Last night’s free NBA picks went at 67%, including getting at least one pick right in every game and getting a perfect three picks in three of seven games.
We are looking to take the momentum into a light six game night across the league, headlined by a rematch of Sunday’s clash between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Houston Rockets.
Find all 18 free NBA picks for the six game schedule below!
Miami Heat @ Philadelphia 76ers – 7PM ET
An impossible game to pick with both sides missing half of their rotation due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
The Heat announced yesterday eight players would miss this game including Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. Meanwhile the Sixers have played their last two games without most of their regular rotation and despite Joel Embiid returning last night the Sixers weren’t able to keep up with Atlanta.
Embiid had 24 points and 11 rebounds in his return but without his usual scoring help, the Sixers could only manage 94 points while giving up 112. Philadelphia actually won the first quarter but a 33-69 scoreline across the middle two quarters put them away.
#MIAvsPHI INJURY UPDATE: Adebayo, Bradley, Butler, Dragic, Harkless, Haslem, Nunn & Okpala have all been ruled out of tomorrow’s game due to health and safety protocols.
Leonard (shoulder strain) is questionable.
Vincent (knee) & Olynyk (groin contusion) are both probable.
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) January 11, 2021
Miami’s last game was Saturday night, a four point victory over the Washington Wizards, but four of their top seven minutes getters will be out due to the health and safety protocols while another is on the injury report with a groin injury.
Philadelphia have now had two games to adjust to their new, limited lineup while this will be Miami’s first game under their new conditions and that may show. The Heat still have emerging young star Tyler Herro but Embiid will be able to feast down low with Adebayo out and Philadelphia should be able to bounce back at home.
NBA Pick – Philadelphia 76ers (-331)
NBA Spread – Miami +8 (-110)
Game Totals Pick – Under 211 (-105)
Denver Nuggets @ Brooklyn Nets – 7:30PM ET
Two teams on the opposite sides of two game runs, Denver winning the first two of their three game road trip while Brooklyn has lost two straight, even with Kevin Durant returning on Sunday.
Kyrie Irving was still MIA on Sunday and will be out for this one again, but even Durant coming back into the lineup and putting up 36 points and 11 boards wasn’t enough for the Nets to overcome the Thunder, going down 116-129. Caris LeVert continued his good shooting form with 21 points and Brooklyn even got out to a 41-29 lead after the first quarter, but gave their lead away and the trend continued of Brooklyn’s defense being their biggest question mark.
Denver comes in after back to back wins over the weekend, most recently by 25 points over the Knicks. Nikola Jokic led the team once again with 22 points and 10 boards while the Nuggets had three bench players score in double figures in the win.
Both Jarrett Allen and DeAndre Jordan may have trouble keeping up with Jokic around the perimeter, but given how well Allen has been playing lately, he could get the Nuggets’ center in foul trouble early, which he is prone to doing. Meanwhile the Nuggets have no obvious Kevin Durant stopper, highlighting how much they miss Jerami Grant.
This will come down to whether Brooklyn turns up on defense and is able to slow the free flowing, volume shooting Nuggets side. We reckon they can and get things back on track.
NBA Pick – Brooklyn Nets (-106)
NBA Spread – Brooklyn Nets -1 (-110)
Game Totals Pick – Over 230 (-115)
Utah Jazz @ Cleveland Cavaliers – 7:30PM ET
The Jazz started their six game east coast road trip by dropping their first two games, but victories have Milwaukee and Detroit have them back on track heading into Cleveland. The Cavs are on the quick back up after hosting the Grizzlies last night in a 10 point loss.
This was the Cavaliers’ eighth straight game scoring under 100 points and their sixth lost over that stretch. This was despite all five scorers reaching double figures, led again by Andre Drummond’s 19 and 14. Collin Sexton was returning for last night’s game but was a late scratching after not feeling good during warmups, and his absence has been felt on the offensive end.
Cleveland will be hoping their leading scorer comes back for this one against the Jazz, who have two straight double digit wins. It was a 10 point victory over Detroit on Sunday, led by Donovan Mitchell’s 28 points and Mike Conley’s 22 points and six assists.
Backcourt combine for 50 to lift the @utahjazz! #TakeNote @spidadmitchell: 28 PTS, 4 3PM@MCONLEY10: 22 PTS, 6 AST, 2 STL pic.twitter.com/mrh6tJAliN
— NBA (@NBA) January 11, 2021
Cleveland just doesn’t look like scoring 100 points and while Utah has had an inconsistent start to their year, they should take care of the Cavs here.
