The NBA is back with an solid slate this Friday, featuring a total of 7 matchups scheduled for tonight.
Below, we've compiled a few plays to use on PrizePicks and Underdog for Friday's NBA games from RotoGrinders — coming from both the NBA pick'em analysis page and the projections page. You can get all the plays with a RotoGrinders subscription.
NBA PrizePicks & Underdog Plays for Friday, January 10
- Paolo Banchero Less Than 17.5 Points
- Noah Clowney More Than 19.5 Points, Rebounds, & Assists
- Patrick Williams More Than 10 Points
Paolo Banchero Less Than 17.5 Points
Bucks vs. Magic, 7:00 p.m. ET
I took this yesterday too, but Paolo Banchero was ultimately ruled out. He's on track to make his return for the Magic tonight. I'm surprised the 18.5s have returned, as this had moved to 17.5 as we neared game time yesterday, and even 16.5 at some books.
Minnesota might've seemed like a tougher matchup, but Milwaukee has been just as good defensively, and better lately.
Banchero's missed more than two months with a core muscle injury, so it'd be surprising to see him play more than 30 minutes right away.
He should see major usage with Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs out, but he'll also get the full attention of the defense.
The Magic are 29th in offensive rating and dead last in scoring since Wagner went down.
The Bucks are up to 9th in defensive rating on the season. They're 2nd over the last 10 games, behind only the Thunder. Milwaukee is also allowing the 6th-fewest points per game to power forwards.
Given the matchup, the long layoff, and potential workload restrictions, there's a lot working against Banchero here.
Pick: Paolo Banchero Less Than 17.5 Points
Noah Clowney More Than 19.5 Points, Rebounds, & Assists
Nets vs. Nuggets, 9 p.m. ET
Noah Clowney has been getting great usage and great minutes lately, and I expect things to continue here.
The Nets have a ton of guys out, and Clowney should be forced into good minutes regardless of if this game gets out of hand.
Nikola Jokic is currently listed as questionable, and if he plays, then this game is much more likely to be a blowout, but the Nets will likely need Clowney's size more.
I have Clowney projected for 2.5 north of this number, making this a solid play.
Pick: Noah Clowney More Than 19.5 Points, Rebounds, & Assists
Patrick Williams More Than 10 Points
Wizards vs. Bulls, 8:00 p.m. ET
Williams has been up-and-down recently, but he's in a great spot tonight.
The Wizards play at one of the fastest paces in the league and are probably the worst defensively.
Projections for this game are awfully lofty with both of these teams ranking top-4 in pace.
Williams should get 10+ shot attempts regardless of if this game stays close, and if it does stay close, he could be in for a big game.
He gets a lot of volume from beyond the arc, and the Wizards have allowed the 2nd-most 3-pointers per game this season.
I have Williams projected for nearly 3 points above this number, making this an excellent play.
