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 Friday, January 3rd. 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 3rd
NBA Best Bets Today – January 3rd
San Antonio Spurs at Denver Nuggets – 9:00 pm ET
The Nuggets are rolling lately. They have won three straight games and eight of their last 11. Denver has also won its last three games by double digits. However, San Antonio is also playing quite well. The Spurs are 6-4 straight-up in their last 10 games, and they also come into this one after having covered in seven consecutive contests. This San Antonio simply isn’t going down without swinging, and I don’t expect anything different tonight.
It’s just a little hard to imagine the Nuggets having much of an answer for Victor Wembanyama here. In December, Wembanyama averaged 28.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 4.4 blocks per game, and he shot 48.8% from the floor, 37.7% from 3 (on 9.5 attempts per game) and 88.7% from the line. I would feel a little differently about this one if Aaron Gordon wasn’t injured, as he’s an incredible defender and he would have given Denver another look for the San Antonio star. But as things stand, I don’t see anybody that can really make life difficult on Wembanyama. That said, if some other Spurs step up here, there’s no reason this can’t be a tight game — even though Nikola Jokic will surely put up some huge numbers. And the Nuggets can struggle to defend the perimeter, so one would think that Chris Paul, Devin Vassell or Stephon Castle can get going. This could even be a big game for Julian Champagnie, as only five teams in the league allow more made 3s per game than Denver (14.1).
It’s also worth noting that over the last two seasons, the Spurs are 20-11 against the spread when facing teams that outscore opponents by at least 3.0 points per game. They’re also 22-14 ATS versus teams that allow 116.0 or more points per game in that span.
Bet: Spurs +7 (-108 – 1.5 units)
NBA Player Props Today – January 3rd
Orlando Magic at Toronto Raptors – 7:30 pm ET
Over the last 10 games, opponents are making 14.6 triples per game against the Raptors. Only four teams in the league have given up more 3s per game in this span. That said, this is a pretty strong matchup for shooters, and Toronto is especially weak when it comes to guarding opposing shooting guards. With that in mind, I’m taking a shot on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to knock down a few 3s this evening. This signing really hasn’t worked out the way Orlando hoped, as Caldwell-Pope is shooting just 30.3% from deep. However, this is a career 36.6% 3-point shooter that is due for some positive regression. And he just saw four 3s go down against Detroit the other night. He should be feeling somewhat confident again, so I’m backing him to stay hot in a good matchup.
Bet: Caldwell-Pope Over 1.5 Made 3s (-140 – 1.5 units) & Caldwell-Pope Alt 3+ Makes (+210 – 0.5 units)
Memphis Grizzlies at Sacramento Kings – 10:00 pm ET
Scotty Pippen Jr. had scored at least 12 points in four straight games before combining to score just 12 in his last two games. But I’m not overreacting to those two performances. The reality is that Ja Morant is out for Memphis right now, meaning Pippen will have his opportunities to shine. And that’s certainly the case tonight. Pippen will be the lead guard in the game with the highest total on the board (240.5), so he should be in for a solid night offensively. Sacramento has had some life with interim head coach Doug Christie on the sidelines, but this team can’t be trusted defensively. And the Kings sure as heck can’t be trusted to defend the perimeter — outside of Keon Ellis. That said, I’m looking for a better performance out of Pippen tonight. I even considered laddering this up to 15, but the price wasn’t right.
Bet: Pippen Over 11.5 Points (-120)
Parlays, Teasers, Late Added Plays, In-Season Futures
6PT TEASER – Knicks +10.5 vs. Thunder & Rockets +8.5 vs. Celtics (-125 – 1.5 units) – I think the Knicks and Rockets have good chances of winning outright tonight, but I’m teasing this at -125 to protect myself a little. However, New York should be ready to go against Oklahoma City. The Thunder are obviously special in many different ways, but I wonder whether or not they have the firepower required to beat the Knicks easily. And in the other game, the Celtics are coming off a very tough win over the Timberwolves. They should be rather tired. That’s not what you want against a feisty Rockets team. I also like that Ime Udoka knows Boston’s players extremely well from his time as the team’s coach. This is also a game that will be somewhat meaningless for the Celtics, but the Rockets will treat it like the NBA Finals.
PARLAY – Cavaliers ML vs. Mavericks & Hawks Alt +7.5 vs. Lakers (+107 – 1.5 units) – There’s a good chance I risk a little more on this once I see the injury report. For the first half of the play, I’m not all that worried about injuries. Cleveland is at full strength and facing a Dallas team that is without Luka Doncic and Naji Marshall. The Mavericks could also be without P.J. Washington, who hurt his knee last game. Dallas is a very tough team to beat at home, so this is far from a sure thing. But I feel good about the Cavaliers getting the first half of this teaser started off right. They’re a little sharper on both ends of the floor, and they’re healthy and hungry. I also like the Hawks to give the Lakers a game, but that will depend on the health of Trae Young and Jalen Johnson. Both players are listed as questionable here. Atlanta will need both in this one, as it’s likely Los Angeles will be at full strength after resting Anthony Davis in the first game of this home back-to-back. If the Hawks have their two best players out there, they should be able to use their speed and athleticism to exploit a fatigued Lakers team. Los Angeles had to work to beat Portland last night.
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2024-25 NBA Record: 146-143-1 (+4.43 units)
