Our free NBA picks are out for Thursday, December 23rd, 2021! Make sure you check our NBA picks before the action kicks off.
Look below to find our free NBA picks for the five games on today’s schedule!
Detroit Pistons @ Miami Heat – 7.30pm ET
The Detroit Pistons are in the middle of a three game road trip when they travel to Miami and take on the Heat. The Pistons finally managed to get their first win in December, on the 19th, which just so happened to be against the Heat, 100-90, but their season record is still an abysmal 5-25. The Heat have won three of their last four, with their only loss coming to the Pistons, and their season record currently sits at 19-13.
Denis Kirilov
The Detroit Pistons are in a lot of trouble from the start of the season. They have just won 5 out of their 30 matches, being one of the teams that seem to be out of the Playoffs contention. The Pistons are in a rebuilding stage as they are still trying to find the right players that will lead the team. So far, their plan is to build a roster around their rookie, Cade Cunningham. The 20-year-old seems like a decent prospect with lots of skills and attributes who has a really huge potential to develop himself as one of the best point guards in the NBA.
The Heat proved that they can deal with their opponents even without two of their best starters, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. In certain games, either Tyler Herro or Duncan Robinson was missing for them which made their task even more difficult, hence their achievement even greater. However, they made a mistake against their upcoming opponent on Sunday. The Heat lost on the road, 90-100, in a match where Duncan Robinson shot 2-11 from the field, while Gabe Vincent was slightly better than him, but still awful with 3-11. On top of that, Kyle Lowry shot 25% and missed more than half a dozen 3-pointers. In my opinion, this was a one-time case and I don’t believe we will see anything near that performance from the Heat soon. In my opinion, they will dismantle the Pistons by 20+ points, so I will go with their spread.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Miami Heat -10.5 (-110)
Michael Lantz
Despite the Miami Heat’s numerous injuries, the team just continues to roll thanks to the success of Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry, and Duncan Robinson. On top of those performances, the team has been exceptional on defense: they’re top five in the NBA in fewest opponent points per game and lowest opposing field goal percentage. They’re also one of the league’s top rebounding squads, even with Bam Adebayo sidelined.
Anyone can go off at any moment. #HEATCulture pic.twitter.com/2iHmOCmxKu
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) December 23, 2021
The Detroit Pistons have had (as expected) a rough season, that’s been a learning experience for their young core of players. At 5-25, they’re just trying to go out there and improve their game for the future, with the hopes of nabbing another high draft pick. That being said, their most recent win came against the Miami Heat team they’re playing on Thursday night, when they beat them 100-90 on Sunday. I expect a different result this time in South Beach as the Heat should be able to bully this Detroit Pistons team on the boards and when they have the ball, due to Detroit being one of the lowest scoring teams in basketball.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Miami Heat -10.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
This Miami Heat team has been one of the best teams in the NBA for much of the year, and it’s due to the fact that they seem to have more mental toughness than most. Despite injuries to multiple key players, including Bam Adebayo, they just roll right along like there’s no issues at all. That’s a characteristic of a team that has a chance to make a deep playoff push, and I think that’s exactly what Miami is going to do.
They get the worst team in basketball in this one, as the Detroit Pistons are absolutely atrocious and don’t show any signs of getting better. Despite having the number one overall pick in this year’s draft, where they drafted Cade Cunningham, they’re still terrible due in large part to the fact that Cunningham just hasn’t looked comfortable so far in his rookie year. That doesn’t bode well for this Detroit team, as Miami is coming in with all the confidence in the world. Give me the Heat and the points here, as I think Miami wins with ease.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Miami Heat -10.5 (-110)
Milwaukee Bucks @ Dallas Mavericks – 8.30pm ET
The Milwaukee Bucks are on the road for one game and on Thursday night they take on the Dallas Mavericks. The Bucks are playing on back-to-back nights and on Wednesday night, they won, 126-106, against the Rockets. The Mavericks have won three of their last five games, and their season record currently stands at 15-15.
Denis Kirilov
The Dallas Mavericks take on the reigning champions from Milwaukee in a pretty interesting game at American Airlines Center right before Christmas. The Mavs might be still in the top 6 in the Western Conference, but their game is far more inconsistent than needed. They had to deal with some issues within the roster as Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis had really little time on the court together this season. Jalen Brunson and Dorian Finney-Smith were in charge in the last couple of games when they were without their superstars due to the Covid-19 health & safety protocols. The Mavs won their last match against the Timberwolves, 114-102, as Brunson erupted with 28 points on more than 50% successful shots from the field.
