Our free NBA picks are out for Wednesday, January 26th, 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!
Milwaukee Bucks @ Cleveland Cavaliers – 7pm ET
The Milwaukee Bucks are on the road for one game when they travel to Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers. The Bucks are currently on a three game winning streak, which includes wins over the Grizzlies, Bulls and Kings. The Cavaliers have won seven of their last eight games, with their only loss coming at the hands of the Bulls, 104-117.
Denis Kirilov
After a rough period in the beginning of the year, the defending champions from Milwaukee have finally found their rhythm. They won their last three matches against the likes of the Memphis Grizzlies, the Chicago Bulls, and the Sacramento Kings. However, all of these matches were played at Fiserv Forum as they will now go on the road against the high-flying Cleveland Cavaliers. The Bucks have lost their last three games away from home which raises some concerns for them ahead of their upcoming fixture.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been magnificent throughout 2022, winning a total of nine games and losing just three. The losses actually came against really strong opponents like the Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors, and the Chicago Bulls. For comparison, they have managed to outlast the Brooklyn Nets, the Utah Jazz, and the New York Knicks. This decent run helped them improve to 5th place in the Eastern Conference with 29 wins and 19 losses to their name. With Giannis Antetokounmpo being uncertain for the match against the Cavs, I am going to trust the younger and less experienced team, despite sidelining key players like Lauri Markkanen and Jarrett Allen.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers (+146)
Michael Lantz
On Wednesday the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks travel to Cleveland to take on one of the NBA’s biggest surprises this season, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Milwaukee finds themselves in the midst of a three-game win streak including a 133-127 win over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday without Giannis Antetokounmpo. They’ll look to keep it rolling to four, with Giannis hopefully back in the lineup as they face a Cleveland team that’s become one of the best defensive squads in basketball.
Golden Hour.
📍Next stop: Cleveland. pic.twitter.com/Rxa6iP5l0t
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) January 26, 2022
The Cavaliers have won seven of their last eight as they continue to succeed thanks to the help of potential all-stars Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen. Garland has taken major steps to become a leader on this team and Allen has been the frontcourt force many envisioned he could be over the past few seasons. This one should be close, especially if Giannis plays, but I’ll take a near full strength Bucks team to cool off the Cavs.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Milwaukee Bucks (-174)
Noah Dunlap
Even with the Cleveland Cavaliers being one of the most surprising teams in the league to this point in the year, as no number of setbacks seems to deter this team from finding ways to win, I’m not sure they’re going to be able to hang around with the defending champions. The Bucks, after struggling for a stretch, are now looking more and more like the team that made the great run through last year’s postseason. The Cavs enter as the fifth seed in the East currently, which is remarkable, given the fact that they lost Colin Sexton and Ricky Rubio both for the year early on in the season. A key reason for this is the fact that Darius Garland has stepped up and proven to be a guy who may have the ability to be a team leader at some point in the near future.
For Milwaukee, I think the biggest question in this one is whether or not Giannis plays. He’s currently listed as questionable, but I actually think there’s a reasonable chance he does suit up in this one. If he does, I think his inside presence makes the key difference, and I take Milwaukee, but if he doesn’t I think you have to give serious consideration to the idea that Cleveland could get the win. In the end, I think Giannis does play, and helps lead his Bucks to Cleveland, where they sneak away with a tight road win.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Milwaukee Bucks (-174)
New York Knicks @ Miami Heat – 7.30pm ET
The New York Knicks are in the middle of their three game road trip when they play the Miami Heat on Wednesday, who themselves are in the middle of their three game homestand. The Knicks have lost four of their last five, and will be desperate to get back on track. The Heat have won seven of their last nine games, which brings their season record to 30-17.
Denis Kirilov
The New York Knicks will travel south to Miami, Florida, where they will face the Heat on Wednesday night. The Knicks picked up a good rhythm in the beginning of the year, but they failed to capitalize on their chances throughout last week. The team from New York suffered four losses in their last five games which might have a big impact on their position at the end of the season. The Knicks are currently 10th in the East with 23 wins and 25 losses as they are desperately trying to make it to the top 6 who will get a certain spot for the Playoffs. With players like Julius Randle, Derrick Rose, RJ Barrett, and Kemba Walker, the team is looking like a favourite to at least be part of the first Play-In games before the Playoffs, but at the same time, they are struggling to play together.
