Our free NBA picks are out for Tuesday, December 14th, 2021! Make sure you check our NBA picks before the action kicks off.
Look below to find our free NBA picks for the three games on today’s schedule!
Toronto Raptors @ Brooklyn Nets – 7.30pm ET
The Toronto Raptors have just one game on the road before returning home again, and on Tuesday night, they take on the Brooklyn Nets. The Raptors are playing on back-to-back nights, and last night they took their winning streak to two games in a row, with a win against the Kings. The Nets are also on a two game winning streak, with wins against the Hawks and Pistons.
Denis Kirilov
The Toronto Raptors will travel to New York to face the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night in the NBA. The Raptors have managed to pick up some pace recently as they won 4 out of their last 5 games. In their last match, they beat the Sacramento Kings, 124-101, as a total of 9 Toronto’s players got double-digit performances in this game. Although nobody managed to go beyond the 20-point mark, the sheer balance and the great depth within the squad is visible from miles away. This put them back into the mix for the spots in top 10 as they are now in 11th place with 13 wins and 14 losses.
The Brooklyn Nets, on the other hand, are on top of the table in the East with a 19-8 record. They have been consistent throughout the last couple of weeks, but the lack of James Harden and Blake Griffin was really felt in the game against the Detroit Pistons. The team had been losing by 5 points heading into the last quarter, but Kevin Durant put up a monstrous performance, dropping 51 points and leaving no chance for the Pistons. I think that Toronto is nowhere near Detroit as they have the better players and the better management. In my opinion, the Raptors are capable of surprising the Nets in Barclays Center, but I will choose the safer option and go with Toronto’s spread.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Toronto +8.5 (-110)
Michael Lantz
The Toronto Raptors are starting to look like legitimate contenders as they’ve won four of their last five games. They beat the Sacramento Kings by 23 points, getting off to a huge first half. Nine (!) of their players scored in the double digits. They’ll now look to take on a big task as they face the one seed in the Eastern Conference. The Brooklyn Nets are sitting at 19-8, and are coming off of a 116-104 win over the Detroit Pistons. In that game, Kevin Durant showed why he still might be the best player in the world, as he dropped 51 points.
“To be honest with you, I’m very proud of myself.”
– @wacchi1013 pic.twitter.com/upAIbXIEoa
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) December 14, 2021
The Nets are looking to continue their run of success against a Raptors team that’s starting to get hot, and has the players to make a rumble in the Eastern Conference. The last time these two played, Brooklyn won pretty easily north of the border. But, Toronto seems to be coming into their own as of late, and have slowly but surely gotten over veteran guard Kyle Lowry leaving them. I think Brooklyn has a good chance of winning this one, but my best bet goes with this ever-improving Raptors team to cover.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Toronto Raptors +8.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
The Toronto Raptors have clearly decided that consistent basketball just isn’t for them this season, as they’re proving to be one of the toughest teams to try to predict outcomes for night after night. They come in as winners of four of their last five, but have also shown stretches this season where they absolutely disappear for what seems like weeks at a time. I question the talent level of the roster, which could also partially explain why they’ve struggled at times this season.
Brooklyn, on the other hand, comes in as the best team in the Eastern Conference, and I don’t think that changes this year as long as they stay healthy. KD is playing like an MVP candidate, and while he’s been inconsistent, James Harden has still shown flashes of being a superstar in the league. With them bringing in LaMarcus Aldridge to bolster their inside presence, this is a team that I absolutely see in the conference finals, if not the NBA Finals, and I think they just have too much talent up and down the roster than to drop this one to Toronto. Give me Brooklyn at home, and the points, but just barely, as the line currently sits at 8.5.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Brooklyn Nets -8.5 (-110)
Golden State Warriors @ New York Knicks – 7.30pm ET
The Golden State Warriors road trip continues on, and on Tuesday night they take on the New York Knicks, who end their two game homestand tonight. The Warriors are playing on back-to-back nights and last night they had a tight tussle with the Pacers, but the Warriors proved too good, winning 102-100. The Knicks have lost three games in a row, with losses to the Pacers, Raptors and Bucks, which brings their season record to 12-15.
Denis Kirilov
The Golden State Warriors had to turn on their unbeatable mode in the last minutes against the Indiana Pacers in their last game. They only allowed 4 points in the last 4:26 minutes of the game and on the other end Curry, Wiggins, and Looney dropped 11 points which was more than enough to leave Bankers Life Fieldhouse with the win, 102-100. Steph Curry is still one 3-pointer away from tying Ray Allen for most successful shots from deep range in the NBA. What better place to achieve such a historical achievement than Madison Square Garden?
The New York Knicks will be double-motivated as they will try to stop this from happening. They will also try to get their first win over the Golden State Warriors at home since 2013. It’s incredible that they have such an anti-record, but it’s actually quite anticipated keeping in mind all the troubles the team had in the last decade combined with probably the greatest years for the Warriors in their franchise history. Their rookie, Quentin Grimes, fought well against the Milwaukee Bucks, posting a career-high 27 points. With Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, Evan Fournier, and Derrick Rose, there is some light in the end of the tunnel, but I don’t think it’s bright enough to get them past the Warriors. My preferences here go all in favor of the Golden State Warriors as I expect Curry to continue draining 3-pointers even after surpassing Ray Allen.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors -4 (-110)
Michael Lantz
The Golden State Warriors, just snuck by an Indiana Pacers team that’s been picking up steam lately. The Warrior avoided their third loss in five games as they beat the Pacers 102-100. The Pacers were able to slow down some of the Warriors key role players like Jordan Poole, but Steph Curry still scored 26 to lead the Warriors to a clutch win on the road. Now the Warriors will travel to Madison Square Garden to take on a struggling Knicks team. The New York Knicks have lost three straight and six of their last seven.