The Bucks, on the other hand, were also on the verge of entering a bad streak, but they avoided it with a win over the Houston Rockets in their last match. They lost their previous two games to the Pelicans and the Cavaliers in the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo. The “Greek freak” and Bobby Portis remain sidelined due to Covid-19, while Rodney Hood might miss the game due to a leg injury. Milwaukee seems to be a slight favorite in this game and I believe they will be able to come on top in the absence of Doncic, Porzingis, Kleber, and Hardaway Jr. Not once have Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton proved that they can lead this team, but I will still take the safer bet with their win and avoiding going for the spread.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Milwaukee Bucks (-210)
Michael Lantz
In what should’ve been a showdown between two of the league’s best players and biggest international stars, both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic are in COVID protocols and will miss this matchup on Thursday night. So, it becomes a battle of secondary stars and role players for both of these teams. Dallas is without a couple more of their role players as Tim Hardaway Jr, Trey Burke and Maxi Kleber are expected to miss the game. The Mavs will pray they have Kristaps Porzingis healthy to make this one competitive, as the big man is currently listed as questionable for this matchup.
Meanwhile, the Bucks have done an alright job without Antetokounmpo, as veterans Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday have been able to pick up the slack. They’re coming off a 20-point win against the Houston Rockets and will look to keep things going against a pretty hobbled Mavericks squad. I think the Bucks prevail at home, as they’ve shown they can manage without Antetokounmpo against inferior or heavily injured opponents—the Mavs are definitely in the latter.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Milwaukee Bucks (-210)
Noah Dunlap
The interest in this matchup has waned as of late, as both Giannis and Luka will miss this one for their respective teams, as both are currently in health and safety protocols. Even with three superstars being absent, both Milwaukee and Dallas are solid playoff teams coming into this one. This game is obviously going to come down to the supporting cast, and I have no problem taking the Bucks in that department.
With Milwaukee having Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday among others, I’ll take that everyday of the week over Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr, and we’ve seen just that over the past few games, as the Mavs seem to be struggling, while the Bucks are rolling without any huge issues. I like Milwaukee on the road here, but I do think it ends up being a pretty tight ballgame.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Milwaukee Bucks (-210)
Minnesota Timberwolves @ Utah Jazz – 9pm ET
The Minnesota Timberwolves wrap up their two game road trip in Utah when they take on the Jazz. The Timberwolves had their four game winning streak broken last time out, when they lost to the Mavericks, 102-114. The Jazz got a nice win against the Hornets last time out, which snapped a two game losing streak.
Denis Kirilov
The Minnesota Timberwolves will play the Utah Jazz on Thursday night in the NBA. Utah went on for a fantastic run in December, but were later stopped by the Spurs and the Wizards. They were simply defeating every single team by around 20 points, but this high-level performance got the better of them eventually. However, the Jazz found the right path against the Hornets in their last game, 112-102. Rudy Gobert exploded for a crazy double-double, dropping 23 points and grabbing 21 rebounds. Bojan Bogdanovic also performed well, scoring 5 out of 11 shots from beyond the arc. Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley seem to be in a “holiday” mood which results in the decline of their performance recently.
The Timberwolves build a fantastic team this season. Their high-effective trio led them to 9th place in the West, holding a 15-16 record. Although they seem to be quite low in the standings, they are just one win away from tying the Lakers, the Nuggets, and the Mavs in 6th place. However, the absence of Anthony Edwards due to Covid-19 was felt in the game against Dallas as Brunson and Finney-Smith outscored Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell. Russell, himself, was awful from the 3-point line and he will need to be more efficient as he will be forced to take even more shots from beyond the arc in the absence of Anthony Edwards. I think that the fact that the Timberwolves will be without Beverly, Edwards, and Vanderbilt will play a crucial role against the Jazz who don’t have any real issues and should easily close out the match.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Utah Jazz -11 (-110)
Michael Lantz
The Minnesota Timberwolves continue to be one of the NBA’s biggest surprises, as they currently hold a 15-16 record. They’ve definitely been a streaky team, winning five straight at the end of November—only to lose five straight at the beginning of December. They followed that skid with a four-game win streak, before falling to the Mavericks the other night. They’ve been able to step up despite up-and-coming star Anthony Edwards’ COVID absence and the recent loss of defensive wizard Patrick Beverley. On Thursday they’ll face a Utah Jazz team that’s done a pretty good job at avoiding injuries and COVID problems.
