Our free NBA picks are out for Tuesday, December 28th, 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!
Milwaukee Bucks @ Orlando Magic – 7pm ET
The Milwaukee Bucks hit the road on Tuesday night and they travel to Orlando to take on the Magic. The Bucks are currently on a three game winning streak, which helps boost their season record to 22-13. The Magic have only won two of their last 10 games, and they are currently on a two game losing streak, which drops their record down to 7-27.
Denis Kirilov
The Milwaukee Bucks will play their first out of two road games in Orlando to end the year. The Bucks made a huge 19-point comeback against the Boston Celtics in their last game on Christmas Day. Giannis Antetokounmpo erupted for 36 points and 12 rebounds on a 13-23 shooting from the field. The Bucks were quite successful from the 3-point line which came in crucial in the end for their victory, 117-113. They are now in the battle for 2nd place in the East with 22 wins and 13 losses. The team currently stands 3rd and fights off for the top spots with the Cavs, the Heat, and Bulls. The Brooklyn Nets are slightly ahead, but they might be chased down by the “Greek freak” soon.
The Orlando Magic had to deal with several COVID-19 cases recently which took the better of them in their last meetings with the Pelicans and the Heat. After getting two surprising victories over the Brooklyn Nets and the Atlanta Hawks, they are once again on a 2-game losing streak. Their struggles don’t end up here as the Magic will still have to figure out how to take on the Bucks without half of their roster. Cole Anthony, Moritz Wagner, Mo Bamba, Terrence Ross, are just part of the small list of injured and sidelined players for the 14th in the East. They are second-to-last in the current standings with 7 wins and 27 losses which directly take them out of the Playoffs contention. For me, the Bucks will be a huge wall for the Magic to climb above. However, I will choose the option for “under points” as the reigning champions tend to be quite conservative from the start of the season, while the Magic will have difficulties passing the 100-point mark.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Under 216.5 (-112)
Michael Lantz
The Milwaukee Bucks are back in full force, as they’ve fully recovered from various injuries and COVID cases (aside from Brook Lopez). After Giannis Antetokounmpo missed time due to COVID protocol, he came back hot on Christmas Day, scoring 36 points against the Boston Celtics and securing the win with a huge block on the defensive end. The Bucks are starting to look like last season’s championship squad, and the rest of the Eastern Conference will be on notice.
Sunshine state for a few.
📍 Orlando, FL pic.twitter.com/4H3il6vK8G
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) December 28, 2021
Unfortunately, this includes the Orlando Magic, who at 7-27 are on their way to becoming a top-five pick in the NBA draft. While they’ve had some highlights from young stars Cole Anthony and Franz Wagner, they’re striking very little fear in their opponents. Especially when they’re matching up with a team of Milwaukee’s caliber. When it comes to this one I think the safest choice comes with Milwaukee covering the spread. Even though 11.5 is high, this Milwaukee team is lethal when they’re healthy.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Milwaukee Bucks -11.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
Well, the Orlando Magic can’t afford Covid issues, but that’s exactly what they’re dealing with. They’re already not a good team in the first place, and now they’re going to be missing roughly half their roster, including their best players, as they take on one of the best teams in the league. Cole Anthony and Mo Bamba, among others, are out for Orlando, and as they take on the Milwaukee Bucks at virtually full strength, I just don’t like this being a matchup that is favorable to them by any means.
Giannis has finally returned from a stint in the league’s Health and Safety Protocols, and he did so in a big way on Christmas Day, coming up clutch in a win against the Boston Celtics. With Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, and Giannis all back and healthy, this is a Bucks team that is absolutely going to end up competing for the Eastern Conference before the season is over with. And when we’re dealing with one of the best teams in the conference taking on one of the worst, whose roster is already depleted, I just get the feeling that this one gets out of hand in a hurry.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Milwaukee Bucks -11.5 (-110)
Washington Wizards @ Miami Heat – 7.30pm ET
The Washington Wizards are on the road and on Tuesday night they will face off against the Miami Heat. The Wizards have only won three of their last 10 games, which brings their season record to 17-16. The Heat are currently on a three game winning streak, which helps cement their spot atop of the Southeast Division.
