will face the defending champions from Milwaukee on Sunday in the NBA. This will be their second meeting for the season as the previous one was won by the Bucks, who took an 11-point victory, mainly due to the double-double from Giannis Antetokounmpo. On top of that, the Nuggets were without Nikola Jokic who was sidelined due to a wrist injury in late November. Now, both teams are looking good as the Bucks are on a 4-1 run at the moment, while the Nuggets have won their last four games in the NBA. 

The team from Denver managed to pick up a winning momentum after defeating the Detroit Pistons, the Brooklyn Nets, and the New Orleans Pelicans on the road. Jokic is coming off a triple-double in the match against the Pelicans as he also managed to drop 28 points and 21 rebounds against the Pistons. He is certainly the player in the best condition within the Nuggets, while the Bucks will once again rely on their atomic duo up front – Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. I think that the guests will prolong their winning streak as Jokic seems unstoppable at the moment. 

Denis’ NBA Pick: Denver Nuggets (+225)

Michael Lantz

This should be a fun showdown between the league’s last two MVPs: Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic. Giannis’ Milwaukee Bucks are coming off a dominant win over the New York Knicks, as they cleaned the floor with them on national television, winning 123-108. This came just two days after the Bucks were given a beat down by the up-and-coming Cleveland Cavaliers. Milwaukee will be looking for a win over a team with a bit larger playoff aspirations than the Knicks; they’ll get that on Sunday as they take on a resilient Denver Nuggets squad.


Denver currently sits in sixth in the Western Conference, but are looking to rise, currently riding a four-game win streak. Nikola Jokic has been nothing short of incredible this season, taking complete control of the team after injuries hit their two other best players Jamal Murray and Michel Porter Jr. Jokic is averaging 26 points, nearly 14 rebounds, and nearly 8 assists on the season, and he is coming off a triple-double against the New Orleans Pelicans. Even though Denver doesn’t have a solid number two option, Jokic still has plenty of help from the likes of Will Barton, Aaron Gordon, and Jeff Green. This should be a clash between two individual titans, the Bucks might edge the Nuggets in talent, but the Nuggets probably have a bit more dependable depth. The Bucks might take this one at home, but I’ll look for it to be close—I’ll pick the Nuggets at +6.5.

Michael’s NBA Pick: Denver Nuggets +6.5 (-106)

Noah Dunlap 

These are another two teams that find themselves struggling just a bit, despite both having MVP candidates on their respective rosters. The key reason for that is that both squads seem to be almost solely dependent on their candidates at this point. The defending champion Milwaukee Bucks have been carried by Giannis, who’s doing everything he can, but despite his greatness, they’re still having to simply stay afloat in the Eastern Conference playoff race. They do have Khris Middleton, who gives decent production much of the time, but due to everyone else’s struggles, if Middleton is struggling, it’s almost a one man show with Giannis. 

The Denver Nuggets are in a similar situation, as last year’s league MVP has been carrying the entire rest of his team, and they’re learning that despite Jokic’s greatness, against a loaded Western Conference, there’s only so much he can do. The Nuggets are in a situation where they are in dire need of help, in order to stay within the top eight out west, and right now I’m not totally convinced that happens. I like Giannis and Milwaukee to get a big win at home in a game they desperately need. 

Noah’s NBA Pick: Milwaukee Bucks -6.5 (-114)

Utah Jazz @ Minnesota Timberwolves – 8pm ET

Two teams from the Northwest Division, the Utah Jazz and the Minnesota Timberwolves, will go toe to toe on Sunday night. The Jazz’s woes continue as they are currently on a four game losing streak, and this takes their season record to 30-20. The Timberwolves are also on a losing streak, after losing back-to-back games against the Warriors and Suns.

Denis Kirilov

The Utah Jazz will try to get out of the current situation as they are coming into this fixture on a 4-game losing streak. After what was an incredible start to the season, the team is slowly losing its grip and is quite near 5th and 6th place at the moment. Their massive lead has now dropped to just two wins over the Dallas Mavericks and the Denver Nuggets, as the Jazz remain in top 4 with 30 wins and 20 losses. They have been without Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell for quite some games and they are still sidelined for the match against the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

The Timberwolves, on the other hand, enjoyed a good start to the new year, but they also faced some troublesome moments lately. This is mainly due to the fact that they had to play against the top teams in the NBA which resulted in a lot of losses. However, the team successfully overcame the challenges of the Golden State Warriors, the Brooklyn Nets, the Portland Trail Blazers, and the New York Knicks throughout the last two weeks which is an incredible achievement. If the Jazz are without their main players both in offense and in defense, I think that the Timberwolves will further worsen their situation. My pick here goes in favor of the home-side as I also think that Karl-Anthony Towns will erupt against the Jazz. 

