NBA best bets and picks for Monday night's slate comes from the BUCKETS Podcast, where our analysts gave out picks for four of the games on tonight's eight-game slate, including Spurs vs. 76ers, Bucks vs. Pistons, Hornets vs. Timberwolves and Cavaliers vs. Magic.
Read their analysis and listen to the latest episode of the BUCKETS Podcast below.
Best NBA Bets Tonight | Expert Picks From the 'Buckets' Podcast (Jan. 22)
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7 p.m. | 76ers -14.5 |
  | 7 p.m. | Giannis Antetokounmpo Over 2.5 Turnovers |
  | 7 p.m. | Paolo Banchero Under 24.5 Points |
  | 8 p.m. | First Half Under 113.5 |
| 8 p.m. | Anthony Edwards Over 26.5 Points |
| 8 p.m. | Timberwolves -14.5 |
76ers -14.5 vs. Spurs
7 p.m. ET ⋅ NBA TV
By Matt Moore
Find someone in your life that loves you the way Joel Embiid loves going off against bad teams.
Their average margin of victory in these games is 14.9. They are +5 in ATS margin against teams under .500.
I might throw an escalator because I can see the Sixers winning by 30+ points.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo Over 2.5 Turnovers at Pistons
7 p.m. ET ⋅ NBA League Pass
By Joe Dellera
The line is pretty juiced, I saw it last night at -140. He has hit this in 78% of games this season (31-40). He had five against Detroit in their last game. His usage is just so high that it is almost too easy for him to pick these up. All it takes is one bad pass, a charge and I think this line is a whole turnover too low.
We know the Pistons aren't great but this is more of Giannis trying to be too aggressive or doing too much. He averages 3.7 turnovers a game this season.
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Paolo Banchero Under 24.5 Points vs. Cavaliers
7 p.m. ET ⋅ NBA League Pass
By Jim Turvey
There is a caveat with this play. I am taking this if Franz Wagner plays. If he doesn't, I will stay away from this line.
Franz is key for Banchero's usage as they are both the two high-usage offensive players for the Magic. The Cavs' defense is No. 2 overall and has been No. 1 over the past two weeks. Jarrett Allen has been playing outstanding and is the centerpiece for a defense that is locked in right now.
Wagner just returned from injury and they are immediately on a back-to-back.
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Hornets-Timberwolves First Half Under 113.5
8 p.m. ET ⋅ NBA League Pass
By Jim Turvey
This is the time of the year that I do like these quarter/half derivative markets. We start to see some good trends develop and in this case these are two teams who line up well to the under. Charlotte is 26-14 to the first half under and Minnesota is 25-17, which are first and third this season, respectively. 7-3 and 8-2 in each of their last 10 games out.
This game is currently taking money to the over so you may want to wait to see if that line moves up to thread that needle.
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.
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Anthony Edwards Over 26.5 Points vs. Hornets
8:00 p.m. ET ⋅ NBA League Pass
By Joe Dellera
Anthony Edwards is averaging 27.8 points per game at home this season. He has exceeded this prop in 11 of 19 games. I think in this matchup, LaMelo Ball being out there helps the pace and maybe gives the Wolves a few extra turnovers.
I think Minnesota will take care of business agains one of the worst defenses in the league. I think there will be a little bit of extra motivation for Edwards against a guy in the same draft class.
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Timberwolves -14.5 vs. Hornets
8:00 p.m. ET ⋅ NBA League Pass
By Matt Moore
I have this game modeled at 19, which may sound insane, but Charlotte is just really bad. Charlotte is not good against top-10 defenses. The Timberwolves beat the snot out of bad teams so I don't mind how high this number is.
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