Denis Kirilov
The Washington Wizards and the Miami Heat promise to produce a huge show in the Eastern Conference on Tuesday night. Both teams were looking fantastic coming into December, but the Wizards had some internal issues they had to deal with. Bradley Beal and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope missed a couple of matches for them due to COVID-19. They suffered four consecutive losses in the week before Christmas which hugely affected their win-rate. On top of that, the team went on a 1-7 run in early December which resulted in losing a couple of places in the standings. They are now 7th with 17 wins and 16 losses, while they were inside the top 3 at some point in November.
The Miami Heat will look to snatch yet another chance to win an NBA Championship with Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson being sharper and more developed players. Gabe VIncent and Max Strus came up decisive in certain games for the Heat as they led them towards the eventual victory. Jimmy Butler made his long-awaited return against the Orlando Magic in their last match and finished off with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 steals. Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry will miss a couple more games for the Heat as they are still recovering. I think that the Heat are slight favourites and keeping in mind the Wizards’ inconsistency lately, I would suggest taking the Heat in this one. Hence, I will go with their spread in their third game against the Wizards this season.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Miami Heat -6 (-110)
Michael Lantz
Recent injuries didn’t get the Miami Heat down, as they continued to battle without all stars Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler, going 7-5 while both were recently sidelined. One of the big reasons they were able to succeed was the play of Kyle Lowry; so it was a blow to the Heat when they found out on Sunday that Lowry had to enter COVID protocol. Luckily, when one door shuts—another opens, as the Heat were able to get back Jimmy Butler on Sunday and beat the Orlando Magic by double digits. Now Butler will look to play at an MVP level to keep the Heat going as they go up against a playoff hungry opponent in the Washington Wizards.
Washington started off the season looking like a team reborn, as they were thriving with their new additions of Spencer Dinwiddie, Montrezl Harrell, and Kyle Kuzma. Unfortunately, that hot start cooled off, and they now are sitting in seventh in the Eastern Conference. As they look to climb the standings, they’ve hit a bit of a road block: like many other teams they’re missing an abundance of talent to COVID protocols. Bradley Beal is listed as questionable for this one, and the team will likely be without the likes of Thomas Bryant, Rui Hachimura and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Still this squad of Wizards players won’t go down without a fight, but they’ll definitely hope to avoid the results of Sunday’s game against the 76ers where they lost by 21. They’ll look to take advantage of a Miami Heat team that’s missing Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry—but I wouldn’t count on it. Miami has played well despite the injuries that have come their way, whereas Washington has struggled to stay consistent since the beginning of the season—even when their team was at full-strength. I’ll go with the home team Heat to win this one.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Miami Heat -6 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
After a phenomenal start to the year for the Washington Wizards, they’re back to being the Wizards team that we all know and love. They have been reliant upon Bradley Beal, and new additions Kyle Kuzma and Montrezl Harrell, all year long, and at first that worked extremely well, but as of late, that hasn’t been the case at all, as they’re 3-7 in their last 10 and their record on the year has taken a nosedive down to 17-16. As they take on a Miami Heat team that seems to have figured things out, even with injuries, I think this is probably going to be a tough matchup for the Wizards on the road down in South Beach.
As I mentioned earlier, the Miami Heat enter this one having faced their fair share of injury issues on the year, and a few of those have remained current. Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry are both still out as they try to return from injury, while Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro have both missed time with minor bumps and bruises this year, as well. Those injury problems haven’t seemed to slow down this Heat team, though, as they come in on a three-game winning streak, and currently sit atop their division, and it looks as if they have the potential to run away with the Southeast Division. That can only happen if they continue to win the games that they’re supposed to, of which this is one. Give me the Heat and the spread here, as the line currently sits at a relatively low 6.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Miami Heat -6 (-110)
Philadelphia 76ers @ Toronto Raptors – 7.30pm ET
The Philadelphia 76ers will face off against the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night. The 76ers have a reasonable record on the road so far this season, at 11-8, and they will be hoping this works for them against the Raptors. The Raptors have won five of their last 10 games, which brings their season record to 14-16.
