Our free NBA picks are out for Wednesday, January 12th, 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!
Charlotte Hornets @ Philadelphia 76ers – 7pm ET
The Charlotte Hornets are on the road for one game when they take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night. The Hornets are flying high at the moment, after defeating the Bucks in back-to-back games, and this takes their winning streak to three. The 76ers have an impressive seven game winning streak, and this takes their season record out to 23-16.
Denis Kirilov
The Charlotte Hornets and the Philadelphia 76ers are coming for their third meeting this season. The first two matches have been won by Philly who managed to keep a really small lead in the end. Both rosters have been playing really well recently as the 76ers won 7 straight games, while the Hornets enjoyed a 3-0 run. Joel Embiid has been nothing short of fantastic after being sidelined for Covid-19. He set a new franchise record for the 76ers with most straight games with at least 30 points. The team might be missing players like Seth Curry and Tyrese Maxey, but the Cameroonian center plays beyond his limit to reach new heights.
The Hornets, on the other side, are also in a good position overall. They sit in 8th place with 22 wins and 19 losses as they are ahead of the Wizards, the Celtics, the Knicks, and the Hawks. It will surely be very difficult for them to keep that position, but with players like Terry Rozier and LaMelo Ball, this seems doable for now. However, the Hornets have been more of a home team this season, sitting in 3rd place when looking at the games in front of their crowd. Taking into account their performance on the road, it really changes the perspective. However, I believe that they can surprise the 76ers as their winning streak might be coming to its end. I will recommend picking the Hornets’ spread for this game.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Charlotte Hornets +5.5 (-110)
Michael Lantz
The Philadelphia 76ers have now won seven games in a row, after an easy 111-91 victory over the Houston Rockets. The 76ers are climbing their way back into the top of the Eastern Conference, and they’ll have a chance to win their eight straight when they play the high powered Charlotte Hornets offense on Wednesday night; a team that’s second in the NBA in points per game.
Great vibes going into Philly 🤟#AllFly pic.twitter.com/XLNyqQd7ib
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) January 11, 2022
Charlotte are currently fighting their way back into the playoff race; after three straight wins, they’re back in the eighth-seed. This comes after a massive win against the Milwaukee Bucks, who they beat 103-99 after guards LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier went off for 23 and 27 points respectively. They did a great job taking advantage of the Bucks not having their premier perimeter defender Jrue Holiday. Now they’ll have to face a Philadelphia squad that’s working their way up the defensive standings, as they now are top ten in opponent points per game. The Hornets also will have to battle two of the games top perimeter defenders in Matisse Thybulle and Danny Green. They’ll also have to battle a force down low on both sides of the ball as Joel Embiid is playing like an MVP, scoring 30+ in every game during this seven-game win streak. With those advantages in Philly’s favor, plus the home court, I’ll take the Sixers to continue their streak.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Philadelphia 76ers (-235)
Noah Dunlap
Well what do we make of this Charlotte Hornets team at the moment? They come into this one on a three-game winning streak, including back-to-back victories over the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks. The problem is that while they’ve looked great lately, they’ve also looked bad at times this year, when their offense disappears, as the defense remains somewhat suspect.
As for the Philadelphia 76ers, they enter this one on a hot streak as well, having won seven in a row, now that they find themselves healthy once again after a brief teamwide bout with Covid. They’re still getting great production from Joel Embiid, and arguably more importantly, they’re playing much better defense, which to me is the biggest reason for their uptick in play as of late. For this battle between two teams playing great ball lately, I’m still going to lean on Philly to get the win, as I think the defensive effort proves to be the difference.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Philadelphia 76ers -5.5 (-110)
Miami Heat @ Atlanta Hawks – 7.30pm ET
The Miami Heat and the Atlanta Hawks play each other in back-to-back games, and this Wednesday night game will be the first leg. The Heat are currently on a two game winning streak, after defeating the Trail Blazers and Suns. The Hawks are on a two game losing streak, as they lost to both teams from Los Angeles, which takes their season record to 17-22.
