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 Sunday, January 19th. 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 19th
NBA Best Bets Today – January 19th
Chicago Bulls at Portland Trail Blazers – 9:00 pm ET
The Bulls haven’t shown that they deserve to be road favorites against anybody lately. Chicago has lost four straight games and five of its last six. Two of those losses came against Charlotte and a very shorthanded Atlanta team at home. So, while Portland might not be a good team, it sounds crazy to me that the Bulls are expected to win by seven or more tonight. I know the Blazers have lost four straight games by at least 18 points, but the talent mismatch in this game won’t be all that bad for Portland. And teams like the Blazers realize when they have legitimate shots at winning games, so these players will have some belief that they can defeat the struggling Bulls.
Under Chauncey Billups, Portland also happens to be 39-33-1 against the spread when facing teams that allow at least 116.0 points per game. The Blazers are also 25-18-2 ATS when coming off three consecutive non-covers under Billups. I’m expecting a solid effort from the home team, which is why I’m going with a spread play and a moneyline sprinkle. However, I am paying up a little to get 7.5 instead of 6.5. There’s one prominent shop offering a full point at less than it usually costs to move lines.
Bet: Blazers +7.5 (-125 – 2 units) & Blazers ML (+222)
NOTE: I’m also looking at Scoot Henderson player props. I didn’t see any posted at the time of publish, but I’ll check back throughout the day and see if there’s anything worth adding.
NBA Player Props Today – January 19th
Washington Wizards at Sacramento Kings – 9:00 pm ET
The VSiN NBA Prop Bet Analyzer put me on Domantas Sabonis’ 3-point prop tonight. The big man has gone Over a 0.5 total in 27 of the 38 games he has played this year. Sabonis is knocking down 1.1 triples per game on 2.4 attempts, meaning he’s hitting at a 47.8% clip. Of course, the volume is a little concerning with the Lithuanian. He’s likely not going to be firing up four or five 3s, so we just need him to knock down one of his few attempts. However, Sabonis has made at least one in seven straight games. In four of those games, Sabonis hit multiple 3s. Now, the big man is facing a Wizards team that allows more made 3s per game (14.7) than any team other than the Hawks (15.2). And while this game definitely could get out of hand at some point, Sabonis will also feel a little more free to take jumpers against a weak team. So, I can see him getting up a few attempts in the first three quarters.
Bet: Sabonis Over 0.5 Made 3s (-155)
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.
PARLAY: Spurs Alt +10.5 vs. Heat & Clippers ML vs. Lakers (+109 – 1.5 units) – The Heat got demolished by the Nuggets in Jimmy Butler’s first game back from a suspension. The vibes are pretty visibly off with this team, and there are more and more reports about Butler’s potential departure by the hour. That’s not to say that Miami doesn’t have a chance of winning today. The team very well could. But I’m using this game to get a better price on Clippers moneyline, and the way I’m doing it is by taking the Spurs +10.5 on an alternate line. There’s very little that separates these teams when it comes to adjusted net rating, and San Antonio will have the best player on the floor in Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs just need to do a decent job of guarding the 3-point line. In the second game, I just don’t see the Lakers executing at a high level against this Clippers defense. The Clippers are third in the league in adjusted defensive rating (108.0), and the team is very physical. The Clippers are really going to test the Lakers, and this is also a game in which Kawhi Leonard will be out there. So, if some of the other Clippers — like James Harden — shed their questionable tags, they’ll be the more talented team in this one. Not just the better-coached and feistier one.
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2024-25 NBA Record: 178-182-1 (-10.56 units)
