Free NBA Picks Today for Tuesday, January 25th, 2022

Free NBA Picks Today for Tuesday, January 25th, 2022
Tue 25th January 2022

Our free NBA picks are out for Tuesday, January 25th, 2022! 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!

New Orleans Pelicans @ Philadelphia 76ers – 7pm ET

The New Orleans Pelicans are on the road for one game on Tuesday night when they travel to Philadelphia and take on the 76ers. The Pelicans are currently on a two game winning streak, with wins over the Knicks and Pacers. The 76ers have won four of their last six games, and this brings their season record to 27-19.

Denis Kirilov

The New Orleans Pelicans fought really hard against the Indiana Pacers in their last match in the NBA. The game was so close that nobody took a double-digit lead throughout the whole 48 minutes of play. In the end, the Pelicans came up clutch as they won by a 4-point margin. The team from New Orleans continues to be outside of the top 10 in the West, holding a 18-28 record before their upcoming visit to Philadelphia. Brandon Ingram will most likely miss the match for the Pelicans due to an ankle injury which will further worsen the situation for them. 

The Philadelphia 76ers have been playing really well throughout the last month. They have managed to pick up a lot of crucial victories including ones against the Miami Heat, the Boston Celtics, and the Brooklyn Nets. Moreover, Joel Embiid has been nothing short of remarkable throughout this period as he rarely dropped below 30 points per game. He even scored 50 points in Philly’s 123-110 win over the Orlando Magic and recorded his first triple-double for the season against the Houston Rockets on January 3rd, 2022. The team relies much on their Cameroonian center who is really able to carry them all the way by himself through to the 2022 NBA Playoffs. I think Embiid will help his 76ers to defeat the Pelicans early on in the game, so that he and some of his teammates can get some rest.

Denis’ NBA Pick: Philadelphia 76ers -9 (-110)

Michael Lantz

After winning nine of ten games and looking like the team many expected them to be, the Philadelphia 76ers have fallen back on some inconsistent times. They’ve gone 2-2 in their last four, with wins over the San Antonio Spurs and Orlando Magic, but losses to the Los Angeles Clippers and Washington Wizards. Still, they’re very much alive in the Eastern Conference playoff race, thanks in big part to the play of Joel Embiid, who is looking like an MVP candidate averaging 28.7 points and 10.7 rebounds on the year. The 76ers will look to grab consecutive wins on Tuesday as they play the New Orleans Pelicans. 


New Orleans might only be 18-28, but they still have some fun players to watch on offense. Brandon Ingram, Devonte Graham, and Jonas Valaciunas still make them a watchable team in what has been an otherwise disappointing season. They’ll look to play spoilers against the Sixers one night after beating the Indiana Pacers 117-113. A big factor in this game comes down to Ingram, who missed last night’s contest against the Pacers and is currently listed as day-to-day. While the Sixers are missing key pieces too (Matisse Thybulle, Seth Curry), Ingram is quite a bit bigger. We’ll see whether or not he plays, but I still think with the spread being 9, I’ll take the Pelicans to cover. I think the Sixers probably still win, but with two of the Sixers key players out, I’ll pick the Pels to keep it close. 

Michael’s NBA Pick: New Orleans Pelicans +9 (-110)

Noah Dunlap 

Despite still not being the most talented team around, and still awaiting the return of Zion Williamson, this New Orleans Pelicans team has looked a lot better over the past two weeks or so. They come in at 18-28, and while I don’t think they have a real chance of making a run to actually manage a playoff berth, I do think we’re seeing the kind of momentum that, if they can keep it up, can allow them the possibility of making a run next year, especially if they can keep the core of Jonas Valanciunas, Brandon Ingram, and Zion (if he returns) together. 

Philadelphia, on the other hand, has shown that they aren’t worried about the future, as they’re ready to win now. They have proven themselves to be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, and one that has a very real chance of winning the conference. They’ve won 11 of their last 14, including a few wins over teams that they’re competing against in terms of winning the conference, which bodes well for them as we get closer to the postseason. If there is one concern I have at this point though, it’s that they are a bit too reliant upon Joel Embiid, who has played like an MVP candidate so far this year. With their reliance on him, if his play slips at all, I’m slightly nervous that the results will slow down as well. As for this matchup though, I’m going to stick with the Sixers to get the win, as I just think Embiid is a bit too much for this Pels squad. However, I do think New Orleans is able to keep it closer than the -9 they’re giving Philly, so take the Pelicans at +9. 