The Miami Heat, on the other hand, have enjoyed a fantastic season so far. Despite losing 17 matches, they top the leaderboard in the East with a 30-17 record which puts them slightly above the Chicago Bulls and the Brooklyn Nets. Similar to many other teams in the NBA, the Heat went through a difficult period when they were forced to play without two of their key players – Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler. They found a clutch help in the face of Max Strus and Gabe Vincent who managed to come up huge in certain matches. On top of that, Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson played their role as leaders to perfection. I think that with their current form, the Heat should be able to easily battle past the New York Knicks. That’s why my pick here goes in their favor as I expect to see them cover the spread on Wednesday night at FTX Arena.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Miami Heat -6.5 (-110)
Michael Lantz
The Knicks have still struggled to put things together this season. After a solid win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday the team lost a nail biter to the Cleveland Cavaliers the following night. Things don’t get any easier for them on Wednesday as they face off against an old rival in the Miami Heat—who currently sit in first in the Eastern Conference.
Miami has been unbelievably impressive this season. They’re currently the one-seed, but they’ve had a fair share of injury issues throughout the season. Still, they’ve never made excuses; even when Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler missed time, other guys on the team like Tyler Herron and Kyle Lowry stepped up big. Now with the team near full strength they are a force to reckon with. With this one being in South Beach, I expect them to take down an inconsistent Knicks team with relative ease. I’ll pick the Heat to cover.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Miami Heat -6.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
I said very early on in the year that I liked the Miami Heat to potentially win the Eastern Conference, and I’m not backing off of that pick now. They’re currently the one-seed, and that’s with them having to battle through a variety of injuries and COVID issues already this season. With the fact that they’re back to nearly full strength, as Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, and Tyler Herro should all be available, I’m even more on board with the Heat, especially against a New York Knicks team that simply can’t decide whether or not they want to win this year.
The Knicks started the year extremely hot, looking like one of the best teams in the league, but have since simply crashed and burned. They’ve dropped to 23-25 on the year, and have lost four of their last five. They aren’t getting consistent play from virtually anyone on the roster, with Julius Randle being the closest thing they’ve had this year in terms of consistency, and now the road doesn’t get any easier as they have to travel down to South Beach to take on a Miami team that is currently rolling. Give me the Heat and the spread in this one, as I think Miami wins with ease.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Miami Heat -6.5 (-110)
Denver Nuggets @ Brooklyn Nets – 8pm ET
The road trip continues on for the Denver Nuggets, and on Wednesday night they take on the Brooklyn Nets. The Nuggets are currently on a two game winning streak, as they beat the Pistons two games in a row. The Nets, on the other hand, are currently on a two game losing streak, after going down to the Timberwolves and Lakers.
Denis Kirilov
The Denver Nuggets will travel to Brooklyn to face off the Nets in one of the most interesting matchups on Wednesday in the NBA. Both teams have been playing on ups and downs recently as none of them was able to make a decent winning streak. After playing six games at home, the Nuggets will make a brief switch as they will try to show their strength on the road. This, however, was difficult for them in their last three meetings away from home as they didn’t even manage to go beyond the 100-point mark. Being placed in 6th place in the West with a 24-21 record means that the Nuggets would need to improve their win-rate, if they want to be sure of their participation in the Playoffs.
The Brooklyn Nets will try to take back the top spot in the Eastern Conference after giving it away to the Miami Heat following their most recent losses to the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Lakers. There have been plenty of rotations within the team throughout the last month which affected their overall performance. In my opinion, their struggles will worsen as the Nuggets know perfectly well how to anticipate the game in this situation. With Nikola Jokic being in the form of his life, I think that the team from Denver will be able to put an end to their three game losing streak in the head-to-head matches against the Nets.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Denver Nuggets (-104)
Michael Lantz
With Kyrie Irving unable to play and Kevin Durant injured, the Brooklyn Nets fought diligently on Tuesday, but ended up losing to a Lakers team that had Anthony Davis back for the first time in a month. They lost 96-106 on Tuesday, but unfortunately they won’t have much time to rest. They have to pick it back up tonight and play a Denver Nuggets team that’s fought through adversity this year to stay in the playoff hunt.
