Our free NBA picks are out for Wednesday, February 2nd, 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!
Washington Wizards @ Philadelphia 76ers – 7pm ET
The Washington Wizards wrap up their three game road trip in Philadelphia when they take on the 76ers. The Wizards are on the second leg of their back-to-back, after playing the Bucks last night and losing, 98-112. The 76ers have a lot of momentum right now, and they are currently on a five game winning streak which takes their season record to 31-19.
Denis Kirilov
The Washington Wizards are in terrible form at the moment as they lost their last 6 games in the NBA. This led to their drop in the overall standings to 12th place with 23 wins and 27 losses. With players like Kyle Kuzma, Bradley Beal, and Spencer Dinwiddie, the team’s expectations for this year are set up high. They will surely be utterly disappointed, if they don’t make the Playoffs, so I am more than certain that they will take some measures in the upcoming months. However, the current circumstances aren’t really in their favour and I think this might be a problem for them.
The Philadelphia 76ers are on quite the opposite pole. The team has won its last 5 games in the NBA and has enjoyed a fantastic 15-3 run recently. The whole roster has been really helpful for this achievement, but the main reason behind this progress is Joel Embiid. He has been playing on such a high level that he rarely goes without 30 points in a single game. The Cameroonian centre might take some rest in order to recover from the busy schedule, but if he is in the pack, the 76ers should be able to easily beat the Wizards. However, as that remains uncertain, I will go with the option for “under points” here.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Under 211.5 (-110)
Michael Lantz
The Washington Wizards’ decline continued last night as they fell to the Milwaukee Bucks for their sixth straight loss. With Bradley Beal continuing to miss time with an injury, there doesn’t appear to be a light at the end of the tunnel for this team that had such a strong start to the season. Things certainly won’t get any easier for them tonight as they face a Philadelphia 76ers team that’s getting stronger by the week.
💫💫💫 https://t.co/3VEd9qYeFn pic.twitter.com/IblNIn6cqi
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) February 2, 2022
The Sixers are now in third place in the Eastern Conference, and they scored an impressive win on Tuesday as they beat the Memphis Grizzlies without Joel Embiid. The team is showing why they were the number one seed in the conference last year, as they’re getting plenty of help aside from Embiid, including Tobias Harris, Andre Drummond, and Tyrese Maxey. Now the Sixers will look to continue the Wizards’ misery and send them to their seventh straight loss. I think they should be able to, whether Joel Embiid continues to rest or not, this team has shown they have plenty of players ready to step up to the challenge
Michael’s NBA Pick: Philadelphia 76ers -9.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
The Washington Wizards are simply awful. That’s really what this comes down to. They’ve lost six straight, and their record now sits at 23-27. Making matters worse, they were the one seed in the Eastern Conference after about a month into the year, which shows just how bad the descent has been. To continue the misery, their best player, Bradley Beal, will continue to sit in this one, which only solidifies why I’m taking Philadelphia in this matchup.
Philly comes into this one chasing down the one-seed in the East. They went through a rough patch about a month ago that saw them slip up and lose plenty of ground while they were dealing with injuries and some COVID problems, but since getting healthy, they’re making that ground up plus some, largely due to the MVP-caliber play from Joel Embiid. On top of that, Embiid is finally starting to get help from his supporting cast, which, if that continues, makes this 76ers team a real threat in the postseason. With these two teams trending in different directions, the seemingly easy play is to take Philly and the spread at home.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Philadelphia 76ers -9.5 (-110)
Memphis Grizzlies @ New York Knicks – 7.30pm ET
The Memphis Grizzlies are in the middle of their three game road trip on Wednesday night when they take on the New York Knicks. The Grizzlies had their three game winning streak snapped last time out, as they lost, 119-121 in overtime, to the 76ers. The Knicks, on the other hand, managed to snap their three game losing streak with a win last time out, against the Kings.
Denis Kirilov
The Memphis Grizzlies suffered a tough loss against a top team in their last match. They lost after intense last minutes against the Philadelphia 76ers as Ja Morant missed a good opportunity to give his team the win after not making the deciding free-throw. What makes this loss even more harsh is the fact that their opponent was without Joel Embiid who was undoubtedly their strongest weapon. This might mean that the Grizzlies will enter a bad streak in the upcoming days and we should really be cautious when picking them.
The New York Knicks have managed to put an end to a 3-game losing streak after defeating the Sacramento Kings in Madison Square Garden in their most recent game. The team dropped out of the top 10 in the East as they now hold a 24-27 record. The Knicks will surely need to level up their game, if they want to have a chance at making the Playoffs as the competition in their Conference has been quite fierce this whole season. With players like Kemba Walker, Julius Randle, and RJ Barrett, the team is surely one of the favourites to finish in top 10 and I am willing to trust them on their journey with a win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.