Which Rudy gets the top spot this week 🤔#DunksOfTheWeek | @WasatchFord pic.twitter.com/7kClgJfLH9
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) December 23, 2021
But, you wouldn’t necessarily guess that if you looked at the Jazz’s last three games, as they fell to the San Antonio Spurs and Washington Wizards before pulling off a 112-102 win over the league’s worst defense in the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night. The Jazz will look to build on that win against the Hornets as they take on a resilient Timberwolves team that’s been hit with the COVID bug lately. As good as Karl Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell have been for Minnesota during these recent games, the Jazz are one of the league’s most complete teams. You can’t come at them with diminished strength; just two weeks ago the Jazz pulverized this Timberwolves team that was missing Russell, 136-104. So now that the Timberwolves are without Edwards, Beverley, and more, I’ll go with the Jazz in Salt Lake City.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Utah Jazz -11 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
The Minnesota Timberwolves have been a team that’s virtually impossible to try to predict. They’ve looked absolutely abysmal at times, but have also had a lengthy run where they looked as if they could be one of the best teams in the league. In the end, I think they’re somewhere in the middle, as the primary core of Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell, and Anthony Edwards are a great trio, but outside of that there isn’t much on this roster.
On the other side, the Utah Jazz are one of the best in the league, and that’s because they’re arguably the most balanced. They have an offense that is dangerous from everywhere, led by Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, but also a defense that when motivated has the potential to be one of the best in the NBA. They’ve been this kind of team for three or so years now, and in terms of the regular season I don’t think that slows down. Give me Utah to overpower the Wolves, doing so with extreme balance that you can’t see from many teams in today’s NBA.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Utah Jazz -11 (-110)
Oklahoma City Thunder @ Phoenix Suns – 9pm ET
The Oklahoma City Thunder are on the road for one game and on Thursday night they take on the Phoenix Suns. The Thunder are currently on a three game winning streak, which brings their season record to 11-19. The Suns are currently on a four game winning streak, and their season record currently stands at 25-5.
Denis Kirilov
This promises to be yet another tough season for the Oklahoma City Thunder. They are coming into this match on an 11-19 record, sitting in 13th place in the Western Conference. However, the Thunder are on a 3-game winning streak, defeating the likes of the Clippers, the Grizzlies, and the Nuggets. Their defensive playing style did pay off in their recent fixtures, but overall, it’s their offense that puts them into trouble. They suffered a devastating 73-point defeat against Memphis in the early days of December which set a new record for a victory with the highest margin in NBA history. The team relies much on their Canadian duo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort, as the rest are quite young and inexperienced.
The Suns, on the other hand, have a wonderful campaign so far. They are on top of the NBA with 25 wins and 5 losses, crushing each single resistance that is put against them. They defeated their opponents by around 20-30 points in their last three games as the team continues to promote balance and diversity. Both their starters and their bench players are able to come up huge in a particular fixture which will play a significant role for them throughout the season. In my opinion, they are far superior than the Thunder and shouldn’t face any troubles overcoming them. I will suggest picking their spread which seems to be quite low for this particular occasion.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Phoenix Suns -14.5 (-110)
Michael Lantz
The young Oklahoma City Thunder seem to be slowly blooming in front of our eyes. Sure, they’re only 11-19, but they have won three straight games against Western Conference rivals. In last night’s game against the Denver Nuggets, the Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous Alexander recorded a triple-double and guard Josh Giddey is looking like a Rookie of the Year candidate as he’s averaging 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists per game. In their pursuit of winning four straight, the Thunder will face their biggest challenge yet as they travel to “The Valley” to take on the 25-5 Phoenix Suns.
Phoenix is back near full-strength after Devin Booker returned to the lineup on Sunday against the Hornets. Even when Booker was out, the team did just fine, thanks to their incredible depth and having future hall-of-famer Chris Paul at point guard. The Suns won’t want to overlook this Thunder team that’s slowly gaining confidence, but with it being at home and the Suns being healthy, I’ll fully expect them to take care of business and stay atop the Western Conference.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Phoenix Suns -14.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
The Oklahoma City Thunder are trying to at least show that they have the potential to be a decent team in years to come, but the talent level just isn’t where it needs to be for this to be a thing. The offense struggles most of the time, and the defense is extremely mediocre to say the least. They have been playing a touch better as of late, which should make OKC fans happy, but against one of the two best teams in basketball, I’m not optimistic that they get any of that positivity in this one.
