Free NBA Picks Today for Wednesday, December 20th, 2023

Our free NBA picks are out for Wednesday, December 20th 2023! Make sure you check our NBA picks before the action kicks off.

Look below to find our free NBA picks for the best games on today’s schedule!

Utah Jazz @ Cleveland Cavaliers – 7PM ET

Tony Battalio

It has been a slow start to the season for a Utah team that came into the year with plenty of expectations. They have not lived up to those expectations and they will look to jumpstart their momentum throughout this game on Wednesday night on the road in Cleveland. As they look to pick up a much-needed victory here in this one to get things rolling in the right direction heading into the last two weeks of December. They come into this game seven games below the .500 mark through their first 27 games of the season and they will look for their 11th victory of the year in a very tough venue here on Wednesday night. They will also be looking to grab a victory over former superstar Donovan Mitchell in this game as well on the road as they look to get themselves back on track prior to heading into 2024. They come into this game with a little bit of momentum after picking up a victory over Brooklyn in their previous contest.

Cleveland is having a roller coaster start to the season and they will look to get things going in the right direction with a quality performance here on Wednesday night at home against Utah. They are dealing with several injuries as both Evan Mobley and Darius Garland are set to miss a significant amount of time and it will be left up to Donovan Mitchell to get the job done once again. That is not something new to him as he has done that several times throughout his NBA career so far and he will look to do it once again against his forward team here on Wednesday night at home in Cleveland. Cleveland comes into this game three games above the .500 mark through their first 27 games of the regular season and they will look for yet another victory here on Wednesday night. They’ve been a very tough team to beat at home this season and I expect that to be true once again in this game, as I look for Cleveland to pick up the win and cover the spread over Utah.

Charlotte Hornets @ Indiana Pacers – 7PM ET

Tony Battalio

Has been a rough year for the Charlotte Hornets throughout the early part of the season, and they will look to turn things around with a huge road victory in Indiana. Players like LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier have not been stepping up to the plate for the Charlotte Hornets throughout the early part of the season, which has led to their rough start of the year. Both of their superstars will need to get things turned around throughout the early part of the season if they want to remain competitive, heading into the new year and it starts with grabbing a victory on the road against the Indiana Pacers here on Wednesday night. Charlotte comes into this game with one of the worst records in the league for their first 25 games of the season as they will look to improve on their 7-18 start to the season. Charlotte does have one victory over Indiana from earlier this season but with the way they’ve played as of late it seems unlikely that they will pick up a second one here on Wednesday night. 

The Indiana Pacers are off to a solid start to the regular season. Thanks for the play of their point guard Tyrese Haliburton. He has set himself apart as the best point guard in the league throughout the early part of the regular season, and he will look to record another quality game here on Wednesday night at home against the Charlotte Hornets. Indiana comes into this game one game above .500 through their first 25 games of the season and they will look for their fourteenth win of the year here on Wednesday night against a struggling Charlotte team. Indiana will also be looking to get revenge for their loss to Charlotte earlier this season at home when they fell short by a score of 114-113 back in November. Both of these teams are in desperate need of a momentum boost, but I look for it to be the Indiana Pacers who snap their four game losing streak and pick up the win here in this one on Wednesday.

Miami Heat @ Orlando Magic – 7PM ET

Tony Battalio

It has been a respectable start to the regular season for the Miami Heat. Now they will look to keep the momentum rolling with a huge victory on the road in Orlando here on Wednesday night. Miami comes into this game three games above .500 through their first 27 games of the regular season, and they will look to pick their sixteenth victory of the season here on Wednesday night on the road. This is a team that has the potential to be really dangerous if they can remain healthy and consistent throughout the year which is something they’ve struggled with a lot throughout the early part of the season. As both Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro have missed several games throughout the early part of the year and that has certainly hampered their performance leading up to this game against Orlando on Wednesday night. Miami will be looking to get back into the win column after losing their previous game to the Minnesota Timberwolves at home.

It has been an incredible start to the regular season for the Orlando Magic and they will look to keep the momentum rolling throughout this game on Wednesday night against their in-state rivals. They come into this game at home with one of the best records in the NBA throughout the early part of the regular season. As they currently find themselves with 16 victories through their first 25 games of the year, they will look for their 17th win of the season here on Wednesday night at home against Miami. They have found the perfect mix of grizzled veterans and young players to lead this team throughout the season and they have an opportunity to be one of the most dangerous teams in the league by the time the playoffs come around as long as they can remain healthy and consistent. I look for them to put up another quality performance in this game on Wednesday night as I look for them to pick up the victory and cover the spread against the Miami Heat here in this one.

New York Knicks @ Brooklyn Nets – 7:30PM ET

Tony Battalio

The New York Knicks are off to a decent start of the season and they come into this game four games above .500 through their first 26 games of the year. They will look to add to their win total with another quality performance here in this game on Wednesday night in New York City against the Brooklyn Nets. Although this is technically a road game for the New York Knicks, it’s not like they have to travel far and they should have plenty of support inside the building here on Wednesday night against Brooklyn. They do come into this game with a little bit of momentum after picking up two victories, and their last three games against the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns as they are showing that they can hang with some of the elite teams in the Western Conference throughout the early part of the year. They look to maintain their current momentum with that other solid performance here on Wednesday night against Brooklyn as they look to further establish themselves as a potential title contender this season. 

It has been an average start of the season for the Brooklyn Nets and they come into this game sitting right at the .500 mark through their first 26 games of the year. They will look to get back above .500 throughout this game on Wednesday night at home against the New York Knicks as they look to beat their in-state rivals and pick up a massive momentum boost heading into the last two weeks of December. They have not looked too hot as of late as they do come into this game on a three game losing streak, and they will look to break their losing streak with a quality game here on Wednesday night. It would be a massive victory for Brooklyn to pick up. A solid win over one of their Eastern Conference playoff competitors and their rivals, as it would give them plenty of momentum heading into the last two weeks of the year. However, I don’t see that happening here on Wednesday night as I look for the Brooklyn Nets to lose their fourth consecutive game of the season in miserable fashion against the New York Knicks.

Los Angeles Lakers @ Chicago Bulls – 8PM ET

Tony Battalio

The Los Angeles Lakers have been playing quality basketball throughout the early part of the regular season despite both Anthony Davis, and LeBron James missing some time with injuries here and there. This is a Los Angeles Lakers team that could be one of the best teams in the league as long as they can remain healthy and consistent throughout the regular season. They come into this game on the road in Chicago here on Wednesday night with a record of 15-12 through their first 27 games of the year and they will look to pick up their 16th victory of the season on the road in the Windy City. They will also be looking to scout a potential trade target as they are rumored to be in on a deal involving DeMar DeRozan that could likely get done before the trade deadline. This is a much-needed victory for Los Angeles as they come into this game as losers of two out of their last three on the year, and they will look to get things back on track with a victory here on Wednesday night. 

It has been a rough start to the season for the Chicago Bulls, and they are even discussing trading away both of their superstars with a few months to go before the trade deadline comes around. They come into this game six games below the 500 mark through their first 28 games of the regular season and they will look to pick up a quality much-needed victory here on Wednesday night at home against the Los Angeles Lakers. Chicago comes into this game at home on Wednesday night looking to pick up their 12th victory of the regular season and they certainly need a momentum boost heading into the last two weeks of December. They do have a little bit of momentum coming into this game after picking up a victory over Philadelphia in their last game and they will have an opportunity to get a second consecutive victory here and this one, as it is possible that Los Angeles will be without LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the lineup. This game could arguably go either way, but I expect Chicago to pick up the win and keep the momentum rolling here on Wednesday night

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