It's another beautiful day in the Association, as we have eight games on Wednesday's NBA slate.
Our staff came through with five best bets for Wednesday's games — each for a different matchup — as we make the trek forward ahead of the All-Star break.
So, whether you're looking to back an underdog, add a Rookie of the Year pick to your portfolio or have your eye on a player prop, we have you covered.
Check out all five of our NBA best bets for Wednesday below.
Did you know legal betting is coming to the Tar Heel State? North Carolina sports betting is coming online in 2024, so you’ll be able to bet wager legally at major sportsbooks in NC.
NBA Best Bets for Wednesday, Jan. 24
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 8 p.m. | |
  | 8 p.m. | |
  | 9:30 p.m. | |
  | 10 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NBA Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Hornets vs. Pistons
By Joe Dellera
Jalen Duren has an elite matchup tonight against the Hornets, who may be without Nick Richards for this contest.
Duren has been a monster on the boards this season. He's averaging 11.5 rebounds per game, but this matchup is even better. When these teams played in October, Duran grabbed 17 rebounds. The Hornets have no one on the interior to stop him, and since the Pistons moved on from Marvin Bagley, there's less competition for minutes in Detroit.
Couple this with a worse Hornets offense without Terry Rozier, and there should be plenty of opportunities for Duren to clean the glass.
Pick: Jalen Duren Over 11.5 Rebounds
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Trail Blazers vs. Rockets
Alperen Sengun isn't a great defensive center, and while I don't love backing Deandre Ayton just because… well, you watch basketball, right?
But Ayton could at least reach 11 points. He averages 12.5, which is actually the lowest of his career by far, and he has gone over 10.5 in 15 of of his 27 games this season.
This prop is low and at plus-money because he has had 12, six and five points in three games since returning from injury and is on the second night of a back-to-back.
But to me, this is a bounce-back spot against a center in Sengun who could be pretty damn woeful on defense. Meanwhile, the recent two single-digit outings were against Anthony Davis and Chet Holmgren, both of whom will be getting all-defense consideration.
Sengun is emphatically not that.
Pick: DeAndre Ayton Over 10.5 Points
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Cavaliers vs. Bucks
By Jim Turvey
In their first game after the long and winding career of Adrian Griffin, the Milwaukee Bucks will play host to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.
The Bucks are currently laying seven points at one stray book, a key number that is miles off what I make this game.
Accounting for what the Bucks and Cavs have each actually done this season, I have the Cavs as the slightly better team. Despite having four fewer wins, Cleveland has the far superior adjusted net rating: +4.1 to +2.5, per Dunks & Threes.
That's due in part to Milwaukee having played the second-easiest schedule to date, as well as its success in close games.
It's also due to the fact that the Cavs have absolutely taken off with this iteration of the team that's without Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. With just Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen at the helm — and some help from Caris LeVert and Max Strus — the team has gone 13-3 with a +9.7 net rating.
Over the past two weeks, they are by far the best spread differential team, per Cleaning the Glass, and have covered five straight and 12 of their 16 during this same hot stretch.
There may be a small bump for the Bucks from this coaching change, but I'm willing to bet this all the way down to Cavs +3.5.
Pick: Cavaliers +7 (Play to +3.5)
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Thunder vs. Spurs
This is a weird "best bet," but considering the impending Thunder vs. Spurs matchup tonight, this is a critical time to re-evaluate the NBA futures and awards market.
This is a breakdown for people who have pre-existing bets in the Rookie of the Year race, and it's even better if those tickets are for Chet Holmgren and/or Victor Wembanyama.
This time of the NBA calendar, pre-All-Star break, is very narrative-driving. Head-to-head matchups are perhaps the biggest example — see the Jokic-Embiid game last week and how Embiid was thrust back into the lead for MVP.
The race for Rookie of the Year is neck and neck.
Wembanyama just replaced Holmgren as the consensus favorite candidate after his last game, finishing with 33 points. The odds at DraftKings are -115 on both players. That's how close this race is.
Tonight's face-off between these two players — who may match up with one another — is going to swing the odds in either direction.
If you have a ticket on either candidate, now is a great time to re-evaluate and see if you want to hedge or add the other play to the portfolio.
For game purposes, it should be noted the Spurs are 7.5-point home underdogs despite seemingly being the sharp side. Wembanyama has a prop line of 22.5 points, while Chet is at 15.5.
The Thunder are also on the second leg of a road back-to-back, but the Spurs are playing their first game back home after a road trip. Take all of this info into consideration.
If I had one ticket, I would balance it now while tilting exposure toward Wembanyama.
Pick: Add Wembanyama or Holmgren to ROY Portfolio
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Hawks vs. Warriors
By Joe Dellera
Let’s run it back from the last game, where Murray's rebounds + assists line was set at 13.5 before he tallied 10 rebounds and six assists to cash.
This line is too low without Trae Young (concussion). In four games without Young this season, Murray has exceeded this line in each time, averaging 14.5 rebounds and assists.
I'm certain this line will move throughout the day, and I’m comfortable at 12.5 RAs as well.
From a game perspective, I love the matchup against the Warriors anyway. In two games against the Warriors last season, Murray posted 17 and 16 RAs with Young. He had one game of 10 rebounds and seven assists and another of seven rebounds and nine assists.
His length and athleticism are a huge edge in this matchup.
Considering his success against the Warriors and his horrible conversion luck on potential assists (just six assists on 18 potentials) last game, I love the upside for Murray.
I’d sprinkle double-double (+325 at DraftKings) and triple-double (+5000) as well.
Pick: Dejounte Murray Over 11.5 Rebounds + Assists
