Our free NBA picks are out for Thursday, January 27th, 2022! Make sure you check our NBA picks before the action kicks off.
Look below to find our free NBA picks for the two games on today’s schedule!
Los Angeles Lakers @ Philadelphia 76ers – 7.30pm ET
Only two games tonight, and the first cab of the rank is the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Philadelphia 76ers. The Lakers have won three of their last five games, and this brings their season record to an even 24-24. The 76ers have also won three of their last five games, and this includes wins over the Magic, Spurs and Pelicans.
Denis Kirilov
The Philadelphia 76ers take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night in their Wells Fargo Center. The team from the East has been doing pretty well this season mainly because Joel Embiid has been playing on a near perfect level. The Cameroonian center has been the key to Philly’s success in recent years as he continues to hustle his way through to the top in the NBA. The “Process” has set some new records for the franchise, helping his team keep a close gap to the top in the East. They are currently 6th with 28 wins and 19 losses, but the differences are really minor and each single mistake from their rivals might result in Philly advancing in the table.
The Lakers, on the other hand, have been doing everything else but dominating the game this season. Even the experienced Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony couldn’t help LeBron in keeping a decent record. They are now 8th in the standings in the West with an even 24-24 record. The Lakers rely much on the “King” who has been putting impossible numbers throughout the first half of the campaign. However, something isn’t clicking right for the team as they will need to make some urgent changes in order to have a chance at winning the NBA Championship this year. I think they will prolong their suffering in the regular season and that’s why I am going to pick the 76ers to cover their spread on Thursday.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Philadelphia 76ers -2 (-110)
Michael Lantz
The Los Angeles Lakers are coming off a 106-96 win against a Brooklyn Nets team that was without both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Still, the inconsistent Lakers will take the road win, as they sit in ninth place in the Western Conference. Equally as rewarding as the win itself was the return of Anthony Davis, who missed over a month with a sprained MCL. Now with the Lakers lineup close to full strength, they’ll have no excuse but to start winning some games. On Thursday they face another Eastern Conference juggernaut as they travel to Wells Fargo Center to play the Philadelphia 76ers.
Next Stop: Philly pic.twitter.com/lbPNJT31fT
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 26, 2022
Philadelphia has gone 7-3 in their last ten games; with a lineup nearing full strength they’ve started to look like the team that captured the one-seed last season. Joel Embiid continues to prove he’s one of the league’s top players, by averaging 29 points and almost 11 rebounds per game. He’ll be a lot to handle for the Lakers and Anthony Davis—who is still easing his way back into the lineup after a big injury. The 76ers tend to be a tough team to play at home; with Embiid performing at a high level and the help he gets from Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey, I expect the 76ers to edge out a talented Lakers team in front of their Philly faithful.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Philadelphia 76ers -2 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
The first matchup of the NBA slate Thursday night comes down to whether you think Joel Embiid or LeBron James has a better night. The Los Angeles Lakers come into this one at .500, sitting at 24-24, but that is almost solely a result of having LeBron on the roster. Despite having multiple former All-Stars, including Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis, this team is almost solely reliant upon the phenomenal level that LeBron is still putting up at age 37.
Philadelphia is in a similar situation, with the biggest difference being the record, as the Sixers are currently 28-19. This could be a result of the fact that they play in a weaker Eastern Conference, as they are also virtually singularly reliant upon their superstar, Joel Embiid. Embiid is arguably the favorite to win the league’s MVP award at this point, and assuming he continues the elite play, this is a Philly team that is going to stick around and have a real chance to make a deep run through the East once the postseason. As for this matchup, though, I’m going to take Los Angeles to get a massive win on the road, as I think LeBron embraces the environment, and leads his Lakers to a much needed win.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Los Angeles Lakers (+110)
Minnesota Timberwolves @ Golden State Warriors – 10pm ET
The second and final game on Thursday night’s slate will see the Minnesota Timberwolves face off against the Golden State Warriors. The Timberwolves have won four of their last five games, and this includes wins over the Warriors, Knicks, Nets and Trail Blazers. The Warriors have won three games in a row and this takes their season record to 35-13.