Denis’ NBA Pick: New York Knicks (+118)
Michael Lantz
The Memphis Grizzlies will want to have Monday night’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers back. Yes, the Sixers are a great team, but on Monday they were without their best player Joel Embiid who had a rest day. Both Ja Morant and Desmond Bane scored 30+, but their defense looked like it did at the beginning of the year, before it started to drastically improve. The Grizzlies will look to bounce back against a disappointing New York Knicks squad that’s trying to stay alive in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
The Knicks snapped a three-game losing streak on Monday, as they took care of the Sacramento Kings 116-96. In that game the Knicks had six players score double-digit points, including the often underrated Alec Burks who scored 21 points. The Knicks have had a hard time staying consistent after a big win, but they’ll try to pull off the upset against an all of the sudden vulnerable looking Grizzlies squad. Still, despite their questionable loss to the Sixers, I imagine the Grizzlies will come back and give the Knicks a tough time at the Garden.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Memphis Grizzlies (-138)
Noah Dunlap
This Memphis Grizzlies team has been able to respond to obstacles and criticism all year long, and now they’ll get another chance to do just that, after they lost a game they should’ve won Monday night against Philly. Ja Morant, despite a great game, missed a deciding free throw, and they ended up losing in OT to a Joel Embiid-less Sixers squad. Despite that loss though, this is a Grizz team that has been playing really good basketball for virtually the entire year, as they come into this one as the three seed in the West.
Now they travel to MSG to take on a Knicks team that has to be disappointed in how the year has gone for them. They started the season extremely hot, but almost just as quickly, watched everything fall to pieces around them. Julius Randle has continued to play reasonably well, but he’s just about the only player on the roster playing consistently solid ball. Despite them snapping a three game losing streak in their last outing, I think New York struggles with a young, athletic Memphis squad that’s sure to be frustrated and motivated following a blown opportunity against Philly on Monday night.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Memphis Grizzlies -2.5 (-110)
Denver Nuggets @ Utah Jazz – 10pm ET
The Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz from the Northwest Division will face off against each other on Wednesday night. The Nuggets are enjoying a lot of success as of late, however they had their five game winning streak snapped last time out by the Timberwolves, and this game will be the second game of their back-to-back. The Jazz are currently on a five game losing streak, and they have won just two of their last 13 games.
Denis Kirilov
The Denver Nuggets are one of the best performing teams in the NBA recently and they will travel to Utah on Wednesday to face off against the Jazz who are in real trouble. The team from Salt Lake City has been struggling throughout the past 4 weeks as they only managed to get 2 wins out of 13 games played. The Jazz had to deal with some internal issues as Rudy Gobert has raised the tension inside the team with an arrogant statement about the defense in its absence. On top of that, Donovan Mitchell hasn’t played in 7 straight games, while Joe Ingles suffered a season-ending injury.
The Denver Nuggets had their 5-game winning streak stopped after suffering a tough 15-point defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Nikola Jokic’s efforts were not enough as he ended up having 21 points, 16 rebounds, and 8 assists. The Serbian has led the team in each possible aspect of the game this season which makes him the most important player on the roster by far. He helped them improve to 28-22 and sitting in 6th place in the West feels a lot better for the Nuggets’ fans. In my opinion, the Jazz won’t be able to get out of trouble anytime soon, so I will have to go with Denver here.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Denver Nuggets (+110)
Michael Lantz
Despite losing Jamal Murray at the end of last season and Michael Porter Jr, early in this season, the Denver Nuggets continue to succeed, as they sit in fifth place in the Western Conference. This has been thanks in large part to the play of reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, who doesn’t look like he wants to give that award away anytime soon. Jokic has also been getting solid help from his supporting cast made up of the likes of Will Barton, Jeff Green, and Aaron Gordon. The Nuggets were looking to improve upon their current six-game win streak last night against the Minnesota Timberwolves, but they fell to them by double digits. Now they’ll look to start a new streak as they face the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City.
