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NBA Best Bets Today | Expert Picks for Saturday Jan. 6

NBA Best Bets Today | Expert Picks for Saturday Jan. 6 article feature image
Credit:

Elsa/Getty Images. Pictured: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks.

The NBA season rolls on Saturday with relatively short slate that packs a punch There are just four games on the schedule and our Action Network NBA betting experts are ready with their four best bets for tonight, featuring a spread pick, total and props for two of the games on the evening slate.

Find their NBA best bets and expert picks for Saturday below!


NBA Best Bets Today | Expert Picks for Saturday

GameTime (ET)Pick
New York Knicks LogoWashington Wizards Logo
7 p.m.
Boston Celtics LogoIndiana Pacers Logo
7 p.m.
Boston Celtics LogoIndiana Pacers Logo
7 p.m.
Boston Celtics LogoIndiana Pacers Logo
7 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.


Knicks vs. Wizards

New York Knicks Logo
Saturday Jan. 6
7 p.m. ET
NBA League Pass
Washington Wizards Logo
Knicks -8.5
BetMGM Logo

By Joe Dellera

The Knicks are coming off a big win yesterday against the Philadelphia 76ers in what would traditionally be a bit of a let down spot for New York as they head to D.C. However, the Knicks have been one of the league's best teams when taking on bad teams this year.

When the Knicks have played teams in the bottom 10 in Net Rating, they are 10-1 with a +16.5 Net Rating in those games including an impressive 9-2 ATS with an average margin of 7.36, per BetLabs.

The one thing about Coach Thibs is he keeps the pressure on even in these games that would be let down spots. Here, I expect the Knicks to come out and take care of business against a Wizards team that they beat 120-99 back in November.

Pick: Knicks -8.5



Celtics vs. Pacers

Boston Celtics Logo
Saturday Jan. 6
7 p.m. ET
NBA League Pass
Indiana Pacers Logo
Derrick White Over 2.5 3-pointers
FanDuel Logo

By Bryan Fonseca

In what's supposed to be a high-volume shootout between the Celtics and Pacers, I like Derrick White to hit at least three 3-pointers.

White's shot has dwindled a bit in recent games, but he's still nearly 42% for the season and is getting a healthy shot diet from deep. He's is averaging eight 3-point attempts per game in his last 13 contests, where he's averaging 3.6 makes per game and has gone over 2.5 eight times.

We're basically looking for at least 7-8 attempts here. White has made three or more from deep in 15 of his 30 appearances, and of those 15, all but three have come on at least seven or more attempts.

Against the Pacers, he's gone 4-of-7 and 2-of-9 this season, so we're expecting that volume to be there, especially considering the Celtics lead the NBA in 3s per 100 possessions and 3-point rate with an offense second to only the Pacers, who play at the league's fastest pace.

Pick: White Over 2.5 3-pointers (+100)



Celtics vs. Pacers

Boston Celtics Logo
Saturday Jan. 6
7 p.m. ET
NBA League Pass
Indiana Pacers Logo
Jaylen Brown Over 27.5 PTS + REB
BetMGM Logo

By Joe Dellera

This should be another exciting showdown between the Celtics and the Pacers.

Brown has torched Indiana over the last two seasons, averaging 24.4 points and 8.8 rebounds across five games. The rebounding floor has been extremely high with seven being the fewest he’s grabbed.

Although Indiana’s defense has been a bit better of late, that has only been an improvement to about league average over the last two weeks.

One area Indiana has struggled to defend against is shooting guards who can get to the rack. Dejounte Murray, Desmond Bane, and Anthony Edwards have all had strong performances recently.

This is a pace-up spot against Indiana, and he has averaged 27.5 Points + Rebounds on the season, but 33.2 against Indiana the last two seasons. I like Brown to exceed 27.5 PR tonight against the Pacers.

Pick: Jaylen Brown Over 27.5 PTS + REB



Celtics vs. Pacers

Boston Celtics Logo
Saturday Jan. 6
7 p.m. ET
NBA League Pass
Indiana Pacers Logo
ALT Over 246
PointsBet Logo

By Michael Arinze

The Celtics and Pacers face off for the third time this season, with the series tied at one game apiece. Indiana won the last meeting 121-112, holding nine points below its season average.

What was interesting about this game is that the final scoreline is something you'd almost readily attribute to the Celtics rather than the Pacers. A quick look at the box score revealed the Celtics shot just 29% (12-for-41) from behind the perimeter when it averages 37.3% on the year with 16.1 3-point field goals per game.

Based on those numbers, I'd characterize them as more of an anomaly than the norm. Thus, I suspect we'll see a much more robust effort from Boston this time.

This game has all the makings of a high-scoring affair, particularly with Indiana being the home team. The over is 14-4 when the Pacers play at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Indiana tends to play slightly faster at home, where, according to TeamRankings, it averages 107.6 possessions vs. 106.7 on the road.

Lastly, in the past 10 meetings, we've not had consecutive games that finished under the total.

This total opened at 245.5 and has been bet up as high as 248 at one sportsbook. PointsBet has the best number available at 247, but I'll look to play an alternate number of 246, slightly juiced to -120.

Pick: ALT Over 246



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