The NBA will ring in 2025 with an excellent slate of basketball on New Year's Day, with a total of 8 matchups on the docket scheduled for today. So, our staff of basketball experts dug into the latest odds and identified all the best betting value on the board for tonight's contests.
Our betting experts have looked over the odds and made 5 NBA picks for today's matchups. Continue below for our NBA best bets and predictions for Wednesday, January 1.
NBA Best Bets Today, Predictions, Picks, Odds: Wednesday, January 1
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
  | 8 p.m. | |
  | 8:30 p.m. | |
  | 10 p.m. | |
  | 9 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. | ||
Jazz vs. Knicks
By Joe Dellera
The Knicks host Jazz on New Year’s Day in a game they should be able to dominate from start to finish.
One player that has surged for New York recently is Josh Hart. Hart is averaging 8.6 rebounds per game this season and has just racked up 12, 13, 11, and 15 in his last four games.
This matchup against the Jazz is one in which he can excel.
New Year’s Day can often be a slightly sluggish game and Hart is someone whose motor is always at 110% regardless of the players around him.
Utah has the third-best Rebound % in the NBA< but considering their offense ranks just 20th, I expect opportunities for Hart to clean up some shots.
He has exceeded this line of 7.5 rebounds in 66% of games this season, and I like him to start the new year off right for us.
Pick: Josh Hart Over 7.5 Rebounds (-120)
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Mavericks vs. Rockets
PJ Washington got this immediately last time out.
And every time he's under 14 points without Luka Doncic, I'll take the over with no hesitation, even against Houston.
Washington has gone over 12.5 in 11 of 18, and I'm fine with taking this over at 13.5 considering that Dallas will again be shorthanded.
He netted 28 against the Kings on 8 for 20 shooting. Similarly — although perhaps to a lesser degree — this is a volume play, also.
Pick: PJ Washington Over 12.5 Points (-135)
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Pelicans vs. Heat
By Bill Marzano
The Pelicans are 5-28 on the season and hoping the start of the new year is just what they need with a date with the 16-14 Heat.
The Pelicans are garbage, they have lost 10 straight and 19 of their last 20 overall.
This team is banged up and not sure how much effort this team puts out each night, but I'm counting on them not showing up on New Year's Day in Miami after a long night of partying.
The Pelicans are 1-14 on the road, they are in the bottom-five NBA scoring defense allowing 118 per contest, Heat allowing 109 but the Pelicans are averaging just 106 points per game while Heat just 113.
The Heat have a much better roster, and Jimmy Butler is supposed to be on the court tonight, for how long, is another question. But for now, as long as Butler is on the court, the Heat are dangerous with the rest of their roster.
The Pelicans just 12-21 ATS on the season. The Heat have won three of their last four overall, they are 9-4 at home, and despite losing the last game vs. the Pelicans, they had won seven straight, this is the first meeting of the season. The Heat is on.
Pick: Heat -8.5 (-110)
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76ers vs. Kings
The Kings recorded their first win under interim head coach Doug Christie on Monday night, defeating the Mavericks 110-100. However, Dallas was without four starters, which explains why the 14-19 Kings were as high as 8.5-point favorites.
Sacramento will face another short-handed team when it faces the 76ers on New Year’s Day, with Joel Embiid already ruled out.
Embiid’s injury woes and lack of availability this season have left the 76ers vulnerable in controlling the paint. As a result, Philadelphia is the second-worst rebounding team in the league, averaging 40 per game.
One player who could take advantage of Embiid’s absence is Sacramento’s De'Aaron Fox. The 6-foot-3 point guard tends to fill out the stat sheet, and his 5.1 rebounds per contest is a career-high.
Fox’s rebounding prop is set at 4.5, which he has exceeded in 23 of his 33 games this season. Sportsbooks are likely still hanging a number that reflects to his performance in the previous campaign when he averaged 4.62 rebounds with a median of 4.5.
There’s no question that Fox is the undoubted leader of this Kings team. He led all scorers with 33 points against Dallas and chipped in with six rebounds on the night.
With the Kentucky product receiving some criticism for possibly having a role in the ousting of Kings head coach Mike Brown, I suspect that we’ll continue to see a spirited effort from Fox on both ends of the court as he looks to restore his good name.
Pick: De'Aaron Fox Over 4.5 Rebounds (-118)
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Hawks vs. Nuggets
By Nick Parsons
For a number of different reasons, mainly situational ones that are backed by some strong and relevant against the spread stats and trends, I'm expecting a lower-scoring defensive battle in this one.
Atlanta enters playing its best basketball of the season right now, as it's 18-15 after four straight victories. The Hawks have been great on both ends of the court over the four-game win streak, most recently pulling away for a 136-107 victory at Toronto.
The Hawks have seen the total go Over in three straight games, but note that Atlanta has in fact seen the total go Under in seven of its last 10 games after playing to three or more straight Overs in a row.
Denver is 18-13 and it enters having won two straight as well, both super high-scoring, near-identical final-score victories, beating Detroit 134-121, before beating Utah 132-121.
The Nuggets destroyed the Hawks by a score of 141-111 in Atlanta back in early December, so finally note that the Hawks have seen the total go Under the number in eight of their last 12 in trying to avenge a straight up and against the spread home loss against an opponent.
Denver has an interesting home matchup with the Spurs after this, and could also be caught looking ahead here.
Either way, when you add up all the situational factors, I believe the Under is the correct call as far as the total is concerned in this one.
Pick: Under 246.5 (-110)
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