The NBA regular season resumes with a very light slate this Friday, with a total of only 3 matchups on the docket scheduled for today. However, our staff of basketball betting experts still dug into the latest odds and identified all the best value on the board for tonight.
Our betting experts have looked over the odds and made 4 NBA picks for today's matchups. Continue below for our NBA best bets and predictions for Friday, January 24.
NBA Best Bets, Predictions, Picks, Odds: Friday, January 24
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 8 p.m. | |
  | 7 p.m. | |
| 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. | ||
Trail Blazers vs. Hornets
With a victory against the Hornets, the Trail Blazers can extend their winning streak to four games. Portland recently defeated the Bulls, Heat and Magic—three Eastern Conference teams in contention for a playoff or play-in spot.
Thus, there’s no reason the Blazers shouldn’t be confident heading into Friday’s away game in Charlotte.
One player who’s certainly doing his part is Portland forward Toumani Camara. The second-year player is coming off a 16-point effort with six rebounds and three assists against Orlando. It was a nice bounce-back performance for the Belgian after failing to register a single point against Chicago.
However, even when Camara hasn’t been at his best offensively, he has still managed to get his teammates involved by picking up a couple of assists. Camara has registered at least two assists in six straight games and seven of his last eight. He has also finished with four or more assists in six games this season.
There’s a lot to like about his game, given that he worked his way into being an everyday starter despite being the 52nd pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Camara’s assist prop is available at 1.5, and he exceeded this projection 26 out of 42 times (62%) this season.
He’ll be up against a Hornets defense that allows the sixth-most assists (4.22) to opposing small forwards.
Considering that Orlando (4.28) and Chicago (4.24) also rank in the bottom five for assists allowed to small forwards, the signs certainly look promising for Camara to go over his assists prop.
Pick: Toumani Camara Over 1.5 Assists (-140)
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Pelicans vs. Grizzlies
By Joe Dellera
The Grizzlies take on the Pelicans who have a little bit of extra rest today after their game against the Bucks was canceled the other day. I’m targeting Ja Morant in this matchup.
Ja already shredded New Orleans for 27 and 25 points this season, and has cleared this line of 22.5 in seven consecutive games against the Pelicans.
He should be able to get into the paint and attack with success again tonight. The Pelicans allow the second-most points in the paint to their opponents, which sets up perfectly for Morant.
Memphis plays at the fastest Pace in the league, and I fully expect them to get New Orleans to try and match their tempo.
This should be a game featuring a ton of scoring opportunities. I’ll grab Ja to exceed 22.5 points.
Pick: Ja Morant Over 22.5 Points (-113)
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Cavaliers vs. 76ers
By Nick Parsons
Outright win? I'm not calling for that.
But this sets up really well for Philly to sneak in through the back door, despite being down Joel Embiid and others.
The Cavaliers are coming off a tight 109-108 loss to Houston, and may get caught looking ahead here as they look forward to their home rematch against the Rockets tomorrow night.
It's a classic letdown/look-ahead position for the visitors, and when you add those two situational factors together, you get a Trap Game.
Philly has lost seven straight, but has had two days off to prepare for this one.
With a game at Chicago tomorrow, I think we'll see the 76ers lay it all on the line here. Grab the points with Philadelphia.
Pick: 76ers +10.5 (-110)
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Trail Blazers vs. Pelicans
This line is already moving as I write this, so while I played this at 222, I'm good with it down to 220.5.
The Hornets have the most home Unders in the league by percentage. The Blazers have the third-most road Unders.
The Blazers have also had five Unders in seven games on the second half of back-to-backs.
Barring an outlier performance, the body of work screams Under, and it's no surprise that the line is already dropping.
Pick: Under 221.5 (-115)
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