Sunday was dominated by the NFL, of course, with a ton of must-win games, which pushed the NBA's very short three-game slate on New Year's day into the background.
But Monday night makes up for that with 11 matchups on the schedule, including an early game at Madison Square garden (Suns vs. Knicks, 3 p.m. ET) and a cross-conference rematch from last week (Pelicans vs. 76ers, 7 p.m. ET).
Our NBA analysts have three more best bets from tonight's slate their expert picks and predictions include a player prop and a first half total.
Read on for their best bets for Monday below.
NBA Odds & Picks
Toronto Raptors vs Indiana Pacers
Joe Dellera: Tyrese Haliburton has been in a bit of an assists slump lately and has cleared this 12.5 Rebounds + Assists line in just two of his last 10 games. His potentials are down to 16.9 per game with 8.3 actual compared to his season long of 19.8 and 10.2. However, this matchup vs Toronto is conducive to assists.
In their Nov. 12 matchup, Haliburton logged 15 assists on 26 potential assists.Toronto’s length and defensive versatility can bother Haliburton a bit as a scorer so he will look to find his open teammates.
Considering Toronto allows 3-point opportunities and makes more than the league average, this should put Haliburton in a good position to dish to his teammates like Buddy Hield (who scored 22 points in that game).
The Raptors managed to hold Haliburton to just eight points in the November matchup, but Haliburton logged 15 assists and six boards — I like him to go over this Rebounds + Assist line, which he could do with just assists alone.
Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Malik Smith: The Cavaliers and Bulls played on New Year's Eve in Chicago and will play the second set of their two-game series Monday night in Cleveland. The Cavs pulled out a close win Saturday despite missing Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. Garland is doubtful to play Monday with a thumb injury and Mobley is questionable with a sore ankle.
The Cavaliers are undefeated without Garland in the lineup this season and 5-1 against the spread. There's also a great trend this season that leans toward the Cavs in this spot. When teams play one another twice in as many games, the team that won the first game is 19-11-2 ATS. When the team that won the first game plays the second game at home, their record is 11-6-1 ATS this season, according to Bet Labs.
While I lean toward the Cavs in this matchup, I'm more focused on the first half total. The Cavaliers are among the best in the league at cashing first half unders this season, particularly at home where the under is 13-7 — second-most profitable team in the NBA (+$473).
If Garland doesn't play, it will mean more minutes for Caris LeVert who improves the Cavaliers' defense by 1.4 points per 100 possessions when he's on the floor vs. off the floor. Mobley has a better shot to play, but the Cavs didn't see much of a drop off without him in the Chi. The Cavs also have the second-best first half defense allowing just 54.1 points in first halves. I like the Cavs to keep the scoring low early in this game.
Atlanta Hawks vs. Golden State Warriors
Andrew O'Connor-Watts: Just three words for this cap: Warriors. At. Home.
The Warriors have been nothing short of dominant at Chase Center this season. They are 16-2 straight up and 13-4-1 against the spread.
Even without Stephen Curry, the Warriors homecourt domination continues. Since Christmas Day, Golden State is 4-0 both straight up and against the spread, beating the Memphis Grizzlies, Charlotte Hornets, UtahJazz and Portland Trail Blazers. All but Charlotte have a winning record.
Meanwhile, the Hawks, who have won four of the last five meetings (4-1 against the spread), but lost at Golden State last season 127-113.
Atlanta will be without big man Clint Capela, while 3-and-D wing De’Andre Hunter is questionable after missing the last three games with a sprained left ankle.
A profitable spot to take good home teams is after they’ve already been at home for several games. They’re relaxed and comfortable for an extended period of time, which is the case for Golden State, who will play four more games before going on the road again. I’ll take the best home team in the league against a subpar road team that’s just 6-11 both straight up and against the spread.
This line opened at Warriors -2.5 and is at -1.5 now, but take them down to -3.5 if it heads back in the other direction.
