5 Best NBA Bets and Player Props for Saturday 1/18/25

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 daily NBA 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. All injury news comes from the NBA's official injury report.

Today's Best NBA Bets and Player Props

Phoenix Suns at Detroit Pistons

Pistons Moneyline (+108)
Jalen Duren Over 20.5 Points and Rebounds (-113)

It's a bit odd to get the hotter team with more momentum at home as an underdog, but we'll take it.

The Detroit Pistons proved at Madison Square Garden on Monday that they can hang with anyone if just one other option steps up as Malik Beasley (22 points) did. There certainly could be another unsung hero today against the Phoenix Suns' 22nd-ranked defensive rating (115.2 DRTG).

For the season, Detroit (-1.1 NRTG) and Phoenix (-1.3 NRTG) are neighbors in net rating. Over the last 10 games, the Motors (+3.3) have pulled ahead of the Suns (+0.0). Home court on an afternoon the Detroit Lions take the field three minutes away should offset whatever perceived adjustment is needed by conference.

Nick Richards makes his Suns debut today, but mistakes could be made in coverage for a Suns team with poor paint fundamentals (11th-most points per game allowed) already.

That's one of the reasons I'm still looking to the opposing center, Jalen Duren, in the prop market.

Firstly, Duren has posted 9.6 points and 16.7 rebounds per 36 minutes against Richards with the Charlotte Hornets this season. That's not a particularly scary matchup for him it appears.

Secondarily, the Suns' paint issues come at a time where the young center's playing time is blossoming. He's seen at least 27 minutes on the floor in three of his last four games with the exception a game where he fouled out.

FanDuel Research's daily NBA projections expect 11.7 points and 10.8 rebounds from him in 28.0 minutes during Saturday's tilt.

Philadelphia 76ers at Indiana Pacers

Pacers Under 117.5 Points (-110)

Surprisingly through some poor defenses and high-paced matchups, the Indiana Pacers have topped 117 points just once in their last six games. Today's matchup isn't a plus one, either.

The injury-ravaged Philadelphia 76ers have just the 12th-worst DRTG while playing at the Association's 3rd-slowest pace. That's a huge downtick in tempo from Indiana's seventh-ranked pace as a starting point.

Plus, the Sixers likely will need to shell up further as Paul George (groin) and Joel Embiid (knee) don't play -- though George is questionable. They've surrendered just 114.0 points per game when those two have missed in conjunction.

DRatings expects just 114.1 points from Indiana in Saturday's game. I think public bettors will rush to bet their team total in lieu of the game as Philly's stars sit, but this game is trending toward an under.

This line is rising as of now, so you can wait if you're not spooked by the movement.

Washington Wizards at Golden State Warriors

Over 229.0 Points (-110)
Draymond Green Over 21.5 Points, Rebounds, and Assists (-115)

It's a revenge game in a lot of facets today as Jordan Poole and the Washington Wizards visit the Golden State Warriors.

However this one plays out, the over is likely the safest bet -- as has played out in 53.9% of Washington's games. There's not much trust we can instill in the the Wiz's league-worst 118.8 DRTG while they play at the NBA's fourth-fastest pace.

Golden State is no snail, playing at the 14th-fastest pace that upgrades to 12th at home. They're a team I want to keep buying in general on offense because their underperformance comes back to a 55.5 true-shooting percentage (TS%). That's 24th in the NBA despite a collection of shooters like Stephen Curry and Buddy Hield we know to be good.

The Dubs tend to bash in the bottom feeders, scoring 119.3 points per game this season against the bottom-six teams in net rating -- including 124 points against these Wizards on November 4th. Behind a motivated Poole, Washington can keep pace enough to send this game over its total.

A returning Draymond Green will also help matters. He's missed three games this week with an illness but is feeling better.

Green had 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists when these teams met back in November, which isn't a huge surprise for the stat-stuffer. Overall, he's averaging 10.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, and and 7.1 assists per 36 minutes this season.

He's been extremely sensitive to pace this season, posting five of his eight best FanDuel-point totals (a fantasy-point combination of stats) against top-10 teams in pace. The Wiz qualify -- and were one of them.

Clearly, there's a bit of uncertainty in his adjustment back, but he's only been out of action for nine days and practiced Friday.

I believe this adjustment has gone a bit far, and so do FanDuel Research's projections. They expect 10.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 6.2 assists in 29.9 minutes tonight. Even ratcheting down his playing time, this line is showing value.

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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.