Back at it tomorrow pic.twitter.com/9sULT6mhWe
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) January 26, 2022
Despite numerous injuries, the Denver Nuggets are currently the sixth-seed in the Western Conference. This is thanks in large part to reigning MVP Nikola Jokic who is looking to repeat as the league’s top player. He is averaging 26 points, 14 rebounds, and 7.5 assists. Jokic has also gotten help from the likes of Will Barton, Jeff Green, and Monte Morris, all of whom have picked it up while Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr sit out injured. With the Nets down some key players and losing a tough game under 24 hours before his one, I expect this Nuggets team to take care of business.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Denver Nuggets +1 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
Not having Kevin Durant is proving to be a major obstacle for the Brooklyn Nets, as many would expect it to be. James Harden has stepped up a bit in his absence, but with Kyrie Irving only available for road games, the Nets still struggle at home. With this one being in Brooklyn, I expect them to struggle a bit, but I do think Harden steps up again and at least tries to lead the Nets here.
For Denver, they’re solely reliant on Nikola Jokic to lead the way, which is the biggest reason they’ve struggled so much this year. Jokic, despite being last year’s MVP, and being a leading candidate to repeat again this year, has his limitations in terms of trying to lead his team against the league’s elite teams, which is why I’m going to take Brooklyn at home in this one. Until Denver can get everyone healthy, and actually get meaningful production from the supporting cast, and the bench, I think this is a team that is going to continue to struggle. Give me Brooklyn to get a much needed win in this one.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Brooklyn Nets (-106)
Toronto Raptors @ Chicago Bulls – 8pm ET
The Toronto Raptors kick off a three game road trip on Wednesday night when they take on the Chicago Bulls. The Raptors are playing on back-to-back nights, and last time out they won, 125-113, against the Hornets. The Bulls have really been struggling as of late, winning just three of their last 10 games, and this drops their season record to 29-17.
Denis Kirilov
The Toronto Raptors and the Chicago Bulls will face each other at United Center on Wednesday night. This will be their second meeting for the season as the Bulls took the win in the opening match, 111-108. It was one of the opening matches for the campaign as it gave the team from Chicago the much-needed head-start. They managed to build on that momentum as they took first place in the East in December when they recorded 9 wins in a row. Unfortunately for them, they had to play a lot of games without Zach LaVine who suffered a knee injury against the Golden State Warriors as this resulted in a couple of losses for the team. The 26-year-old shooting guard made a quick recovery as he took part in the 111-110 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.
On the other hand, the Raptors hold onto 8th place with a 23-22 record. They have been without Pascal Siakam for quite some games this season which surely affected their performance. The Raptors managed to pick up their rhythm in the beginning of the new year as they won six matches in a row, including victories over the Milwaukee Bucks and the Utah Jazz. However, the team has been struggling throughout the last two weeks, winning just three out of eight games. I think that they won’t be able to stop the Bulls who will be looking to make their way back to the top in the Eastern Conference.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Chicago Bulls (-196)
Michael Lantz
After an embarrassing loss to the Orlando Magic on Sunday, the Chicago Bulls were able to knock off the Oklahoma City Thunder last night—barely. They won 111-110, but not after OKC outscored them 19-32 in the fourth. Luckily things are looking a little more up for the Chicago Bulls as Zach LaVine returned in the Thunder game so the team should have him and DeMar DeRozan going forward to put up massive points against every opponent that gets in their way. Up next, the Toronto Raptors.
Toronto started the season a bit uneven, due mainly to a variety of injuries and COVID cases. Now with their squad back near full strength they’re back in the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference and looking to rise. They knocked off the high scoring Charlotte Hornets, 125-113, last night without Fred VanVleet and Scottie Barnes. Both should be back for this matchup against Chicago. The Bulls may have their two best scorers back, but they’re missing a lot of defensive pieces due to injury. That’ll be key in this one—I’ll pick the Raptors to prevail.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Toronto Raptors (+164)
Noah Dunlap
After being the one seed in the East for quite a bit of time recently, the Chicago Bulls have found themselves hit with the injury bug, and it’s something they simply haven’t been able to get past. They were without Zach LaVine for a few games, and now they’re without Lonzo Ball for substantial time as well, which completely decimates their lineup. With these injuries, they’ve managed to drop seven of their last ten, and seem to be reeling just a bit. They did pick up a win in their last outing, a victory over OKC, in what was LaVine’s return to the lineup. With him back in the lineup, giving DeMar Derozan a bit more help, I expect this Bulls team to get back on track and try to make up for lost time down the stretch this season.