Denis Kirilov
Everybody would have thought that the Atlanta Hawks would be certain for the 2022 NBA playoffs. However, the reality is quite different as the Hawks are struggling in 12th place with 17 wins and 22 losses. They were defeated in their last two games against the two teams from Los Angeles. Atlanta’s performance at home has been their weakness this season. The team is currently on a 0-8 run at State Farm Arena which is probably the worst run amongst the whole NBA. A lot of their players have been listed into the health and safety protocols recently and now most of them are cleared which presents a really good opportunity ahead of them. The Hawks, however, might be without Clint Capela and Lou Williams, while De’Andre Hunter remains on the bench recovering from a wrist injury.
The Miami Heat were forced to play a bit short-handed as well. The team couldn’t use two of its top players, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, for quite some time now. Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson had to lead the way for the Heat against teams like the Portland Trail Blazers and the Phoenix Suns. They have also managed to find a decent replacement in the center position in the face of Omer Yurtseven. The 23-year-old Turkish player has gone 11 straight games with at least 12 rebounds for the match. In the absence of some of their key figures, Max Strus and Gabe Vincent also found a way to shine for the Heat. I reckon that the team from the coastal metropolis in southeastern Florida will continue storming the NBA with just a handful of healthy players.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Miami Heat (+164)
Michael Lantz
After an impressive 2020-21 season, the Atlanta Hawks seem a bit hungover from their success. Sure, injuries and COVID protocols haven’t been kind to them, but they currently sit in 12th place in an Eastern Conference that seems to be getting more competitive by the day. Trae Young and Co. will need to start stringing some wins together, but they’ll have to start by playing a very good Miami Heat team, that unlike Atlanta, haven’t let COVID and injuries drag them down.
They’ll have to further prove that on Wednesday as they’ll once again be without Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler. Without those two on Saturday, the Heat were able to pull off possibly their most impressive win of the season as they took out a full strength Phoenix Suns team 123-100, proving Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry, and Duncan Robinson are all they need to win big games. While the team would prefer to have Adebayo and Butler at all times, they have to feel good about how so many other players are able to step up. If they’re healthy come playoff time, they might have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to talent—for now, they’ll have to focus on a Hawks team that’s always capable of exploding on offense. I’m going to go with the Hawks to win this one, I expect them to use the home court advantage and depth to take down an always resilient Heat squad.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Atlanta Hawks (-196)
Noah Dunlap
After a brief rough stretch, the Miami Heat seem to have hit their rhythm once again, as they’ve won two straight, and in my opinion, have a really good chance to make that three, as they get ready to take on the Atlanta Hawks on the road. One problem for Miami is that they’ll still be without Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler, but they’ve shown multiple times already this year that they have the ability to get wins even without those two on the floor, as Kyle Lowry and Tyler Herro have shown the willingness and capability to lead the way.
As for Atlanta, they’ve hit a rough stretch, and while part of that is due to Covid, not all of it is. They’re coming off back-to-back losses to the two teams from Los Angeles, and they’ve also now lost eight straight at home, which for a decent team is simply unheard of. If there’s one positive sign for the Hawks now, it’s that they seem to be on the backside of the Covid absences, which should help them as they now find themselves closer to being fully healthy. I like Trae Young a lot, and he’s played great ball all year long, but I’m skeptical of his ability to simply lead a team without any help from a supporting cast, which is something he hasn’t gotten much of as of late. Until his help actually shows the willingness and ability to help, I think the safe play regarding this Hawks team is to fade them in any matchup against quality competition. Give me Miami to travel north to Atlanta and get the win in the first of two straight between these two sides.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Miami Heat (+164)
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Utah Jazz – 9pm ET
The Cleveland Cavaliers are in the middle of a road trip on Wednesday night when they face off against the Utah Jazz. The Cavaliers have gone win-loss-win-loss-win in their last five games, which takes their season record to 23-18. The Jazz will be looking to snap their current three game losing streak, which includes losses to the Raptors, Pacers and Pistons.