Final from Minneapolis pic.twitter.com/iuLyBMhpCf
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) February 2, 2022
The Jazz has fallen on some tough times lately, as they’ve lost seven of their last eight. They’ve been without both Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert for a majority of those, but their depth hasn’t been able to step up without those two all-stars. To make matters worse, the team lost three-point specialist and Sixth Man of the Year runner-up Joe Ingles for the season the other night. These persistent injuries will serve as major tests for the Jazz; it appears they’ll be without Gobert and Mitchell again Wednesday, which doesn’t bode well for them as they take on one of the league’s hottest teams in Denver. Barring an outrageous performance from the likes of Jordan Clarkson and Bojan Bogdanovic, I just don’t see the Jazz pulling this one off.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Denver Nuggets (+110)
Noah Dunlap
Despite having one of the most talented rosters in basketball, I think this Utah Jazz team is in trouble. They played great ball all year long, until COVID finally hit their locker room, and since then it’s simply been setback after setback. Rudy Gobert has missed extended time, Donovan Mitchell continues to be out due to a continuation of concussion-like symptoms, and they just learned that Joe Ingles will miss the rest of the year with a torn ACL. With a depleted roster, and a team that seems a bit down on their luck due to these injuries, they’ve gone 2-11 in their last 13, and I’m not sure that that is going to get better anytime soon.
Denver, on the other hand, comes into this one playing extremely well, as they had won five straight before slipping up against a good Minnesota Timberwolves team. Despite them playing well and sitting at 28-22 on the year, I have serious concerns about how well they can hang around in terms of a playoff run, due in large part to their reliance on last year’s NBA MVP Nikola Jokic. Jokic has been absolutely phenomenal all year long, but there’s only so much he can do as what equates to a one-man team at times this year, especially against quality opponents. However, despite some struggles from the rest of the roster, having him in the lineup is better than what Utah has going for them right now, so I like Jokic and the Nuggets to pick up another win, this time on the road in Salt Lake City.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Denver Nuggets (+110)
Brooklyn Nets @ Sacramento Kings – 10pm ET
The road trip continues on for the Brooklyn Nets who will face off against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night. The Nets are coming in on the second leg of their back-to-back, and last time out they lost to the Suns, 111-121. The losing streak continues on for the Kings, who have now lost seven in a row, which takes their season record to 18-34.
Denis Kirilov
Both teams have been performing really poorly lately. The Sacramento Kings lost seven games in a row as most of them came on the road against tough opponents from the Eastern Conference. On top of that, they were without their main player, De’Aaron Fox in their last five matches. He remains uncertain for the upcoming fixture against the Brooklyn Nets due to an ankle injury, but if he really can’t make it, the Kings will be in big trouble. They are currently 13th in the West with 18 wins and 34 losses, meaning that they will need to pull something out of their hat in order to have even the slimmest chances of making the Playoffs.
The Nets, on the other hand, are still among the top teams in the East, despite losing quite a few matches throughout the last 10 days. Kevin Durant is the main reason for that as he has already been out for 8 games in a row. He recovers from a knee injury and will be absent against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. However, with players like James Harden and Kyrie Irving, the Nets should be a slight favourite to win it and I am happy to trust them in this one.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Brooklyn Nets (-174)
Michael Lantz
The Brooklyn Nets have been on a rough stretch lately as they have had to battle on without Kevin Durant and a sporadic use of Kyrie Irving. They’ve also had games where they’ve missed James Harden, LaMarcus Aldridge, and more. Still, the Nets know if they can be healthy come playoff time, they should be just fine. Even a ten-point loss to the Phoenix Suns last night won’t dampen their spirits too much as they know they’re not at their full potential. But what would be concerning: a loss to the lowly Sacramento Kings.
The Kings are coming off a 96-116 loss to the New York Knicks on Monday and have dropped seven in a row. This team is once again in free-fall mode, with rumors of them selling off top talent at the forthcoming trade deadline. Still, they’ll have a chance to end their skid against a Brooklyn team that’s facing some struggles themselves and has played quite a few road games over the past couple of days. This one could surprisingly end up being closer than one would expect, with lots of offense in between. Still, I’ll pick the Nets to take the cake in this one as they’re due for a win and should have both Harden and Irving on the court to control the game.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Brooklyn Nets (-174)
Noah Dunlap
Brooklyn is certainly one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, but they are struggling a bit as of late, due in large part to Kevin Durant missing substantial time. They do still have Kyrie Irving (road games only) and James Harden in the lineup, but KD is without a doubt the leader of the team, and without him in the lineup they’ve run across some rough times. They’ve currently lost five straight, and have dropped all the way to the sixth seed in the East, but they do finally get a matchup that should be favorable, as they take on the lowly Sacramento Kings in this one.