They get the Toronto Raptors in this one, and it’s a Raptors squad that has been hard to predict all year long. They started the year really well, before falling on hard times for a lengthy amount of time, but have since rebounded in a big way, and are back to being a playoff team if the season were to end today. A big part of that slip was a variety of injury issues, but the good news for Toronto fans is that they appear to finally be nearing full strength again. Even with the Raptors playing better, I’m going to take Chicago at home in this one, as I think having Zach LaVine back in the lineup makes a huge difference.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Chicago Bulls -4.5 (-110)
Phoenix Suns @ Utah Jazz – 10pm ET
The Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz will wrap up their two game back-to-back against each other on Wednesday night. In the first game, it was the Suns that proved to be too good for the Jazz, winning 115-109. Can the Jazz get revenge now they are playing at home, or will the Suns get another win?
Denis Kirilov
After losing their last four head-to-head games against the Phoenix Suns, the Utah Jazz will be looking for a miracle on Wednesday as they will try their luck yet again this week. Their first meeting for the season took place in Arizona on Monday as the Suns took a narrow 6-point win, despite having the advantage in terms of available players. Donovan Mitchell, Mike Conley, Rudy Gobert, and Bojan Bogdanovic were sidelined due to various injuries and coach decisions which surely had a huge impact on the outcome of the game. Despite Devin Booker’s 33 points for the night, I would say that Chris Paul was the most valuable player on the court, scoring 15 out of his 27 points in the 4th quarter.
The Jazz will once again be without Conley, Gobert, and Mitchell, while Deandre Ayton might return for the Phoenix Suns. Surprisingly, Utah comes on a 2-8 run in this game which puts them among the worst performing teams for the last two weeks. They dropped to 4th place in the West holding a 30-18 record, but they are still way ahead of the rest. The Suns continue their dominance in the NBA as they are riding on a 7-game winning streak at the moment. In my opinion, there is a chance that the team from Arizona will lose the game, but I won’t go that far as I will trust the Jazz to cover their spread.
Denis’ NBA Pick: Utah Jazz +4.5 (-110)
Michael Lantz
These two teams, when fully healthy, are among the best in basketball. Unfortunately, the Jazz have had a hard time staying healthy, playing a handful of games without one of their two stars, Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. Both missed Monday’s matchup against the Suns, which the Jazz lost 115-109. Unfortunately, those two will miss the rematch on Wednesday as well.
looking forward to tomorrow like 🤓 pic.twitter.com/8WFcr7LNpd
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 26, 2022
Phoenix continues to be the best team in basketball. Even without Deandre Ayton on Monday they took care of a Jazz team without its two best players. Ayton will be out again Wednesday but with Devin Booker and Chris Paul active, they really shouldn’t have a problem with this Jazz team that struggles without its stars. This one should be another victory for the Suns.
Michael’s NBA Pick: Phoenix Suns (-198)
Noah Dunlap
In a two game, back-to-back set that could be a preview of a longer playoff series to come in the postseason, we get the Phoenix Suns and the Utah Jazz doing battle one more time. The Suns managed to get the win in the first meeting, and now the Jazz will try to respond at home. In terms of talent, these are two of, if not the most talented teams in the league, as both rosters are absolutely loaded, and extremely balanced. Phoenix relies on a core trio of Deandre Ayton, Devin Booker, and Chris Paul, while Utah is heavily reliant upon Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, and Mike Conley. As for these two teams going head-to-head, I’m going to give my edge to Phoenix once again, as I think the supporting cast to their trio is a touch better. They managed to get the win in the first meeting of the set, and I don’t think that changes in this one, even with them having to travel to Salt Lake City. I like Devin Booker to have a big night and prove to be the difference maker in what ends up being another tight win, on the road, for the Phoenix Suns.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Phoenix Suns -4.5 (-110)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
