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 Thursday, January 9th. 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 9th
NBA Best Bets Today – January 9th
Charlotte Hornets at Los Angeles Lakers – 10:30 pm ET
There’s a good chance this game won’t even be played, so there’s no sense in going too deep on it. However, the reality is that Los Angeles just lost to a Dallas team that was playing without Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic. The Lakers have now lost back-to-back games, and they have played some questionable ball on both ends of the floor. Now, if this game goes on as planned, Los Angeles will be asked to figure out its recent struggles while also dealing with everything that’s going on in California right now. It’s just a miserable situation. Meanwhile, Charlotte has covered in four of its last five games, and the team just picked up some confidence with a lopsided home win over Phoenix. And what I really like about the on-court matchup here is that the Hornets are eighth in the NBA in 3-point makes per game (14.3). The Lakers, even under JJ Redick, can be reluctant to shoot 3s. Well, if Charlotte is hitting at even a decent clip, it’s hard to imagine the Hornets losing by double digits. The 3-point math favors Charlotte so much.
Bet: Hornets +9 (-108 – 1.5 units)
UPDATE: This game has been postponed due to the wildfires. Scroll down for some more picks.
NBA Player Props Today – January 9th
Toronto Raptors at Cleveland Cavaliers – 7:00 pm ET
Immanuel Quickley just dropped 22 points on 7 for 12 shooting from the floor and 3 for 6 shooting from 3 against the Knicks. It was Quickley’s best performance since returning from a rare UCL injury, and I now like him to follow it up with a decent outing against the Cavaliers. Cleveland might be a little fatigued after a massive win over Oklahoma City last night, and this is a team that already struggles to defend lead guards. The Cavaliers are great defensively this season, but Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland are beatable. So, Quickley should be able to create separation for himself in this one. And Cleveland also happens to play at the sixth-fastest pace in basketball, so this will be an up-and-down game with opportunities for guys to make plays. I’m taking Quickley to score 16 tonight, but I’m also sprinkling a little something on him to score 20.
Bet: Quickley Over 15.5 Points (-110 – 1.5 units) & Quickley Alt 20+ Points (+230 – 0.5 units)
Additional Plays
PARLAY – Timberwolves ML vs. Magic & Suns ML vs. Hawks (+110 – 1.5 units): I don’t feel great about doing this to myself, but I’m parlaying Minnesota and Phoenix to win outright tonight. The first one will be tough. Orlando just makes every night impossible on its opponent, and the team could have Paolo Banchero back here. However, the Timberwolves are just as good as the Magic defensively, and they have a little more firepower — even if Banchero plays. Minnesota is also in a bit of a groove coming into this one, so there’s a togetherness this group will have that Orlando won’t. The Magic have to learn how to play with Banchero again, and they’ll have to do it without Jalen Suggs. That’s their table-setter. And the second game is the one that’s really scary, as the Suns are just miserable right now. The loss to Charlotte last game felt like a rock bottom moment for Phoenix. But the Suns will be facing a Hawks team that is without Jalen Johnson. And one of the things Phoenix really struggles with is quickness and athleticism on the wing, so that’s a big loss for Atlanta. Without Johnson, the Hawks might just be lacking a little scoring punch. Phoenix might try Ryan Dunn on Trae Young, making things difficult on Atlanta to create offense. Dunn is relentless.
Raptors +15.5 (-110 – 1.5 units) vs. Cavaliers – This is a letdown spot for Cleveland after that Oklahoma City win, and the team will have to navigate it without Donovan Mitchell. The Raptors should be able to make this somewhat respectable.
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: 159-155-1 (+4.27 units)
