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 Saturday, January 4th. 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 4th
NBA Best Bets Today – January 4th
New York Knicks at Chicago Bulls – 8:00 pm ET
The Knicks put everything they had into trying to beat the Thunder last night, but they ended up coming up short and then had to quickly travel to Chicago for this meeting with the Bulls. I know New York’s players are in incredible shape, but Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns all played 40 or more minutes against Oklahoma City. I’m just not sure it’s fair to expect those guys to have the energy required to beat the Bulls by a significant margin. Not only is New York playing a second game in a row, and third game in four days, but Chicago hasn’t played since January 1st. The difference in rest here is outrageous.
The Bulls also happened to beat the Knicks at Madison Square Garden back on November 13th, so we know this Chicago team is capable of giving this New York defense problems.
As far as the rest goes, it’s also important to note that the Bulls are 27-21 straight-up and 25-21-2 against the spread when playing with two days of rest under Billy Donovan. They’re also 53-40 SU and 49-41-3 ATS when playing just their second game in five days in that span.
This pick isn’t some sweeping statement about either of these teams. New York is a championship contender, while Chicago is as mediocre as it gets. But I like the Bulls to give the Knicks some problems, and I’m going to sprinkle the moneyline too.
Bet: Bulls +6 (-113 – 2 units) & Bulls ML (+180 – 0.5 units)
NBA Player Props Today – January 4th
Philadelphia 76ers at Brooklyn Nets – 6:00 pm ET
In two games with the Nets, D’Angelo Russell is averaging 16.5 points and 10.0 assists per game. He’s enjoying the opportunity to be a pick-and-roll ball handler again, and he’s thriving with an increased usage rate. Well, I’m not sure there’s anything that suggests he’s going to slow down soon. Opposing ball handlers have absolutely torched Philadelphia lately, with Steph Curry, De’Aaron Fox, Anfernee Simons, Collin Sexton, Derrick White and Darius Garland all having good games against the Sixers. And that’s not surprising considering the defensive backcourt this Philadelphia team has put together. I’m sure the Sixers guards will have plenty of success attacking Russell on the other end of the floor, but that doesn’t matter to me. As long as he is scoring and setting guys up, I’ll be happy. And if he’s for scuba, I’ll be even happier. With all of that in mind, I’m going Over 21.5 combined points and assists for Russell. I think there’s a shot he hits this on points alone.
Bet: Russell Over 21.5 Points + Assists (-105 – 1.5 units)
Parlays, Teasers, Late Added Plays, In-Season Futures
PARLAY: Timberwolves ML vs. Pistons & Spurs Alt Spread +7.5 vs. Nuggets (-103 – 1.5 units) – I couldn’t tease this the way that I wanted to, as I would have liked to get Minnesota to -0.5 and San Antonio to +7.5. However, I found a really good price to parlay Minnesota moneyline with a San Antonio alternate spread of +7.5. That’s even better. As far as the Timberwolves go, I think it’s pretty clear now that this team is playing some good basketball. I have been banging the Minnesota drum all year, but the team has now won three of its last five. And the Timberwolves played the Thunder and Celtics very close in the other two games. I’m just not sure Detroit has enough firepower to beat Minnesota right now. This Timberwolves defense is incredible, as it currently ranks fourth in adjusted defensive rating (109.2). The only issue Minnesota occasionally runs into is struggling to guard very 3-happy teams. Well, that’s not the Pistons. And without Jaden Ivey, Detroit is running low on shot makers.
In the other game, I’m just believing in what we saw last night. San Antonio went into Ball Arena and beat this Denver team, with Victor Wembanyama turning in arguably the best performance of his young career. I was on the Spurs at +7 on the road, and I noted that I didn’t think the Nuggets would be able to guard Wembanyama without Aaron Gordon. Well, I’m going back to it again at the Frost Bank Center. I think Wembanyama can rival Nikola Jokic as the best player on the floor, but you’re going to see better performances from San Antonio’s role players at home. The only thing I’m a little nervous about is the team potentially resting Wembanyama on the second night of a back-to-back, and Denver’s postseason experience also makes it easy to imagine the team will benefit from this being the second game in a row. Mike Malone and Jokic know how to adjust. But that’s why I’m playing the alternate spread and not the regular one.
Zaccharie Risacher Over 10.5 Points (-104 – 1.5 units) vs. Clippers
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2024-25 NBA Record: 150-145-1 (+6.10 units)