Denis Kirilov
The Philadelphia 76ers seem to be back in good form after Christmas as they demolished the Washington Wizards by 21 points, 117-96. The Raptors, on the other hand, suffered a big defeat, losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers, 99-144. They were without a lot of their starters in this game including OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, and Fred VanVleet. The Canadian team relied mostly on Yuta Watanabe and Chris Boucher. The situation will be the same against the 76ers as none of them will be cleared from the health and safety protocols by then. The Raptors still have a decent chance at reaching the Playoffs, but they will need to improve their game if they want to achieve that. They are now 11th with 14 wins and 16 losses.
The 76ers are in the battle for the top 6 at the moment as they are 6th with a positive 17-16 record. They had some troubles ahead of Christmas, but in the end, it seems that they managed to deal with them and are ready to pile up some victories. They suffered a surprising 96-98 loss to the Hawks without Trae Young which surely raised some concerns within the team. Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris were stopped in their attempts towards Atlanta’s basket and this came in crucial for the final result. This further suggested that the 76ers need some more players to back up for Embiid and Harris. Seth Curry and Tyrese Maxey will have to level up their game in order to provide the best help to their leaders. However, I expect to see another massacre in the upcoming game as the 76ers surely have to cover their spread.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Philadelphia 76ers -6.5 (-110)
Michael Lantz
After what’s been a whirlwind of a season, the Philadelphia 76ers were able to grab a dominating win over the Washington Wizards on Sunday night, winning 117-96. Joel Embiid continued to prove that he’s one of the best bigs in the game as he scored 36 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, and he’s averaging 25.5 points and 11 rebounds on the year. He’s also getting some good help from the likes of Tobias Harris and Seth Curry, who’re able to provide some quality spacing to help make this offense run. After a couple of weeks where it seemed like almost the entire team was in COVID protocols, the 76ers are hoping they can finally start to mesh and make their way to the top of the Eastern Conference.
Always proud of @wacchi1013 pic.twitter.com/x2sf3Mvoe7
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) December 27, 2021
Their next opponent won’t be a walk in the park—despite their last result. On Sunday, the Toronto Raptors were tormented by the Cleveland Cavaliers, losing 99-144. Although, it should be noted that the Raptors were without their entire starting five and more, as almost the entire team was in COVID protocol (much like the 76ers a month or so back). Two of the Raptors best players Pascal Siakam and Gary Trent Jr., have cleared protocols, and are questionable for Tuesday night’s game. If the Raptors want any chance in succeeding in this one, they better hope those two are eligible to play, or else they’ll be in for another beatdown from a 76ers team that has its two leading scorers back, and only three players out right now. So, because I’m unsure of the Raptors health status right now, I think the 76ers are the safe bet here.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Philadelphia 76ers -6.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
The Toronto Raptors are trying to be considered as a potential playoff team, but if they want to have people think they’re a legitimate contender, what happened in their last game against the Cleveland Cavaliers simply can’t happen. Toronto came out and took a 45-point drubbing at the hands of the Cavs, who are without their best player for the rest of the year. Losing the game was bad enough if the Raptors wanted to be considered a real threat, but the fact that they lost by that margin, to me personally, virtually removes them from any real conversation about who stands a chance in a wide open Eastern Conference.
Now they get a Philadelphia 76ers team that I think is a very serious contender, if they can keep their entire roster healthy and on the floor. With Joel Embiid on the floor, this Philly team can compete with just about anyone, but then when you add in Tobias Harris and Seth Curry to name a few others, I think they become a top-4 seed in the East. They haven’t necessarily played as well as people would like them to, but there’s no doubt that they can, as they’ve shown at times this year. I’m going to take Embiid to have a monster night in this one, as I’m taking the Sixers and the spread here.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Philadelphia 76ers -6.5 (-110)
Cleveland Cavaliers @ New Orleans Pelicans – 8pm ET
The Cleveland Cavaliers and the New Orleans Pelicans will play against each other on Tuesday night. The Cavaliers have won seven of their last 10 games, which helps to boost their record to 20-13. The Pelicans are particularly struggling on the road so far this season, with their road record currently sitting at 6-13.