Sacramento enters this one having dropped seven in a row, and to make matters worse, there’s some talk about them having a virtual firesale at the upcoming trade deadline. That has to be bothersome for Kings fans, as what that seems to signify, if it does in fact turn out to be true, is that the franchise’s front office has essentially given up on this team with the way the roster is currently configured. While they certainly aren’t the most talented team around, and some moves should be made, I’m not sure that looking to deal away a lot of the talent they do have is the right move. With the uncertainty around the ownership’s view of the team, and the struggles they’re currently having, I’m not sure that you can expect this team to come out with any type of magnificent effort, which may be what’s needed as they take on Harden, Irving, and company. Even being in Sacramento, and being the second night of a back-to-back, I like Brooklyn to come out and finally end their five game skid in this one.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Brooklyn Nets -4 (-110)
Portland Trail Blazers @ Los Angeles Lakers – 10.30pm ET
The final game on Wednesday night’s slate will see the Portland Trail Blazers travel to Crypto.com Arena to take on the Los Angeles Lakers. Both teams come into this game on a losing streak, with the Trail Blazers losing two in a row against the Bulls and Thunder, while the Lakers have lost three in a row against the 76ers, Hornets and Hawks.
Denis Kirilov
The Portland Trail Blazers take on the struggling Los Angeles Lakers who have only managed to pick up 3 wins in their last 11 matches in the NBA. Anthony Davis made his long-awaited return for the team from California a couple of days ago in the 106-96 win over the Brooklyn Nets. Ever since then, LeBron James remained sidelined for the Lakers and this took its toll on them, making them lose the three most recent games against the likes of the Philadelphia 76ers, Charlotte Hornets, and the Atlanta Hawks. Considered as a huge favourite in the beginning of the season, the team disappointed so far with its performance.
The Portland Trail Blazers are no different as they have been in a pretty bad spot from the early stages of the campaign. Damian Lillard did his best to fight an abdominal injury in the first half of the season, but he had to go through a medical intervention, leaving him out of the roster for a long time. CJ McCollum was the other player who missed a lot of games for the Blazers as they let Jusuf Nurkic, Anfernee Simons, and Normal Powell lead the team through this tough period. They are once again on a losing streak after getting defeated by the Chicago Bulls and the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road. However, I think they might put up a good fight against the Lakers and beat them in their return to Crypto.com Arena after spending 10 days on the road.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Portland Trail Blazers (+122)
Michael Lantz
The Portland Trail Blazers sit in 10th place in the Western Conference right now, as they try and keep their playoff hopes alive without Damian Lillard. They were really starting to thrive toward the end of January, winning four of five games, but they’ve since dropped two games in a row, including a 17-point loss to a 15-34 Oklahoma City Thunder team. The Blazers will look to rebound on Wednesday against an Los Angeles Lakers team that’s missing a pretty big piece as well.
Grammy trip comes to a close. pic.twitter.com/8NJswVbhbP
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 30, 2022
The Lakers will be without LeBron James on Wednesday as he continues to battle a knee injury. It’ll be up to the likes of Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, and Carmelo Anthony to lead the Lakers past an often unpredictable Portland Trail Blazers team. The Lakers need this win badly—they currently sit in ninth, just one spot ahead of Portland in the Western Conference standings. If LeBron is to miss an extended period of time, the Lakers will need everyone else to step up to keep them in the playoff picture. In this game where both teams are without their star player, I have to give the advantage to this Lakers squad that’s playing at home and still has a handful of talent, to fill the void for LeBron’s absence.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Los Angeles Lakers -3.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
The Los Angeles Lakers have serious issues. All year long it seems like people have been saying they’ll get it together eventually, but in the end we haven’t seen any real improvement to this point, and I don’t think we’re going to. LeBron has played well all year long, but he’s now missing a bit of time due to a minor injury, and with terribly inconsistent play from what was supposed to be the other stars on the team (Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis, and Carmelo Anthony), this is a team that continues to struggle. They’ve lost three straight, and while they may finally end that streak in this one, it’s solely due to the fact that they’re playing a bad Portland team.
Portland comes into this one facing their own struggles, but part of that isn’t really of their own making. They’ve struggled all year long, apart from a brief stretch recently where they played a little better, but that’s due in large part to the fact that CJ McCollum missed upwards of two months with a punctured lung, and then just before he was set to return, Damian Lillard went out for an indefinite amount of time, and he’s now in the process of trying to return from an injury that he suffered roughly a month or so ago. As for the result of this one, I like Los Angeles to sneak away with a win at home, just because I think, despite the inconsistencies of the trio from the Lakers that are playing, they should be able to outscore their opponents, but not by much.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Los Angeles Lakers -3 (-110)
If you are looking for more news, information and predictions, head over to our NBA hub page for all your basketball needs!
*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
