The National Basketball Association (NBA) has six games on the slate for Saturday. We have one matinee game between the Phoenix Suns and Detroit Suns, but we won’t focus on that. Instead, we’ll focus on a couple of other games with a tip-off time of 7:00 p.m. ET or later.
Let’s get that bankroll in the black with our best NBA picks for Saturday, January 18th.
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Saturday’s Best NBA Picks
NBA odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All NBA picks are for 1 unit
Atlanta Hawks (+430) at Boston Celtics (-590) | O/U 234.5 (-110/-110)
The Hawks (21-19) and Celtics (29-12) tangle at TD Garden in Boston. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET.
Atlanta has picked up back-to-back wins over the Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns, covering both outings as an underdog. The cover against the Suns halted a five-game non-cover skid from January 1-9. It’s been a roller coaster ride for the Hawks, as they had four straight covers from December 23-29 before the five-game non-cover run.
It’s inexplicable, but the Hawks have had the number of the Celtics lately. Atlanta has picked up three wins in the past four games since March 25th, 2024, while going 4-1 against the spread (ATS) in the past five outings. Atlanta is 5-5 straight up (SU) and 6-4 ATS in the past 10 meetings since April 21st, 2023. The over has cashed in three of the past four outings while cashing at a 7-3 clip in that 10-game span.
The Celtics are coming off a lopsided victory over the Orlando Magic Friday night, winning 121-94 as a 15-point favorite, but now they’re playing on no rest. The C’s are just 1-3 ATS in the past four outings.
When playing on no rest, Boston has won five out of six games this season, while going 4-1 ATS in the past five instances. The under has cashed in two of the previous three games, too. However, despite Boston’s success when playing on no rest, let’s go with the Hawks catching the points, based on their recent surprising success against the defending champs. We’ll also go low on the total.
Picks: Atlanta Hawks +10.5 (-108) & Under 234.5 Points (-110)
Houston Rockets (-500) at Portland Trail Blazers (+385) | O/U 224.5 (-110/-110)
The Rockets (27-13) and the Trail Blazers (13-27) meet at Moda Center in Portland, with a tip-off time of 10:00 p.m. ET.
Houston suffered a 132-127 setback at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Thursday night, pushing at most shops as a 5-point underdog as the over (224.5) cashed. The Rockets have won five of their past six games, going for at least 119 points in each of those six outings. The Rockets are 3-1-1 ATS in the past five games.
This will be the third meeting of the season between these two teams. They met in a back-to-back November 22-23 in Houston, with the Rockets winning 116-98 as an 11.5-point favorite, while the Trail Blazers won 104-98 as an 11.5-point underdog. The under cashed in both of the meetings in Space City.
Portland has dropped four in a row, including a 118-89 setback against the Clippers last time out as a 7-point underdog. That’s three consecutive non-covers, although Portland is a respectable 4-2 ATS in the past six games as an underdog. The under and over have alternated in the past seven games since January 4th.
Houston heads into this game with the over hitting at a 5-0-1 clip in the past six games, while Portland has a 7-5 edge in the past 12 outings. We’ll play the over. As far as the side, let’s back the Rockets laying the points. If you wanted to tease this game, that isn’t a bad play, either. A same-game parlay (SGP) of Rockets -11 and over 224.5 pays +261.
Pick: Houston Rockets -11 (-110) & Over 224.5 Points (-110)
Daniel E. Dobish is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Daniel, check out his archive and follow him @danieledobish.