Denis Kirilov
The Cleveland Cavaliers are the biggest surprise so far this season. They came from the bottom of the NBA to fight for the top 3 spots in the East. The Cavs are now 5th with 20 wins and 13 losses, but they are just a couple of percentage points behind the Milwaukee Bucks who are currently 3rd. On top of that, the Cavaliers managed to pull this out without Collin Sexton who will miss a great deal of the season. Darius Garland, Kevin Love, Lauri Markkanen, and Ricky Rubio all have what it takes to compete alongside the best teams in the League at the moment. They are coming into this match after a dominating 144-99 win over the shorthanded Raptors who were missing OG Anunoby, Fred VanVleet, and Pascal Siakam. However, such victory should never be underestimated as they were able to keep their focus throughout the whole game which suggests discipline, work ethics, and determination.
The New Orleans Pelicans are still trying to find a way to keep their season alive without Zion Williamson. After a fantastic 4-0 run ahead of Christmas, the team was looking sharp for the first time this campaign. They defeated the likes of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Trail Blazers, and Orlando Magic. The team, however, then lost to the Thunder in a dramatic fashion in Paycom Center in Oklahoma. They were quite shorthanded in this game as they were missing the likes of Jonas Valanciunas and Zion Williamson and on top of that, Brandon Ingram played for just 8 minutes in the game. For many, the Pelicans should have been way ahead of the Cavs if asked in the beginning of the season. However, the situation right now is different and I don’t see any other good option than to take the Cavaliers in this game.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers (-196)
Michael Lantz
The Cleveland Cavaliers keep finding ways to win. After Collin Sexton was lost for the year, the team started seeing its young core step up and win big games, leading them to their current 20-13 record. Even last week when they lost numerous starters to COVID protocol, they still were able to drop 144 points on the Toronto Raptors, thanks to veterans Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio, and Darius Garland, who continues to impress with his leadership skills. The Cavs will look to grab their 21st win against a New Orleans Pelicans team that’s had a rough go this season.
New Orleans were seen as a potential playoff team before the season started. This squad is made up of two young stars in Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson; a big offseason addition in Devonte Graham; and veteran leader Jonas Valanciunas. But Williamson suffered an injury in preseason and has yet to step on the court, and both Ingram and Valanciunas have missed time with injuries/COVID. This team hasn’t been able to have their whole roster out there this year, and it’s resulted in a 12-22 record. Things won’t get any easier as they faceoff against a Cavs team that’s looking like a real contender in the East. Before losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, the Pelicans had actually won four games straight. But, those wins came against bad and depleted teams, and while the Cavaliers are missing a few players themselves, they’ve also shown the ability to put up a fight no matter their situation. I’ll go with the Cavaliers here.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers -4.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
I just don’t know how you would make any play in this one except to take Cleveland to get the win, and quite possibly in a major way. Even without Colin Sexton for much of the year, and he’ll be out for the rest of the season as well, they’ve run out to a 20-13 record, and they are showing no signs of slowing down. With Kevin Love and Darius Garland having to lead the way for them, as rookie center Evan Mobley has been out as he’s in the league’s health and safety protocols, Cleveland hasn’t let any of that slow them down, and I don’t really think that stops here, as they get a bad New Orleans team that is still awaiting the return of Zion Williamson.