In five of those games they gave up 100+ points, which is just further evidence they’ve lost the defensive prowess that made them so great last year. The season is still fairly young, but they’ll need to turn it around quickly as the Eastern Conference becomes more competitive. A big win against the Warriors could help boost them in the right direction. Unfortunately that’s going to be rough. Even though the Warriors look a bit more vulnerable than earlier in the year, I just can’t see them falling to a Knicks team that’s looked off-beat this season. I’ll take the Warriors.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors (-172)
Noah Dunlap
Well I’m glad to see that the New York Knicks are back to stealing the souls of New Yorkers everywhere, as following a really good start to the year, they’ve proceeded to crash and burn in a major way. They’re currently way too reliant upon Julius Randle, who has been their only consistent star all year, and that has put immense pressure on him to perform at a high level night in and night out, and that’s caused some issues in his play as well.
Now with one of the two best teams in basketball coming into MSG, Randle’s absolutely going to need some serious help if the Knicks want to be able to knock off Steph and Golden State. Steph is playing phenomenal basketball this year, and is getting help from Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole, and getting decent minutes from Draymond Green, as well. I do think New York could arguably have the advantage down low in this one, but even with Klay Thompson still being out, as he’s a few weeks away from returning, the Warriors have such a major advantage on the perimeter that I think they find a way to sneak out of MSG with a win. Give me Golden State and the points here, as the line is sitting low at 4 right now.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors -4 (-110)
Phoenix Suns @ Portland Trail Blazers – 10pm ET
The Phoenix Suns have a short two game road trip and their first stop is in Portland when they take on the Trail Blazers. The Suns are another team that are playing on back-to-back nights, and last time out they lost to the Clippers, 95-111. The Trail Blazers have lost every game so far in December, taking their losing streak to five in a row, and dropping their season record to 11-16.
Denis Kirilov
The Phoenix Suns will have yet another tough visit as they travel to Portland for a game against a really disappointing Trail Blazers’ team. The Suns have dropped their last match to the Clippers which made them lose 1st place in the overall standings to the Warriors. However, they are still way ahead of the rest of the field in the West as the Utah Jazz are the closest team to them with 2 wins less. The Suns have a 21-5 record that is mainly a reflection of their fantastic 18-game winning streak in November. They eventually lost to the Golden State Warriors in Chase Center in a match where Devin Booker was sidelined due to a muscle injury. Ever since then, he’s been out of the Suns’ rotation.
The Portland Trail Blazers have quite bigger ambitions than what they are showing at the moment. They are on 1-8 run at the moment as Damian Lillard is way out of his rhythm, while CJ McCollum is out with a rib injury. Anfernee Simons is yet another great player for the “Rip City” who is uncertain for the clash with Phoenix due to ankle issues. Although Deandre Ayton might miss the game for the Suns, I think they won’t face any troubles with closing out the game. The Blazers are considered to be one of the best performing teams on home court, but after their most recent performances, I don’t think this will affect my choice. My pick here is 100% in favor of the Phoenix Suns who should be able to overcome Dame and his beloved Portland.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Phoenix Suns (-142)
Michael Lantz
The Phoenix Suns were victims of a surprise blowout loss on Monday night, as they fell to a Los Angeles Clippers team that was without Paul George. Even though the Suns themselves were without star Devin Booker and big man Deandre Ayton, they still have a lot of talent that steps up in times of need. The Clippers do too, but for the Suns to lose by 16 was a bit surprising. But, they very well could’ve been conserving energy, due to the fact that they play the Portland Trail Blazers tonight. The Blazers have lost five straight, but it should be noted Damian Lillard missed four of those.
Keep pushin’. #RipCity pic.twitter.com/fkBz2EzsYJ
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) December 13, 2021
Lillard recorded a double-double in his return the other night against the Timberwolves and will only get more in the groove as things continue. They’ll need him to play some of his best basketball ever if they plan to compete, because the indefinite absence of CJ McCollum has taken a toll on the Blazers scoring. For the Suns, Ayton should be back from a non-COVID illness against the Blazers. If that goes as planned I think you can pencil in the Suns to overpower a Blazer’s team that’s trying to get Dame comfortable and find new options with McCollum sidelined.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Phoenix Suns -2.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
The Portland Trail Blazers would have to be considered one of the biggest disappointments in the NBA this season. They’ve currently lost five in a row, and eight of their last nine, which has dropped their record to 11-16. They brought in first year head coach Chauncey Billups with the hope that it would bring a larger focus to the defensive side of the ball, but up to this point it simply isn’t working. Damian Lillard is struggling with any type of consistent play, and that isn’t helped with CJ McCollum currently being out with a punctured lung. You would like to assume that they eventually get it figured out and start playing better basketball, but there’s been nothing to suggest that that’s set to happen anytime soon.
On the other side, the Phoenix Suns have consistently looked like one of the two best teams in basketball so far this season, along with the Golden State Warriors. The trio of De’Andre Ayton, Devin Booker, and Chris Paul continue to play great basketball, despite dropping their game to the Clippers last night, and I don’t expect that to stop. After all, they are the same team that won the Western Conference last year, and they certainly look as if they have the ability to do the same this season. With the loss Monday night, I expect Phoenix to come out in this one and look to pick up a win over a Portland team that has struggled immensely this season. Take the Suns and the points, as I just don’t know that the Blazers have an answer, even being at home, and with Phoenix on the second night of a back-to-back.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Phoenix Suns -2.5 (-110)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