NBA Pick – Utah Jazz (-435)
NBA Spread – Utah Jazz -12 (-110)
Game Totals Pick – Under 208 (-105)
Boston Celtics @ Chicago Bulls – 8PM ET
*This game was postponed due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols, a new date has not been confirmed at this time*
Los Angeles Lakers @ Houston Rockets – 8PM ET
A rematch of a heated contest on Sunday night where the Lakers come out on top 120-102. The game was marred by two early ejections, Markieff Morris for the Lakers and ‘Boogie’ Cousins for the Rockets.
The Lakers entered the game lacking winning form, playing three games against teams that didn’t play in the playoffs last season for two wins and one loss, with their two losses both being by just two points. They were able to turn things around with Anthony Davis, who returned from a one game absence, scoring 27 points along with three blocks and LeBron James adding 18, 7 and 7.
What did it for the Lakers was their defense, keeping Houston to just 102 points. James Harden played almost 38 minutes but could only manage 20 points and nine assists, with Christian Wood being the lead man with 23 points. John Wall was the only other Houston player to score in double figures and they will need some more assistance if they have any chance of turning things around tonight.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope returned from a four game absence and played some good defense on Harden, while the combination of Davis and Marc Gasol kept Wood busy on both ends of the floor. Houston doesn’t seem to have the defensive weapons to be able to slow down Davis and James and while Harden isn’t scoring at his usual high clip, the Rockets won’t be able to keep up.
NBA Pick – Los Angeles Lakers (-191)
NBA Spread – Los Angeles Lakers -4.5 (-110)
Game Totals Pick – Over 222.5 (-115)
San Antonio Spurs @ Oklahoma City Thunder – 8PM ET
The Thunder get back home after a five game road trip with a positive record, which most wouldn’t have expected entering the season. They now host the Spurs who are coming off a low scoring, disappointing loss to the Timberwolves.
After scoring 125 points in an overtime win over Minnesota a night earlier, San Antonio could only manage 88 on Sunday night. DeMar DeRozan was rested after his 44 minute, 38 point performance and without his scoring punch, the Spurs struggled. Lonnie Walker IV enjoyed the increased responsibility on offense with 25 while Patty Mills continued to shoot the ball well with 18 off the bench.
Shai, Hamidou & Horford lead the @okcthunder to their 3rd-straight win! #ThunderUp @shaiglalex: 31 PTS, 7 AST@hamidoudiallo: 25 PTS, 4 STL (career high)@Al_Horford: 22 PTS pic.twitter.com/hyxB99XaMM
— NBA (@NBA) January 11, 2021
Oklahoma City’s most recent win was by 13 points in Brooklyn with six players scoring in double figures and three above 20, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 31 points, six rebounds and seven assists. Hamidou Diallo had his second straight high scoring game with 25 points on 71.4% shooting with 4 steals.
The Thunder have been the biggest positive surprise of the season so far and they have the right mix of players on defense to slow down the Spurs’ high scoring wings, especially with DeRozan still out. Despite this, San Antonio is 4-2 on the road while the Thunder are winless at home and we expect that trend to continue, just.
NBA Pick – San Antonio Spurs (-140)
NBA Spread – Oklahoma City Thunder +2.5 (-110)
Game Totals Pick – Under 218.5 (-105)
Indiana Pacers @ Golden State Warriors – 10:30PM ET
The Indiana Pacers started their west coast road trip off on the wrong foot last night, but have the opportunity to hit the reset button straight away against Golden State.
The Pacers never won a quarter against Sacramento in a 122-127 loss. This was Indiana’s second straight loss and second straight game of allowing 125 points. Domantas Sabonis was once again dominant for the Pacers, dropping 28 points and 11 boards to lead four who scored over 20. The worry for Indiana is all five starters played over 30 minutes, with Sabonis playing just under 40, and they have to back it up again tonight.
Golden State comes into this one with a night’s rest after their 106-105 victory over the Raptors. This game was very significant for the Warriors as it was their first win for the season when Steph Curry scored less than 30 points. The two time MVP scored just 11 points on 2/16 shooting with Andrew Wiggins leading the way with 17.
The Warriors are now 4-2 with Draymond Green back in the lineup and have themselves a very winnable game against a tired and deflated Indiana side. Malcolm Brogdon is a very good on-ball defender, so he will be able to hamper Curry but Golden State have the monkey off their back now and should be able to take advantage here.
NBA Pick – Golden State Warriors (-145)
NBA Spread – Golden State Warriors -3 (-105)
Game Totals Pick – Over 227.5 (-115)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of PointsBet.