The Pelicans have struggled all year, and a lot of that is due to the fact that Zion’s return continues to get pushed back. There was originally speculation that he would be back by now, but with some setbacks faced along the way, he’s now expected to miss a few more weeks at least. That leaves them with Brandon Ingram and Jonas Valanciunas to try to lead the way, and while that’s a decent front end duo, the rest of the roster is lacking, which is why I’m taking the Cavs in this one.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers -4.5 (-110)
Denver Nuggets @ Golden State Warriors – 10pm ET
The Denver Nuggets hit the road on Tuesday night, and they face off against the Golden State Warriors. The Nuggets have won five of their last 10 games, which brings their season record to an even 16-16. The Warriors dominance continues, they have won three games in a row, and their season record sits at 17-6.
Denis Kirilov
The Denver Nuggets will surely have the toughest ending of 2021 as they will face Stephen Curry and his Golden State Warriors twice. First, they will travel to San Francisco, but they will get the opportunity to host them on Thursday night. The Nuggets are coming into this game after a tough 103-100 win over the Clippers. Nikola Jokic was once again the driving force for his team, recording 26 points, 22 rebounds, and 8 assists, thus ending their 2-game losing streak. The Nuggets are currently 6th in the West with 16 wins and 16 losses and they will be looking to grab one of the top 4 spots, three of which seem to be reserved for the Warriors, the Suns, and the Jazz who are way ahead of everybody else.
The Golden State Warriors took a vital victory on Christmas Day against their rivals, the Phoenix Suns. Steph Curry once again proved his importance racking up 33 points on 5-16 shooting from deep range. Otto Porter Jr. surprised everyone with his clutch shots in the fourth quarter, thus securing the victory for his team. This was the Warriors’ third win in a row which helped them take back the top spot in the West. They are now almost certain for the Playoffs with 27 wins and 6 losses, but they will need to put in a bit more effort to secure that hopefully by the end of February. I think this will be their ambition as they will surely look to have Klay Thompson make his return for them in games with less pressure. He will be the last ingredient that Steph Curry misses so far and once he is back at full strength, then nobody would want to face them. I think that the Warriors will continue asserting dominance in the NBA and they will outplay Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors -6 (-110)
Michael Lantz
The Denver Nuggets were able to squeeze by an injury-riddled Los Angeles Clippers team on Sunday night, as they won 103-100 thanks to Nikola Jokic’s 26 points and 22 rebounds. A win is a win, but the Nuggets will need to play better than they did against that depleted Clippers team, as they go up against the NBA’s top team, the Golden State Warriors.
36.3 Points Per Game
5.7 Threes Per Game
3 Wins#StephenCurry with another monster week. #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/8zwEKz67Ym— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) December 27, 2021
The Warriors confidence is riding high, as they were able to beat out the Phoenix Suns on Christmas Day. It was a battle for the top seed in the Western Conference and the Warriors prevailed on the road despite not having Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins. Steph Curry was able to put on an MVP performance with 33 points and he got some big help from Otto Porter Jr. and Gary Payton II. Luckily, for the Warriors, both Poole and Wiggins have cleared protocols and should be back on Tuesday. It’s particularly good timing because the Warriors lost Draymond Green to protocols on Monday. Still, having those two players back is huge and as long as this team has Steph Curry anything is possible. With the line only being at 6, I think the Warriors are the obvious choice.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors -6 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
Denver has been one of the more disappointing teams in the league so far this year, as they quite simply can’t get anything going, even with last year’s league MVP Nikola Jokic putting up huge numbers once again. To this point, he simply hasn’t been able to get any help at all from the rest of the roster, and while part of that is due to the fact that Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. are still out, a bigger issue is the fact that outside of the dominant big man, the roster quite simply just isn’t very good.
And now they take on the best team in the league, in the Golden State Warriors. Golden State has been heavily reliant upon Steph Curry, which is to be expected as he’s been playing like an MVP candidate all year, but they’ve also gotten great help from Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins as well. Now, even with Poole and Wiggins being stuck in Health and Safety Protocols, Curry has shown just what he can do, as he almost single-handedly willed his Warriors to a win on the road against Phoenix on Christmas Day. I think this one has the potential to stay close for a while, as I’m expecting a big night from Jokic, but in the end I trust Curry to be able to step up when it matters most, and Golden State gets a tight win at home.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors -6 (-110)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
