The 2024-25 NBA season is in full swing. I’ll be giving out NBA best bets and player props here as often as possible, and I’ll also occasionally write up features on big news that shakes up the league. So, make sure you check out my work throughout the season. With that out of the way, let’s get into some NBA best bets and NBA player props for Tuesday, January 14th. Also, make sure you check out the picks page (linked right below) before games tip off. I occasionally add picks throughout the day.
MORE: Check out our Pro Picks page for everything our experts have on January 14th
NBA Best Bets Today – January 14th
Cleveland Cavaliers at Indiana Pacers – 7:00 pm ET
It looks like Tyrese Haliburton is going to be out for Indiana tonight, but I’m still surprised the Pacers are getting this many points at home. Haliburton is obviously one of the best on-ball creators in basketball, and his ability to generate offense will be missed here. But Indiana should honestly be a little better defensively without the All-Star, and this is already a team that is fifth in the NBA in points allowed per 100 possessions (110.1) since December 5th. The Pacers also happen to have great depth at the point guard spot, as Andrew Nembhard has proven that he can be a starter on plenty of other teams. And TJ McConnell is an awesome ball handler off the bench. With all of that in mind, I just don’t really see Cleveland going into Gainbridge Fieldhouse and blowing out Indiana.
We actually just watched the Pacers beat the Cavaliers in Cleveland, and they pretty much did that without Haliburton. He played only 18 minutes in that game, leaving the rest of his teammates to do the heavy lifting. Well, they were able to do it in a difficult road environment, making it hard to believe they can’t at least keep it close at home.
The Cavaliers are also just 1-3 against the spread in their last four games, and two of the no-covers came against the Hornets and Raptors. They have cooled down at least a little bit, even if the Thunder win goes against that sentiment. Meanwhile, the Pacers have won six in a row and seven of their last eight. They’ll be a confident group, even without Haliburton. And under Rick Carlisle, Indiana is 9-7 ATS as a home underdog of 6.5 to 12 points. The team is also 28-11 ATS versus teams with winning percentages of 70.0% or higher under Carlisle. He gets his best out of his guys against great teams.
Bet: Pacers +8.5 (-115)
New Orleans Pelicans at Chicago Bulls – 8:00 pm ET
The Pelicans look like they’ll have Zion Williamson tonight, but Brandon Ingram and Herb Jones remain out. And while there’s a good amount of talent left in this New Orleans lineup right now, I’m not sure the team should be expected to beat Chicago. While many will question why the Bulls are competitive, there’s no denying that they are. And this team comes into this game having won five of its last eight, and the most recent loss to Sacramento was a game in which Chicago led throughout.
I just don’t like the Pelicans’ chances of consistently getting stops against the Bulls. Chicago is 13th in the league in adjusted offensive efficiency, and the team has plenty of bucket-getters that can give New Orleans trouble. Nikola Vucevic is one of them. The Pelicans can have trouble with very big centers. And I’ll feel even better about this one if Coby White plays. He’s questionable right now.
It’s also difficult to overlook the fact that this Chicago team plays hard and plays together. Meanwhile, New Orleans might have more talent, but the team hasn’t had a chance to gel all year.
The Bulls also happen to be 40-27 straight-up as home favorites of 6 or less under Billy Donovan. They’re also 27-10 SU when playing teams with winning percentages of 25.0% or less. I know that record doesn’t do a good job of painting the whole picture for New Orleans, but I’m not sure the team is going to suddenly turn it on moving forward. The vibes are bad.
Bet: Bulls ML (-118 – 1.5 units)
NBA Player Props Today – January 14th
Denver Nuggets at Dallas Mavericks – 9:30 pm ET
Aaron Gordon is going to start playing his usual minutes eventually. That could ultimately cut into some of Russell Westbrook’s workload. But for now, the guard is a really good bet to continue putting up big numbers. Last game, Gordon played 18 minutes in Denver’s win over Dallas, but Westbrook was still able to go for 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. And over the last four games, the former league MVP is averaging 22.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game. He has simply been incredible for the Nuggets, turning back into a borderline All-Star out of nowhere. And until he really starts to cool off, I don’t see any reason to turn away from his combined points, rebounds and assists. Even when Westbrook doesn’t have it as a scorer, he’s a threat to finish any game with close to 18 or 19 assists and rebounds. And I don’t see this being a game in which he fails to show up, as he’s on national television and has another opportunity to show the world he still has it.
Bet: Westbrook Over 26.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (-105 – 1.5 units)
Additional Plays
This is where I’ll include any late added plays, teasers/parlays or in-season futures. Come back before tip if you don’t want to miss anything. It’s always possible I’ll add something to my card.
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2024-25 NBA Record: 168-167-1 (-1.37 units)