Denis Kirilov
The Cleveland Cavaliers are going up against a short-handed Utah Jazz squad. The team from Salt Lake City will try to stop a 3-game losing streak that came as a surprise after netting one of the top performances in December. The Jazz consecutively lost to the Toronto Raptors, the Indiana Pacers, and the Detroit Pistons. The outcome against the Raptors was quite expected as Quin Snyder rested each one of his starting players. However, in the next two games, the team really felt the absence of Rudy Gobert as Hassan Whiteside was simply demolished by Domantas Sabonis who ended up having a career-high 42 points on an 18-22 shooting.
The Cavs, on the other hand, are enjoying a fantastic season so far in terms of results. In terms of keeping themselves healthy, they have been one of the unluckiest in the NBA. First, Collin Sexton and now, Ricky Rubio will miss a whole bunch of the season, if not all of it. They, however, managed to keep up the good pace even without the two of them. They acquired Rajon Rondo as a substitute for the Spanish playmaker, while Darius Garland came up huge to replace Sexton. Their team is on the right way to make something big as even Evan Mobley slowly, but surely makes his way through the NBA. I think they will be able to take a win over the Jazz who will once again be without Rudy Gobert.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers (+220)
Michael Lantz
Yes, the Utah Jazz have been without a couple of key players (Rudy Gobert, Joe Ingles), but their last two losses against the likes of the Indiana Pacers and (gulp) the Detroit Pistons, have been inexcusable, considering they still have Donovan Mitchell, Jordan Clarkson, and Mike Conley on their roster. If the Jazz are serious about contending for a Western Conference crown, they’ll have to get a bit more serious in times of adversity. They’ll hope Gobert and Ingles can return Wednesday, as they face the league’s surprise team, the Cleveland Cavaliers—a team that hasn’t let big injuries get them down.
“Oh! Put it down! And a bank shot!” ⏪#InstantRewind | @socios pic.twitter.com/UoEHBYQpZ9
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 11, 2022
Despite losing the likes of Collin Sexton and Ricky Rubio for the year, this Cleveland Cavaliers team is building a young core that they hope will compete atop the Eastern Conference for years. Their frontcourt of Jarrett Allen, Lauri Markkanen, and Evan Mobley are shaping up to be one of the league’s most exhilarating. If Gobert continues to sit out, these three should be able to have a field day against a Jazz team that’s looked lost without their French phenom. I think the Jazz have a good shot at breaking their skid, but I like the Cavs to cover.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers +6.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
What we’ve learned about the Utah Jazz recently is that while Donovan Mitchell may be their best player overall, Rudy Gobert is what makes this team tick. With Gobert and Joe Ingles out, they’ve fallen on hard times, losing three straight, including an atrocious loss to the Detroit Pistons. Word is that they may potentially get both of those guys back for Wednesday’s game, which would be huge in terms of them trying to snap this skid, as even with Mike Conley, Donovan Mitchell, and Jordan Clarkson still on the floor, they simply haven’t been able to get anything going at all.
Now they take on a Cleveland Cavaliers team, that after a great start to the year, arguably the most surprising team in the NBA at one point, seems to have fallen on difficult times, largely due to losing Colin Sexton and Ricky Rubio for the year due to injuries. They’ve since replaced both of those guys, and seem to be playing a bit better as of late, but I just think it’s hard to imagine this Cavs team to be able to get back to the level they had been playing at early in the year. As for this matchup, I’m going to take the Utah Jazz, hesitantly, to get the win here, assuming Gobert and Ingles are back, but I wouldn’t go anywhere near the spread in this one, so just take Utah on the moneyline and get what you can out of it.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Utah Jazz (-275)
Brooklyn Nets @ Chicago Bulls – 10pm ET
The Brooklyn Nets wrap up their two game road trip on Wednesday night when they face off against the Chicago Bulls. The Nets have been a little inconsistent as of late, but they are still first in their Atlantic Division. The Bulls are playing on back-to-back nights after winning against the Pistons, 133-87.