Noah’s NBA Pick: New Orleans Pelicans +9 (-110)

Los Angeles Clippers @ Washington Wizards – 7pm ET

The mammoth eight game road trip continues on for the Los Angeles Clippers, and tonight they take on the Washington Wizards. The Clippers have won just two of their last six games, and this drops their season record down to 23-25. The Wizards are currently on a three game losing streak, with losses to the Nets, Raptors and Celtics. 

Denis Kirilov

The Los Angeles Clippers will pay a visit to the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night in an electrifying match that promises to be a really tight one as both teams would be able to use most of their players. The Clippers have been highly inefficient this year as they occasionally lose games to teams from the bottom half of the table. It’s clear that without Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, the squad led by Tyronn Lue suffers a lot and they might even have difficulties in making the top 6 securing themselves a direct spot for the Playoffs. This will be their fourth straight match on the road where the team has conceded most of its losses. They are coming into this fixture on a 1-5 run away from home, but they surely have everything they might need in order to improve these numbers. 

The Washington Wizards have also been struggling a lot recently. Apart from their victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, the team hasn’t defeated any other strong opponent in their last 10 games, despite playing seven of them in their favourite Capital One Arena. This resulted in their drop to 11th place with 23 wins and 24 losses to their name. However, they keep a striking distance to the top 8 which is something they should aim for. Even with their full roster, the Wizards suffered a 29-point loss to the Boston Celtics, 87-116. In my honest opinion, I think they are slightly overrated as each one of the stars within the team has a different style of play that is not so easily adaptive to the others. Hence, I will choose the Clippers in this match between two of the most disappointing rosters for the new year. 

Denis’ NBA Pick: Los Angeles Clippers (+164)

Michael Lantz

The Los Angeles Clippers are clinging onto their playoff hopes right now, sitting as the ninth seed in the Western Conference. Unfortunately, a loss to the lowly New York Knicks on Sunday did them no favors and with Paul George and Kawhi Leonard continuing to miss time, this team will have very little margin for error going forward if they want to get to the postseason. The Wizards are in a similar boat when it comes to just hanging around the playoff picture. They currently sit in 10th, but unlike the Clippers, they currently have no injury issues holding their team back. 
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Three consecutive losses have not helped their case, as they now sit at 23-24 on the season. What makes things even more frustrating is this team has so much talent on it. Of course, they have Bradley Beal, but they worked hard to put a solid team around him this offseason, adding the likes of Spencer Dinwiddie, Montrezl Harrell, and Kyle Kuzma. This battle of two teams that are trying to stay alive in the playoff picture should be a lot of fun, as these two will leave everything on the floor. When it comes down to it, I think the Wizards have too much talent to keep this losing skid going; with this one being in D.C., I’ll pick them to beat a resilient Clippers squad. 

Michael’s NBA Pick: Washington Wizards (-196)

Noah Dunlap 

A month into the season this would’ve been an extremely intriguing matchup. However, as we get closer to the All-Star break, both of these teams have some serious issues. The Washington Wizards, after being the one seed in the East through the first month or so of the year, have completely fallen apart, and now find themselves on the outside looking in, in terms of postseason play, as they enter this one at 23-24. The core group that led the way early on has begun to struggle, and with a below average bench, that’s something this Wizards team simply can’t afford. 

Los Angeles comes into this one in a bit of a similar situation, although it’s for different reasons. The Clippers looked like a team that could compete in the Western Conference, at least that was the case up until Paul George went down with an injury. They’re already still without Kawhi Leonard, who is still trying to get back from a torn ACL suffered in last year’s playoffs. Without these two in the lineup, it’s become clear that the rest of the roster can’t carry the team, which has proven to be problematic. Even with all of that though, I do like the Clips to get a win here, as I just have no faith in this Washington team anymore. 