Denis’ NBA Pick: Minnesota Timberwolves (-112)

Michael Lantz

Things have been tough for the Utah Jazz lately, injuries have hit their two all-stars, Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, and the team has struggled to find an identity without them. Gobert is still out for the time being; Mitchell, who has struggled with concussion symptoms over the past two weeks, is questionable for Sunday’s game. The Jazz will hope he can suit up, as they take on a Minnesota Timberwolves team that’s young, hungry, and in position to make the playoffs. The Timberwolves are currently hanging onto an eight seed in the Western Conference, but they’re still a ways away from being completely feared. They just dropped back-to-back games to the conference’s top two seeds (the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors), still their success is definitely ahead of schedule, as they had the number one pick in 2020. 
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Still, they’ll need to maintain this position, with teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers breathing down their neck. They’ll need to take advantage of a Jazz team that will definitely be without one of their top players and maybe even two. The Timberwolves will hope their “big three” of Karl Anthony-Towns, Anthony Edwards, and D’Angelo Russell can suit up (Russell is questionable), but maybe just as important is veteran Patrick Beverley. “Pat-Bav” has missed the last couple of games with an ankle injury, and this team really could’ve used his veteran presence and All-NBA defense to help them out. He’s a game-time decision for this one, but even if he doesn’t play I’ll pick the T-Wolves to grab a big home win against a debilitated Jazz team.

Michael’s NBA Pick: Minnesota Timberwolves (-112)

Noah Dunlap 

While I think this Utah Jazz team is one of the best in the league when healthy, with them being without both Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell for the past few games, they’re showing that they’re in a bit of trouble and don’t have any other real team leaders if those two aren’t in the lineup. They’ve lost four straight, and I’m not sure I’m optimistic about that changing in this one, as Gobert and Mitchell will miss one again. 

Minnesota comes in as a difficult team to figure out, as they have one of the best trios in all of basketball, with Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell, and Anthony Edwards leading the way for them. When those guys play, this is a really good team, but if they’re missing any of those guys, the rest of the roster is somewhat worrisome due to lack of depth. They’re hanging on to the eighth spot in the West, and I think they do end up making the postseason, and that starts with them getting a massive win at home over a depleted Utah team, so give me the Wolves in a tight one here. 

Noah’s NBA Pick: Minnesota Timberwolves (-112)

San Antonio Spurs @ Phoenix Suns – 8pm ET

The San Antonio Spurs have a one game road trip on Sunday night when they take on the Phoenix Suns. The Spurs will be looking for some more consistent results, and their season record stands at 19-31. The Suns are on a massive roll at the moment, and they are currently on a nine game winning streak.

Denis Kirilov

The San Antonio Spurs will travel to Arizona to face off the Phoenix Suns in a really promising match on Sunday in the NBA. The Spurs managed to defeat the Bulls in their last match, 131-122. Dejounte Murray, Keldon Johnson, and Jakob Poeltl led the way for the team in this incredible victory. Their performance recently has improved, but they are still in 11th place in the West with 19 wins and 31 losses. However, it won’t be the end of the world for them, if they don’t make the Playoffs, taking into consideration that they are in a rebuilding stage. 

The Phoenix Suns, on the other hand, are once again a top team in the NBA. After going down to the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2021 NBA Finals, the team from Arizona continues to look for its maiden NBA Championship. With this stacked roster, the Suns will surely have a shot at the title this year as well. Chris Paul and Devin Booker will once again be the players to watch on the court for Phoenix, while Deandre Ayton and Cameron Payne are still able to come up huge in the most important moments. I think that the Suns will take yet another dominant win at home as I am quite happy to take their spread for the upcoming match. 

Denis’ NBA Pick: Phoenix Suns -12.5 (-110)

Michael Lantz

The Phoenix Suns currently have the best record in the NBA, as they look to get back to the NBA Finals for a second consecutive season. Even with some recent injuries, the Suns are still in the midst of a nine-game win streak, as guards Devin Booker and Chris Paul might just be the best backcourt combo in basketball right now. The Suns will hope to have center Deandre Ayton back on Sunday (he’s currently questionable), as they look to make it ten straight against a Spurs team that you can never count out. 


The Spurs proved they’re not to be overlooked on Friday, as they overpowered the Chicago Bulls 131-122, thanks to a near triple-double from Dejounte Murray (29 points, 12 assists, 9 rebounds). They also got 20+ points from up-and-comer Keldon Johnson and center Jakob Poeltl, further proving that despite their 19-31 record, they have plenty of scoring potential on their young roster. The Spurs are 0-3 against the Suns this year, but the first two games were only lost by four points, and even though they lost by 14 in the third, it was only because they were outscored 16-34 in the fourth in the last matchup. Still, even with the Suns potentially down a couple guys, I think they still handle the Spurs in “The Valley”, completing the season sweep, but for the best bet in this one, I think you take Spurs +12.5.

Michael’s NBA Pick: San Antonio Spurs +12.5 (-110)

Noah Dunlap 

These two teams have met three times already this season, and San Antonio has come up empty all three times, although they have been close games. The problem is that the talent on this Spurs team just isn’t enough to match up with what the Phoenix Suns can throw at them. Phoenix has been one of the best teams in the NBA all year long, with a trio of Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and DeAndre Ayton leading the way. 

While Ayton is questionable for this one, I still think the duo of Booker and Paul will be enough to get the Suns yet another win, this one at home, which would give them their 10th straight win, as they’ve already run off nine straight, despite dealing with a few injury problems. As for the result, I think the safe play is to take Phoenix and the points, as they simply overpower a Spurs team that’s fallen on hard times once again for the past month or so. 

Noah’s NBA Pick: Phoenix Suns -12.5 (-110)

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

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