Phoenix comes into this one at 25-5, and apart from potentially Golden State, have been the best team in the league. They court virtually the same lineup from last year’s team, and that was a team that managed to make a run to the NBA Finals. With Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and De’Andre Ayton, they’re a team that can attack from anywhere on the floor, and they’ve done just that so far this year, as the offense has been one of the best in the league, mainly because of the great efficiency that they show on that side of the ball. They’ve been destroying opponents as of late, and against a completely overmatched Thunder squad, I like our chances to see another Phoenix blowout.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Phoenix Suns -14.5 (-110)
Memphis Grizzlies @ Golden State Warriors – 10pm ET
The Memphis Grizzlies hit the road on Thursday and they take on the Golden State Warriors, who wrap up a two game homestand. The Grizzlies are currently on a two game losing streak, but their season record is still good enough for first in the Southwest Division, at 19-13. The Warriors have won four of their last five, with their only loss coming at the hands of the Raptors, 100-119.
Denis Kirilov
The Memphis Grizzlies are one of the pleasant surprises this season as they are high in 4th place in the West with 19 wins and 13 losses. What makes this achievement even sweeter is the fact that they accomplished such a record without their superstar, Ja Morant. Now that he is back in the roster after suffering a knee injury, the team looks even more deadly. However, they failed against the Thunder in his return game, but this was due to their inability to sink clutch 3-pointers. This was their second loss in a row as they were also defeated by the Portland Trail Blazers a day earlier. Both games took place at FedExForum which really hurt their fans as they will need to see a victory sooner rather than later.
Their next opponent is the Golden State Warriors who seem to be on top of their game at the moment. Steph Curry is an MVP contender who yet again leads his team on the path to glory. Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole had amazing opening games in the beginning of the season, but will miss the upcoming match due to a knee injury and illness respectively. The team is right behind the Phoenix Suns in the current standings with 25 wins and 6 losses as they will try to get back the top spot while still striving for perfection. Both teams faced each other once this season with the Grizzlies coming out on top after an overtime victory, 104-101, at Chase Center. We will once again see a battle between Steph Curry and Ja Morant, but without his helpers, the Warriors’ point guard will have a tough time. However, keeping in mind the bad streak the Grizzlies are in at the moment, I would suggest picking Golden State’s spread in this game.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors -5.5 (-110)
Michael Lantz
The Memphis Grizzlies have been one of the NBA’s hottest teams: just last week, they had won 10 of their last 11 games. But, unfortunately they have hit a two-game skid, including a 99-102 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, in what was Ja Morant’s first game back from an injury. Memphis will look to regain some momentum against one of the NBA’s best teams, the Golden State Warriors—a team they beat in an overtime thriller earlier in the season. The Golden State Warriors are just starting to get hit hard with COVID issues, as they’ve lost key players Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins, and Damion Lee to the virus protocols.
🎯 workin’ @Oracle || Game Ready pic.twitter.com/NScqvJNvye
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) December 22, 2021
Without Poole and Wiggins they were still able to beat the Sacramento Kings on Monday, but now with Lee out and a tough Memphis team coming their way, the Warriors will need Steph Curry to really pull out one of his MVP performances. Even with those players sidelined, the Warriors still have plenty of talent to step up, including all-star Draymond Green, veteran Otto Porter Jr. and rookie Jonathan Kuminga. It’s wise to never doubt the Warriors as long as they’ve got Steph in the game, and despite the Grizzlies recent success, it seems they’re still trying to find ways to successfully, integrate Ja Morant, Dillon Brooks, and Desmond Bane together, as Brooks started off the season hurt and then Morant followed with his injury pretty soon after Brooks’ return. I think the Warriors at home is a safe bet here, as they won’t want to lose consecutive matchups against this young Grizzlies squad.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors (-230)
Noah Dunlap
The Memphis Grizzlies have had a bit of a roller coaster season so far, as they sit at 19-13, with a few good wins, and a lot of bad losses. They’re currently on a two game losing streak, with losses to the Blazers and Thunder, but did just welcome Ja Morant back to the lineup in the loss to OKC. This is great news for the Griz, but it’s also somewhat concerning, as so far this year they’ve played more consistent ball with Ja off the floor. I don’t think they’re a better team without him, but I think the makeup of the roster is potentially somewhat suited to a more slowed down, half-court pace, whereas Ja’s game is built around speed, athleticism, and explosiveness, so currently we’re seeing two clashing styles when he’s on the floor. I do think that’s something that is fixable, so it shouldn’t be overly concerning right now, but it is something to keep an eye on.
Now they take the two game losing streak west to take on the best team in basketball, the Golden State Warriors. Behind Steph Curry’s MVP like numbers, as well as getting help from Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole in Klay Thompson’s absence, this has been a great basketball team all year long, as they expectedly shoot the ball extremely well, but also play good defense, which is surprising to some. As for this matchup, I think it ends up being close, but I am going to lean Golden State by a nose, just because I think the offensive efficiency could prove to be a bit too much for the Grizzlies squad on the road.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors (-230)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