Denis Kirilov
The Brooklyn Nets will try to reduce some of their deficit to the Chicago Bulls on top of the table in the East. Both teams go head-to-head on Wednesday night in a promising match that will answer a lot of curious questions. The Nets have been struggling recently as they lost 5 out of their last 7 games in the NBA. What is strange is that the team doesn’t really have any huge problems as Kevin Durant and James Harden are playing in every single game. On top of that, Kyrie Irving made his return in a win over the Indiana Pacers. The situation in Brooklyn is quite uncertain as it seems that their top players are making a lot of mistakes in the attacking build-ups.
The Chicago Bulls suffered a tough loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday which put an end to their 9-game winning streak. The team from Illinois tops the Eastern Conference with 27 wins and 11 losses, and their upcoming opponents are right behind them with a 25-14 record. Chicago has acquired some really good players in the offseason. DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso definitely strengthened the team, while other new additions like Ayo Dosunmu and Derrick Jones Jr. still have a lot to show to the fans at United Center. Based on the Bulls’ consistency, I would recommend picking them in this battle, despite going against some of the best players in the NBA.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Chicago Bulls (-116)
Michael Lantz
In this battle between two Eastern Conference juggernauts, the Brooklyn Nets visit the “Windy City” to take on the Chicago Bulls. Brooklyn has been going through a difficult period lately: they’ve lost five of their last seven, including a Monday night game to a Portland Trail Blazers team that was missing almost its entire starting lineup. Sure, this team of high scoring vets might just be saving up for a playoff run, but their lack of defense and poor rotations is definitely disconcerting. Things won’t get easier for them Wednesday as they take on a Chicago team with the best record in the East.
The Bulls had a nine-game win streak going into Sunday’s matchup against the Mavericks, where they unexpectedly lost to Dallas by double digits. Luckily last night they went back to normal, destroying the Detroit Pistons by 20+. They’ve already been able to bother the Nets when they’ve faced off this season, and with this one being at United Center I expect things to be no different. I’ll pick Chicago to win this one and add to the Nets suffering in the new year.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Chicago Bulls (-116)
Noah Dunlap
If there were ever a time for the Brooklyn Nets, one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, to get things back on track, it would be in this one, as they take on the current one-seed in the conference. Despite having a loaded roster featuring Kevin Durant and James Harden, this Nets team has lost five of seven, and look confused as to what has happened recently. With the talent level, there’s no question they can flip the script in a hurry, which is what a game with the Chicago Bulls is a great opportunity to do.
The Chicago Bulls have been one of the best teams in the league all year long, and that’s why they currently seem perfectly content with running away with the Eastern Conference. With a core that features DeMar Derozan, Zach LaVine, and Lonzo Ball, this is a team that has talent all across the perimeter, which is where they do the majority of their damage. A win in this one over Brooklyn would solidify their place as the top team in the Eastern Conference, but in all honesty, I don’t think they get it here. This seems like the kind of game where we could see Kevin Durant step up and throw in 40+, and virtually single-handedly carry his team over the finish line, to keep the conversation alive about who the best team in the conference is. Give me Brooklyn in a game that very easily could be a preview of this year’s Eastern Conference Finals.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Brooklyn Nets (-102)
Los Angeles Lakers @ Sacramento Kings – 10pm ET
The Los Angeles Lakers kick off a two game road trip on Wednesday and their first stop is Sacramento to take on the Kings. The Lakers had their four game winning streak snapped last time out, courtesy of the Grizzlies, 119-127. The Kings are currently on a five game losing streak, which drops their season record down to 16-27.