Noah’s NBA Pick: Los Angeles Clippers (+164)

Los Angeles Lakers @ Brooklyn Nets – 7.30pm ET

The Los Angeles Lakers tough road trip continues on Tuesday night when they travel to Brooklyn to take on the Nets. The Lakers are 1-1 so far on this road trip, with a win over the Magic and a loss to the Heat. The Nets have won two of their last three games, which takes their season record to 29-17.

Denis Kirilov

The Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets will go head-to-head on Tuesday night as both teams are coming into this match following a loss. The Nets were defeated by the Minnesota Timberwolves, 125-136, despite the fact that Kyrie Irving and James Harden were on the court. The “Beard” had an okay performance finishing off with yet another double-double, 13 points and 13 assists, on 4-13 shooting for 35 minutes of play. However, the Nets continue to be 2nd in the table in the Eastern Conference with 29 wins and 17 losses, being only behind the Miami Heat. 

LeBron James has been playing on a very high level during the first half of the campaign and I expect to see his performance taking a downward movement. The Lakers lost their last match to the Miami Heat in a game where the “King” dropped 33 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, while Russell Westbrook added 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists. Despite that, they couldn’t really contest the match as players like Trevor Ariza and Talen Horton-Tucker were terrible from the field. There is a lot of discrepancy within the Lakers’ squad and I am starting to doubt whether they will be able to make the Playoffs or not. In my opinion, the Nets should be able to easily come on top in the end as their biggest concern will once again be the absence of Kevin Durant. 

Denis’ NBA Pick: Brooklyn Nets (+130)

Michael Lantz

Unfortunately, this matchup of super teams will be missing a major player, as Kevin Durant continues to miss time with injury. Still, the Nets haven’t had problems on offense with the likes of Kyrie Irving, James Harden, and Patty Mills, but they’ve continued to be a liability on defense as a unit. On Monday they were overpowered by a young Minnesota Timberwolves team 125-136, and while the Lakers aren’t necessarily young, they do have plenty of firepower. LeBron James has once again been sensational this season, averaging 29 points per game. Still, he’s gotten little help from newly added star Russell Westbrook, who to put it kindly, has been inconsistent. The team must depend more on the likes of young talent like Malik Monk, Austin Reaves, and Talen Horton-Tucker as opposed to some of their aging talent. If they can let these young players evolve, I truly think they can be a better team in the long run. Sure it might take a little time, but poor shooting and defense from the likes of Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony aren’t helping them right now.


What could really help push the Lakers over the edge is getting back Anthony Davis. Well, on Tuesday they just might, as Davis is listed as probable. This would make it his first game since before Christmas when he went down with a sprained MCL. The Lakers will want to ease Davis back in, so he shouldn’t become a massive threat immediately, but if he plays he will be a distraction for an already struggling Nets defense. Even without Durant, this one should be fun; there are so many big names that will be out on the Barclays Center court on Tuesday. This one is tough to choose, but I think I’ll go with the Lakers to take this one on the road. 

Michael’s NBA Pick: Los Angeles Lakers -3.5 (-106)

Noah Dunlap 

At some point, I think we just have to acknowledge that once again, the Lakers experiment has been a failure. Even with Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis (who’s reportedly returning for this one), and LeBron on the roster, things simply haven’t worked out. LeBron has been the one consistent player throughout the first half of the year for the team, but even the King hasn’t been able to lead the team to the results many expected coming into the year. With AD returning, we’ll see if that changes their fortunes at all, but I’m not optimistic. 

The Brooklyn Nets, despite struggling a bit of late, have managed to hang onto the two seed in the East, but it hasn’t been pretty. They’re without KD for multiple weeks due to injury, and while they still have James Harden and Kyrie Irving (on the road), both of these guys have struggled at times this year, which puts them in a tough spot, as the rest of the roster, in all honesty, is a bit underwhelming, outside of LaMarcus Aldridge. However, coming off a poor performance in the Nets last outing, a loss to Minnesota, I think Harden gets things going a bit more in this one, and I lean towards Brooklyn by a nose at home over LeBron and company. 

