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 Wednesday, January 22nd. 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 22nd
NBA Best Bets Today – January 22nd
Minnesota Timberwolves at Dallas Mavericks – 7:30 pm ET
The Timberwolves have been one of my favorite teams to follow all season, but I’m aware it probably feels like I’m backing them every night. Well, you won’t be able to accuse me of that tonight, as I’m rolling with a shorthanded Dallas team to beat Minnesota this evening. The Mavericks remain without Luka Doncic, but they should have Kyrie Irving tonight. And as long as the team has some injury report luck when it comes to Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall and Quentin Grimes (all listed as questionable), I like the value on them to win this one.
While I think Minnesota has an underrated group of players, I’m not sure Chris Finch has figured out the right formula when it comes to his frontcourt options. That has harmed the Timberwolves recently, as they have lost four of their last six games. Minnesota is also just 5-7 straight-up in games with lines of +3 to -3 this season, and the team is also just 6-9 SU when taking on teams that outscore opponents by 3.0 or more points per game.
It’s also just pretty easy to envision a scenario in which Dallas’ defense does a good job of stifling this Minnesota team. The Mavericks are a top-10 defensive team in the league, and the Timberwolves have struggled on offense throughout the year. And Minnesota isn’t better off with Donte DiVincenzo injured. He’s one of the few reliable floor-spacers the Timberwolves have to take pressure off Anthony Edwards. And on the other end of the floor, not having DiVincenzo means another defensive option for Irving is out.
Jason Kidd has also proven to be very good at pushing the right buttons in matchups with teams with exploitable weaknesses. I expect him to see what he can get away with when it comes to having his players sag off of Jaden McDaniels on defense, or hunting Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert on offense.
It’s also worth noting that Doncic got injured when these teams met on Christmas Day, and that was a game that Minnesota led 57-40 at halftime. But Dallas came roaring back in the second half, outscoring Minnesota 59-48 in the final 24 minutes. The Mavericks had the Timberwolves figured out, but they ran out of time there. But Irving was lighting up Minnesota in isolation, and I feel good about him leading the team to a win tonight — especially if it comes down to execution late in the game.
Bet: Mavericks ML (+134)
Cleveland Cavaliers at Houston Rockets – 8:00 pm ET
The Cavaliers have won back-to-back games, lighting up the Timberwolves and Suns without Evan Mobley and Isaac Okoro. Cleveland has now won and covered three of its last four games, quickly shrugging off the possibility of struggling after a blowout loss to Oklahoma City on January 16th. However, the Cavaliers are still dealing with Mobley and Okoro being out, and it also looks like Caris LeVert could miss this game. With that said, the injury report looks much worse for Cleveland than it does for Houston. The Rockets are only missing Jabari Smith Jr. That’s obviously a tough loss, but they should feel better about their group than the Cavaliers.
When looking at this game, I just can’t help but think that Houston can be trusted to slow down the Cleveland 3-point barrage. The Rockets are giving up only 12.5 made 3s per game. That’s the third-best mark in the league. Houston knows how important it is to close out in this game, so the team is going to funnel players towards Alperen Sengun as often as possible. Sengun has improved enough as an interior defender and rim protector to make that a little less inviting than it once was. And the Cavaliers don’t really have a lot of players that even want to drive the ball to the basket anyway. So, the Cleveland offense might struggle a bit here, and the defense isn’t going to be as good as usual without studs like Mobley and Okoro.
The Rockets are also coming off an upset loss against the Pistons. Well, under Ime Udoka, Houston is 9-3 both SU and against the spread when losing a game in which the team was favored. And that record is 6-2 when the game came at home. The team is also 12-5 SU and 13-4 ATS after scoring 100 or fewer points in its previous game. This just feels like a spot in which the Rockets will badly want to bounce back, and they should be eager to beat one of the best teams the Eastern Conference has to offer. That said, I’m grabbing 3 in this game, even though I like Houston to win. The moneyline price isn’t good enough, so you’re better off taking the points.