Denis Kirilov
The Los Angeles Lakers will try to forget their loss to the high-flying Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday night. They were simply dismantled by a much younger team that was so focused that they led 96-125 at one point in the game. The good thing about the Lakers is that they closed out the match with a 21-0 run which was still not enough for them to make a miraculous comeback. This snapped their 4-game winning streak, taking their momentum away from them. The Lakers remain without Anthony Davis who is on his way to recovery following a knee injury. Russell Westbrook might miss the game as well, since the point guard caught a cold on Tuesday.
This will be their fourth meetup during the current campaign. The Kings won the first game after 3 overtimes, 141-137. In their next two head-to-head games, the Lakers took the better of their opponent as they made strong second halves with which they secured the victories. Richaun Holmes cleared protocols, but he remains doubtful for the Kings on Wednesday night. The team is in a bit of a disarray losing its last 5 matches in the NBA. This negative run dragged them back to 12th place holding a 16-27 record. The Kings will have a hard time battling out with teams like the Spurs and the Blazers for one of the last Playoffs spots, but they surely have the potential in the faces of Buddy Hield, De’Aaron Fox, and Tyrese Haliburton. I think the Kings might even be able to surprise the Lakers in Golden 1 Center, so I will take them as the winners of the match.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Sacramento Kings (+120)
Michael Lantz
The Los Angeles Lakers four-game win streak hit a halt on Sunday night, as they once again couldn’t figure out the Memphis Grizzlies, the last team they lost to before that win streak started. Still, they’ve been keeping it together despite Anthony Davis missing time with an MCL injury. They can thank LeBron James for that. Despite turning 37 over the holiday period, James is playing as well as ever. He’s scored 30 points or more in 10 of his last 11 games; it’s incredible what this man continues to do after nearly 20 years in the league. For now he’s listed as day-to-day, so it’s not 100% certain he’ll be in this one. But, imagining he is, the Lakers will hope their “King” James can provide a little magic on Wednesday as they face an always speedy Kings team.
Take a look back at December through the best 📸’s
🔗: https://t.co/IYKikhexhh pic.twitter.com/OIkRdbh9oQ
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) January 12, 2022
The Kings shocked the Lakers at the end of November, beating them 141-137 in overtime. The Lakers took that game personally, as they’ve pretty much dominated the Kings in their last two matchups over the past month or so. Still, an almost full strength Kings team will look to even the season series with a win at home on Wednesday night. The Kings need a big win after losing five games in a row. They just barely lost to the upstart Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday 108-109. They’ll hope to overcome this skid against their old rivals from Southern California. They’ll look to frustrate the Lakers subpar defense with their quick guard play, courtesy of De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton, the latter of which has been excellent in his sophomore season. I’ll go with the Kings in this one, as they’re due for a win and have the speed to overpower the aging Lakers.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Sacramento Kings (+120)
Noah Dunlap
From a talent standpoint, this is a game that shouldn’t ever be considered all that close. The Los Angeles Lakers are composed of current and former All-Stars, and one of the best players to ever play the game in LeBron James, who is still putting up absolutely silly numbers at the age of 37. The concern right now is that they are still without Anthony Davis, who is trying to recover from injury, and they may be without Russell Westbrook in this one, as well. After a really slow start to the year, they finally seem to have potentially found their rhythm, but my one concern is that too much of that is reliant upon an aging LeBron, who I question whether he can keep up this monstrous play for the entirety of the season.
However, they do get to take on a slipping Sacramento Kings team in this one, as the Kings have dropped five straight, and now they find themselves fading out of playoff contention in a loaded Western Conference. The issue with this Sacramento team is that the roster just isn’t good enough with its current makeup, as outside of De’Aaron Fox, and occasionally Harrison Barnes or Tyrese Haliburton, they just don’t have enough playmakers to allow them to go on a consistent run that would help them to get back into the playoff hunt. I think the roster makeup is quite simply too much in this one, even with Davis and potentially Westbrook out, as I think the Lakers travel north to the state capital and take down the Sacramento Kings.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Los Angeles Lakers -2.5 (-112)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