Noah’s NBA Pick: Brooklyn Nets (+130)

Dallas Mavericks @ Golden State Warriors – 10pm ET

The Dallas Mavericks kick off a two game road trip tonight when they face off against the Golden State Warriors. The Mavericks have won five of their last six, which takes their season record to 27-20. The Warriors are looking to build on their current two game winning streak, with wins over the Rockets and Jazz.

Denis Kirilov

The Golden State Warriors will host the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night in their Chase Center. Despite recording two straight wins in the build-up to this game, the Warriors are in something of a mini-crisis. Their main goal switched to Klay Thompson as they are trying to force him to take a lot of shots in order to adapt and get back to his remarkable form from 2-3 years ago. However, the Warriors managed to keep their second place in the standings in the West with 34 wins and 13 losses. They are still way ahead of the rest, led by the Memphis Grizzlies and the Utah Jazz. 

The Dallas Mavericks have been one of the best performing teams in the NBA during the last couple of weeks. They are coming into this match on a 11-2 run as the only teams that defeated them in the process were the New York Knicks and the Phoenix Suns. On the other hand, the Mavs took down the Warriors, the Bulls, the Grizzlies (twice), and the Nuggets. Luka Doncic has been fantastic during the last two weeks in the NBA as he managed to put up some really big numbers for Dallas. I think they will be able to overcome the Warriors yet again after defeating them in the night when Dirk Nowitzki’s number has been retired by the Mavs. 

Denis’ NBA Pick: Dallas Mavericks (+130)

Michael Lantz

After a recent four-game win streak, the Dallas Mavericks were put in their place when they had to face the Phoenix Suns last week, as they lost at home 101-109. Luckily the Mavericks were able to bounce back in a big way, as they took down the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday 104-91, thanks to Luka Doncic’s big 37-point game and near triple-double. The Mavericks will look to keep it going, as they have to face another tough opponent on Tuesday in the Golden State Warriors. Golden State is happy to be back to their winning ways, but it hasn’t been easy. The team was thrilled to get Klay Thompson back two weeks ago, but since Draymond Green went down with a back/ calf issue, the team just hasn’t looked the same. 
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They were destroyed by the Timberwolves and Bucks, lost to the Pacers “B-team”, and barely got wins over the Houston Rockets and a Donovan Mitchell-less Utah Jazz team. Another contributing factor to this slump: Steph Curry’s shooting. The future Hall-of-Famer and greatest shooter of all time is only shooting 41.6% from the field this year, which is shockingly low for his standards. The Warriors need to kick things into gear, as there is no set timetable on Green’s return. Things won’t be easy for them on Tuesday as they face a surging Mavericks squad, that’s pretty healthy all around. Even with this one at the Chase Center, I’ll pick a Mavericks team that’s really clicking on both sides of the ball to come away on top. 

Michael’s NBA Pick: Dallas Mavericks (+130)

Noah Dunlap 

This should arguably be the game of the night in the NBA, as we get the Golden State Warriors, a team that looked like the best team in the league before a recent slump, hosting Luka Doncic and the surging Dallas Mavericks. Golden State hasn’t quite seemed to find the rhythm they had since Klay Thompson returned from a more than a two year long recovery from injuries. While I think many expected it to be a slow process for him, I don’t think many expected the entire team to begin to struggle, which is what has happened as of late. However, even with some struggles, including from Steph Curry, the Warriors do come into this one on a two game winning streak, and Steph slowly looks to be finding his rhythm once again, which is imperative for this Warriors team to compete in the West. 

On the other side, the Dallas Mavericks are surging as of late, winning 11 of their last 13, and getting great minutes, as expected, from Luka Doncic. However, I think the biggest reason for this success from Dallas over the past three weeks or so has more to do with Doncic’s supporting cast, as Kristaps Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr., and company are finally beginning to give Luka some real help, which should put the rest of the league on high alert. If they can keep up the balanced play from virtually their whole roster, this is a dangerous Mavs team that can make noise come the postseason. However, for this matchup, I’m going to take Golden State at home, as I think this is the kind of atmosphere that Steph lives for, and I expect him to come up big for the Warriors in a tight win. 

