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3 NBA Best Bets and Predictions for Thursday 1/16/24

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3 NBA Best Bets and Predictions for Thursday 1/16/24

The 82-game NBA regular season offers us a wide variety of betting options, including point spreads, moneylines, and totals. The Association features 1,230 regular season games, which can make sifting through the odds an overwhelming task.

However, various advanced statistics can help narrow the choices. numberFire's NBA power rankings and NBA game projections paired with advanced stats from the NBA can help give the inside track to quality bets.

While utilizing some of the mentioned tools, which NBA odds from FanDuel Sportsbook look like the best bets today?

Please note lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published.

Today's Best NBA Betting Picks

Cavaliers at Thunder

Cavaliers +2.0 (-112)

The top two teams in the NBA square off at 7:30 pm ET when the Cleveland Cavaliers visit the Oklahoma City Thunder. Cleveland won their first head-to-head matchup by seven earlier this month, positioning them well to cover as 2-point underdogs tonight.

Spread Betting

Jan 17 12:30am UTCMore odds in Sportsbook

Cleveland leads the Association with a 34-5 record, and they're second behind only OKC in net rating (+10.5). They've been nearly as good on the road, going 14-3 with the league's third-best net rating (+8.9) away from Cleveland.

OKC is right behind Cleveland with a 33-6 record, and they sport the NBA's top net rating (+13.2) at home. But the Thunder will be without center Isaiah Hartenstein -- a major blow to their already-thin frontcourt. Oklahoma City is dead-last in total rebound rate (47.2%), so losing their leading rebounder won't do them any favors against Cleveland's lengthy frontcourt.

The Cavaliers had an interior advantage to begin with. In their first head-to-head meeting, the Cavs got to the line 10 more times than OKC in addition to out-rebounding and outscoring the Thunder in the paint. That propelled them to a 129-122 victory despite leading scorer Donovan Mitchell totaling just 11 points on 3-of-16 shooting.

That was easily Mitchell's worst game of the season, but I wouldn't bank on that happening again. He's fresh off a 35-point outing on Tuesday night.

Cleveland's edge down low should be enough to keep this game within a bucket, allowing them to cover as 2-point underdogs.

Rockets at Kings

Rockets Over 111.5 Total Points (-110)

The Houston Rockets have won five straight games to jump into second place in the Western Conference, so it's certainly tempting to back them as underdogs against the Sacramento Kings tonight. But Sacramento's been just as good (7-3) over their last 10 games, so I'd rather turn to Houston's 111.5-point team total to get exposure to the Rockets here.

Away Team Total Points

Jan 17 3:00am UTCMore odds in Sportsbook

Houston enters tonight's action averaging 113.6 points per game, 12th in the NBA. But they've been trending up on the offensive end, upping their scoring average to 116.7 points per game since the turn of the calendar. The Rockets have cracked 112 points in five consecutive games.

Now, Houston still isn't playing at a particularly fast pace -- that's where Sacramento comes in. The Kings rank seventh in pace this month, and they've surrendered 114.7 points per game over that stretch, a bottom 10 mark in the Association.

The Rockets are playing in the second leg of a back-to-back -- something that's caused them some trouble this season. But only three starters cracked 30 minutes in last night's blowout win, so they should be more well-rested than you'd expect.

As such, this is a nice spot to get a piece of Houston's offense, backing them to go over 111.5 total points.

Clippers at Trail Blazers

Trail Blazers +7.0 (-112)

The Portland Trail Blazers play host to the Los Angeles Clippers tonight with each side coming off a drastically different result. Both most recently faced the lowly Brooklyn Nets. LA cruised to a historic, 126-67 win over Brooklyn last night, setting a franchise record for largest margin of victory. Portland, meanwhile, suffered an 18-point loss to that same Nets team on Tuesday.

That would explain why the public is heavily backing the Clippers, but I think we're undervaluing how Portland matches up with LA. Having split the season series (1-1) prior to tonight's game, I like the Blazers to keep things tight and cover as 7-point home underdogs.

Spread Betting

Portland Trail Blazers
Jan 17 3:10am UTCMore odds in Sportsbook

Portland won the first matchup between these two Western Conference foes, though LA bounced back with a 22-point win the next time they met. But both games took place in Los Angeles, and the Blazers have been a much better team in Portland. They're 8-10 (-8.0 net rating) at home compared to 5-16 (-8.7 net rating) on the road. Of their 10 home losses, two came within 7 points.

LA, too, has been a different team depending on the venue. The Clippers are 8-11 (-3.7 net rating) on the road but 14-6 (+8.7 net rating) at home.

On top of that, the Clippers have struggled mightily in the second leg of back-to-backs. They're just 3-4 on zero days' rest, and they've averaged the second-fewest points (99.7) in such contests. Though they managed to rest much of their starting lineup in last night's blowout win, the Clippers will be without Kawhi Leonard (rest).

This is a game I think we can catch the Clippers lacking fresh off such a monster win. That puts the Blazers in a compelling spot to cover as 7-point underdogs.


Get a No Sweat Token to use on a 3+ leg SGP wager on either of the NBA on TNT games happening tonight, January 16th! See here for full terms and conditions. Learn about today’s other offers at FanDuel Sportsbook Promos.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.

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