Denis Kirilov
The Minnesota Timberwolves fought back to make a 13-point comeback against the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday. The team has been playing really well recently, winning 8 of their last 11 matches in the NBA. Some of their victims include the Brooklyn Nets, the Golden State Warriors, and the Los Angeles Clippers. Anthony Edwards returned back to his roots with a 40-point performance against the Blazers, while Karl-Anthony Towns has been racking up tons of rebounds recently. On top of that, D’Angelo Russell has been consistent throughout the new year, while their forward, Jarred Vanderbilt, has also contributed to their late success.
The Warriors have been struggling in the beginning of the new year, losing most of the matches they have taken part in. The team was trying to give Klay Thompson more playing time in order to make the adapting process even easier for him. However, he has been given some rest as well as he didn’t play against the Houston Rockets and the Utah Jazz. His performance has been good enough, taking into consideration the amount of minutes he stays on the court per game. Steph Curry’s form has dropped significantly, but that could have been quite anticipated as Klay is not still considered a great threat for the opposition. However, I think that even without their key player in the paint, Draymond Green, the Warriors will be able to beat the Timberwolves and in the end they should cover the spread as well.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors -6 (-110)
Michael Lantz
After a couple of games where the Golden State Warriors looked flat and in desperate need of Draymond Green, the team looked back to normal on Tuesday night, as they blew by a very good Dallas Mavericks team, 130-92. Seven players scored in the double digits, with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson amounting to only 33 of the team’s total; that just shows how dangerous and deep this squad is. Players like rookie Jonathan Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins were both helpful when it came to scoring, racking up 22 and 14 points respectively. The Warriors also brought it on defense, as they showed why they have the best defensive rating in basketball, holding a healthy Mavs team to only 92 points while limiting them to only 35% from the field. The Warriors will hope to keep up that tough defense against a young Minnesota Timberwolves team that has plenty of scoring talent themselves.
Seven different Warriors scored in double figures in last night’s Dub 💥@Verizon || Game Rewind pic.twitter.com/yQAvneRd46
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) January 26, 2022
The T-Wolves have been a thrill to watch blossom this year, as their young core of Karl Anthony-Towns, Anthony Edwards, and D’Angelo Russell have been making a playoff push just two seasons after being one of the league’s worst teams. All three of these players scored 20+ points against the Nets on Sunday and then Edwards dropped 40 points on the Trail Blazers on Tuesday. As the Timberwolves currently sit in seventh, they’d love to send a message to the league with a big win over the Warriors. Sure, they already beat Golden State just over a week ago, but Steph Curry sat out that matchup. They’ll want a win against this team with the best shooter of all time in the lineup. This one should be fun to watch, but then again, I believe I said that about the Warriors matchup on Tuesday against the Mavericks, which ended up being a blowout. Still, watching one of the great franchises in recent history (Golden State) go up against a team that hopes to achieve the same status soon (Minnesota) should be fun no matter what the score is. Ultimately, I’ll go with a Warriors team that’ll be looking to get payback against this young Timberwolves squad.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors -6 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
Is this Minnesota team finally for real? To me, that is the question in this matchup. They’re finally virtually fully healthy, and have since taken a huge step into not only being a potential playoff team, but also making other teams have to at least entertain the thought of them being a dark horse sleeper. With D’Angelo Russell, Karl-Anthony Towns, and young gun Anthony Edwards, this is a Timberwolves team that has one of the best trios in the league, and they’re showing that as of late, as they’ve won eight of their last 11, including a win over this Golden State team in that run.
Golden State, after looking like one of the top two teams in the league for much of the year, has taken a step back over the past few weeks, and I think that’s due to multiple reasons. One is that Steph Curry’s play lately has taken a sharp decline, but I think that is directly connected to reason number two, which is Klay Thompson returning and trying to get back to form, which has taken longer than some people expected. As Klay gets more minutes under his belt, and starts to play better, some pressure then gets taken away from Steph, allowing him to be more comfortable and less pressed on the floor, leading to him playing better. For this game, I’m going to take the Warriors in a tight one at home, as I think they avenge a loss a few games back to this same T-Wolves squad.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors -6 (-110)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