Bet: Rockets +3 (-110 – 1.5 units)
NBA Player Props Today – January 22nd
Phoenix Suns at Brooklyn Nets – 7:30 pm ET
Devin Booker is coming off a miserable 15-point performance against Cleveland. He was just 6 for 14 from the floor. He also shot 1 for 4 from 3, and he coughed the ball up six times. It was just a horrible game for Booker, who was forcing the issue against a disciplined defense. However, let’s not forget that Booker had scored at least 30 points in five straight games before that one. And this Brooklyn defense is nothing like the Cleveland defense. The Nets are just 25th in the NBA in adjusted defensive rating (115.7), so Booker should be able to get right back on track with a big outing as a scorer. Also, back when Brooklyn went into Phoenix and upset the Suns on November 27th, Booker had 31 points on 8 for 18 shooting. So, we have seen him cook in this matchup before.
Bet: Booker Over 24.5 Points (-125)
Cleveland Cavaliers at Houston Rockets – 8:00 pm ET
I like the Rockets to cover — and potentially win — tonight’s game, and that probably won’t happen without a good Jalen Green performance. The 22-year-old has been on a tear lately, and he has been especially awesome for prop bettors turning to his 3-point numbers. I know he was just 2 for 8 against the Pistons last game, but Green had hit at least four 3s in his previous eight games before that. He’s just shooting the ball extremely well right now, and he’s not being shy about getting his shots up — even off the dribble. So, I don’t see any reason to turn away from him going Over his 2.5-make mark tonight. I know Cleveland’s perimeter defense can be strong, but it’s also the most attackable part of their lineup. Green is going to like his chances of succeeding against Darius Garland or Donovan Mitchell, and that’s enough for me to put some trust in him. I’m going Over 2.5 at -105, but I’m also sprinkling on Green to hit 4+ at +230.
Bet: Green Over 2.5 Made 3s (-105 – 1.5 units) & Green Alt 3s 4+ (+230 – 0.5 units)
Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Clippers – 10:30 pm ET
I went back to the VSiN NBA prop analyzer for another NBA player prop tonight. The one that stood out to me was Derrick White to go Over his combined points, rebounds and assists total of 20.5. White has gone Over tonight’s mark in 29 of the 41 games he has played this year, and it’s not like he’s playing poorly coming into this one. I know he had a pretty lousy stretch in the middle of this month, but he had 21 points, eight boards and two assists two games ago. He was also well on his way to going Over this mark against the Warriors last game, but he played only 26 minutes because the Celtics won that game by 40. Well, this game should be a little more competitive, and I like White to stuff the stat sheet. He had a great game against Los Angeles earlier in the year, going for 19 points, seven assists and four rebounds on November 25th.
Bet: White Over 20.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (-102 – 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.
PARLAY: Jazz Alt Spread +25.5 vs. Thunder & Kings ML vs. Warriors (-136 – 1.5 units) – You’re not reading this incorrectly. I’m grabbing an alternate spread of +25.5 in the Utah game tonight. I actually considered the Jazz at +17.5 when I looked at the spreads last night, but it was down to 16.5 this morning. But I wanted to find something to get me a better price on the Kings to win outright against the Warriors. This is where I landed. There’s a good chance Utah gets demolished tonight, but there is sharp money on the Jazz at the current number. And oddly enough, Utah has been feisty lately. The team is 7-2 ATS in its last nine games, and some of the young guys are playing some great basketball. They’re also going to have Lauri Markkanen, John Collins and Collin Sexton here. So, let’s just hope they don’t get absolutely crushed, as I plan to be watching Golden State-Sacramento with some rooting interest. And in that game, I’m simply riding a Kings team that has been awesome on both ends of the floor lately. Sacramento has now won nine of its last 10, and everything Doug Christie is doing is working. Meanwhile, Golden State is coming off a 40-point loss to Boston and has now lost nine of its last 15 games. This Warriors team has looked miserable without Jonathan Kuminga, who is out tonight. And I just can’t see Golden State stealing a win at the Golden 1 Center, even if it is scary to go against Stephen Curry on national television. Not only is Kuminga out, but Draymond Gren, Kyle Anderson and Brandin Podziemski are other rotation guys that won’t be playing.
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2024-25 NBA Record: 191-190-2 (-1.34 units)
