Top 5 NBA Odds, Picks & Predictions: Monday (1/13)

There are six NBA games on the slate tonight, which means there is no shortage of options to explore. Let's not waste any more time and jump right into some of our favorite picks for Monday, January 13th.

Detroit travels to New York tonight to take on the Knicks, who are playing on the second leg of a back-to-back at home. Jalen Brunson is currently listed as questionable. If the Knicks guard does miss this contest, this pick becomes one of the best lines of the night.

The Pistons have been victorious in five of their last six games, including four road wins in their last five contests. Detroit is 8-2 over their last 10 games, with a winning margin of 4.2 points. New York has won six of their last 10 contests but is allowing the 15th-most points to the opposition over that span.

The Pistons have truly turned around what was looking like another first-class trip to the NBA Draft Lottery. The +7.5 comes across as a tad aggressive considering the recent play of Detroit, as well as the Knicks playing three games in four nights.

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This contest has all the makings of must-watch television. High total and low spread - it's an absolute dream for sportsbooks and the NBA devout alike. Memphis has fallen short of victory on two occasions against Houston this season. We feel the third time could very well be the charm for the Grizzlies against a troublesome opponent.

Memphis is 15-5 on the season when playing at home and has won eight out of their last 10 games at the FedEx Forum. Except for free throws made and free-throw percentage, the Grizzlies increase in every counting stat when playing on their home floor.

Houston is 4-3 on the road in their last seven contests - only one of those wins was against a team with a record above .500. It's difficult to pass up on a Memphis team that has been so successful at home. We will take the Grizzlies to pull out a close win.

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This selection relies heavily on pace. However, there's good reason to believe this contest plays slow in that regard. Since the return of RJ Barrett, the Raptors have been scoring more efficiently, shooting 49.3% from the field in their last four games.

While the efficiency has been stellar, that hasn't resulted in a high volume of points. The Raptors have only averaged 110.5 points per game in the last four games, a number that decreases to 109.3 when playing on the road. Toronto has surpassed 112 points in just three of their last eight games, with two of those contests on the road. Golden State ranks eighth in the league in defensive rating on the season and has allowed an average of 110.8 points over their last 10 games.

The Raptors and Warriors are ranked in the bottom seven in regards to true shooting percentage, as well as in the bottom eight in efficiency. We expect a decent amount of missed field-goal attempts and a moderate pace, at best, which is why we are leaning towards Toronto falling short of scoring more than 112 points.

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This is another contest where the pace, as well as efficiency, will strongly steer our favor towards taking the lower end on 215 points, despite such a scant total. The Heat and Clippers rank in the top seven for the fewest amount of points allowed on the season, while holding opponents to a combined 45.9% shooting from the field.

These teams also make up two spots in the bottom 10 in regards to pace, while ranking fourth (Clippers) and 10th (Heat) in defensive rating on the season. Los Angeles is 14-22 against the over/under, covering at a 38.9% clip, which is second-worst amongst all teams this season.

This is going to be an extremely sweaty selection. However, with all the madness surrounding Jimmy Butler, and the propensity for the tough defense these teams have proven capable of, we simply feel the under on the 215 total points is the best path to take in this contest.

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We close out the evening with what could be deemed as a bit of a contrarian option, though there's credence in our plight. Victor Wembanyama has not eclipsed 25.5 points in three of his last four games. After a phenomenal stretch of 25+ points in six of the previous seven contests, the second-year center has hit a bump in the road.

Wembanyama has averaged a mere 17.6 points over the last three games while shooting 39% from the field and 28.8% from beyond the arc. On the season, the San Antonio center is averaging over 25 points per game on 47.9% from the field and 35.4% from the three-point line. Something has changed and we may be able to take advantage of that this evening.

The Spurs have already faced the Lakers two times this season. Wembanyama scored 28 points in the first contest and 20 in the next, playing at least 33 minutes in both games. There's no doubt the San Antonio superstar will revert to form and break this current shooting slump. We just do not feel that will happen tonight.

Enjoy the games tonight and best of luck with your picks.

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