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

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It’s a rather busy slate for a Saturday in the National Basketball Association, with eight games on tap to begin a three-day holiday weekend.

While we get just one of the games nationally televised, the Golden State Warriors vs. Milwaukee Bucks on NBA TV, don’t let that dissuade you. Whatever happens will happen, and you don’t need to watch it. The result won’t change. Enjoy some college hoops or NFL playoffs, then come back and check on what are hopefully your winners.

Let’s get started with today’s NBA best bets.

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Saturday’s Best NBA Bets

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All wagers are for 1 unit

New York Knicks (-330) @ Memphis Grizzlies (+265) | O/U 222 (-108/-112)

The Knicks (22-16) do battle at the FedEx Forum against the up-and-down Grizzlies (14-24). Memphis had been much better and watchable since Ja Morant’s return from a 25-game suspension, with the Grizzlies posting eight wins in the past 13 games while going a respectable 7-6 against the spread (ATS) during the span. But it’s been a roller coaster ride, with cover streaks and cover skids. After a three-game win and cover streak, all on the road, with victories against the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks, the Grizz came home and lost 128-119 to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday. They still nearly pulled off the cover as 8.5-point underdogs.

Unfortunately for the Grizzlies, it’s back to the drawing board, as Morant is done for the season with a shoulder injury, and Marcus Smart is on the shelf for at least six weeks due to a finger injury.

These teams meet rather infrequently, being in different conferences, but Morant and the Grizzlies have dominated in recent seasons. In the past six meetings, Memphis has won four straight in the series, while the underdog is 4-2 ATS. While the trends might make it seem like a slam-dunk play, be careful, as the road team has cashed in the past five meetings. Still, feel confident taking Memphis and the points, as the Grizz are playing much better basketball lately, even with some of the key members of the cast going down again.

Bets: Grizzlies +8 (-108)

Orlando Magic (+440) @ Oklahoma City Thunder (-590) | O/U 231.5 (-112/-108)

Orlando has posted an 8-4 ATS mark in the past 12 games while going 6-2 ATS in the past eight games on the road. In addition, as a double-digit ‘dog, the Magic not only covered but won its only previous instance outright at Denver on Jan. 5 by a 122-120 count. In addition, Orlando is 4-0 ATS in the past four outings when an underdog by six or more points.

OKC absolutely spanked Portland on Thursday, winning 139-77 to easily cover as a 13.5-point favorite. I think Orlando will be a bit more competitive than that here. While OKC has covered the in the past two, The Thunder are still 2-3 ATS in the past five games overall, while going 1-3 ATS in the past four tries against Eastern Conference teams, too. Double digits are a lot of points for a team the caliber of the Magic.

Bet: Magic +11 (-112)

Chicago Bulls (-225) @ San Antonio Spurs (+188) | O/U 227.5 (-112/-108)

OK, we’ll keep this one pretty simple. The Spurs will rest rookie Victor Wembanyama on Saturday, so Dominick Barlow and Sandro Mamukelashvili figure to get a bit more run to fill the void against the Bulls. That’s great news for Chicago bettors.

The Bulls have won and covered three of the past four games, and Chicago is 6-2 ATS in the past eight games on the road, including a 121-112 win as a two-point favorite on Dec. 8 win in San Antonio. The Bulls also took care of the Spurs 114-95 in Chitown on Dec. 21 and will play a rare third game against the Spurs in the same season thanks to the In-Season Tournament. The Bulls will happily oblige, as they’re 2-0 SU/ATS against the Spurs with an average margin of victory of 14.0 PPG this season.

Bet: Bulls -6 (-110)

Make sure to check out our other best bets for Saturday:

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Cameron Lynch is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Cameron, check out his archive and follow him @captron26.

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