Noah’s NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors (-154)

Minnesota Timberwolves @ Portland Trail Blazers – 10pm ET

Two Northwest Division rivals face off against each other on Tuesday night when the Minnesota Timberwolves travel to Portland to take on the Trail Blazers. The Timberwolves have won three of their last four games, which includes wins over the Warriors, Knicks and Nets. The Trail Blazers have won six of their last eight games, and this lifts their season record up to 20-26.

Denis Kirilov

The Minnesota Timberwolves are enjoying a remarkable season so far that is mainly due to their fantastic trio in offensive lines – Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, and D’Angelo Russell. They currently hold a 23-23 record which puts them in 7th place in the Western Conference – a couple of places above their upcoming opponent. The Timberwolves are regularly one of the highest-scoring teams in the NBA which certainly boosts their confidence and motivation. Winning three out of their last four matches in the League also works in their favor as each one of these victories was against a strong team – the New York Knicks, the Brooklyn Nets, and the Golden State Warriors. 

On the other hand, the Portland Trail Blazers have suffered quite a lot this entire season. They were forced to play the majority of their matches without their two superstars – Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum who were out with injuries. McCollum made his return a couple of games ago as this immediately had a positive impact on the team’s performance. Unfortunately, we might not experience “Dame Time” this season as Lillard underwent a surgery on January 13 after struggling for quite some time with an abdominal injury. However, even without him the Blazers have the potential to be a dangerous opponent for a team like the Timberwolves. Moreover, the team from Portland is known to be one of the best-performing rosters at home which further strengthens my belief in their victory on Tuesday. 

Denis’ NBA Pick: Portland Trail Blazers (+126)

Michael Lantz

This young Minnesota Timberwolves team has been one of the most exciting squads to watch this season. Their young talent consisting of Karl Anthony-Towns, Anthony Edwards, and D’Angelo Russell, have been an up-and-coming force in the NBA. They showed that on Sunday as they scored 71 of the team’s 136 points against the Brooklyn Nets. The Timberwolves will look to keep things going on Tuesday as they head to the Moda Center to take on the Portland Trail Blazers. Portland has had a rough go in 2021-22, as they assembled a team in the offseason that they believed could give them a deep playoff run. Unfortunately, star player Damian Lillard has battled injuries all season and is out for the foreseeable future; so is Larry Nance, whose two-way play made him a key offseason addition for the Blazers. 


Still, Portland has plenty of talent to keep them alive as they have CJ McCollum, Norman Powell, and youngster Anfernee Simons to keep the scoring going. Even better: this core is really starting to mesh; even without Lillard, they’ve been able to win four of their last five, giving them a little bit of playoff hope before going into the All-Star Break. They’ll look to take out one of the teams that sit just in front of them in the standings as they take on the T-Wolves at home. Minnesota seems to be gaining confidence each week, but Portland has slowly but surely been on the up. This one could go either way, but I’m not always convinced with the Timberwolves play on the road. Moda Center can be a tough one to play at, and with the Blazers starting to show signs of life, I expect them to take this one from Minnesota. 

Michael’s NBA Pick: Portland Trail Blazers (+126)

Noah Dunlap 

Can CJ McCollum prove to be the leader that the Portland Trail Blazers are in need of now? That’s the biggest question for this team, as there’s a chance they may be without Damian Lillard for the rest of the year, as he underwent surgery recently to repair an injury. They’ve also spent much of the year without McCollum, who suffered a punctured lung back in November, and missed upwards of two months. However, with his return a week or so ago, the team has immediately shown improvement, and it seems to be almost solely due to the return of McCollum. They currently sit at 20-26 on the year, but if they can get things going now that he’s back, there’s still the real possibility of this team sneaking into the postseason at virtually the last second. 

Minnesota on the other hand, comes in at 23-23, and have honestly been a mixed bag as of late. They have one of the best trios in basketball, as Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell, and Anthony Edwards have shown the ability to play extremely well together at times, but arguably the toughest part for the T’Wolves this season has actually been getting these three on the floor together. Even with a somewhat mediocre roster the rest of the way down the bench, with this trio, they have the ability to stay in every game. Keeping in mind that these three should all once again be available for Minnesota in this one, I’m going to take the Timberwolves to go into Portland and sneak out with a close win that I could see going down to the wire. 

Noah’s NBA Pick: Minnesota Timberwolves (-148)

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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.

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