Top NBA Odds, Picks & Predictions: Thursday (1/25)
There are a total of seven scheduled games on the National Basketball Association slate on Thursday night, with five games starting at 7:30 p.m. ET or earlier, and two west coast games. We’ll focus more on the games from California, with a pair of intriguing matchups in terms of betting. Good luck with all of your plays! Let’s get started!
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Thursday’s Best NBA Bets
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All wagers are for 1 unit
Sacramento Kings (-130) at Golden State Warriors (+110) | O/U 243 (-114/-108)
The Kings (24-18) take the quick jaunt down to the terminus of Interstate 80 for a battle against the Warriors (19-21) at Chase Center in San Francisco. This will be the third meeting between these rivals from California, with the home team winning both of the previous meetings this season by exactly one point. Oddly enough, the road team has been favored in each of the first two meetings, and the same holds true in this one.
Sacramento picked up a 124-123 win, while Golden State cashed as a 1.5-point underdog on Nov. 28 at the Golden 1 Center as the Over (236.5) cashed. Three players went for 21 or more points, with De’Andre Fox leading the way with 29 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, and two steals, while Kevin Huerter chipped in with 21 points, including four 3-pointers.
Golden State earned the 102-101 win on Nov. 1, although Sacramento covered the number as a seven-point ‘dog with the Under (228) coming in. The total has actually gone low in four of the past five meetings in this series, too.
Golden State is playing in a back-to-back set after an emotional return to the floor after nine days. The Warriors paid tribute to the late assistant coach Dejan Milojevic before Wednesday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks. The Serbian coach passed away due to a heart attack on Jan. 17 in Salt Lake City while the team was on the road, and the team had all games postponed until last night. After the tribute, the Warriors got down to business and let all of their emotions out on the Hawks, who never had a chance, winning 134-112 as a 6-point favorite.
Now, the Warriors have a back-to-back situation against a top-notch team. Golden State lost by 9 points in Milwaukee on Jan. 13 in the most recent game on no rest, although it did cover.
I’m not going to say that Golden State isn’t affected when playing on no rest, but it might be one of the best teams for the situation. First off, they did have nine days off, which was mentally draining due to the awful circumstances, but physically, the Warriors were able to rest. And Golden State is an impressive 5-2 straight up (SU) and 4-3 against the spread (ATS) when playing on no rest this season while cashing the Over in five of those seven situations.
The Kings also last played the lowly Hawks last time out, winning 122-107 at home as an 8.5-point favorite. That snapped a four-game losing streak, including three straight wins on the road against winning teams. Sacramento does pick on losing teams, however, and Golden State is still two games under .500 overall.
Still, the best bet here to roll the dice on the Warriors at home on the moneyline. They’re well rested despite playing Wednesday and better in back-to-back situations than almost any other team. In addition, let’s hit the Over on this game, too, for a nice same-game parlay. Sacramento has been off for a few days, and Golden State has cashed the Over in five of the past six games and eight of the past 10 overall.
Bets: Warriors ML (+110) and Over 243 (-114)
Chicago Bulls (+156) at Los Angeles Lakers (-186) | O/U 229 (-110/-110)
The Bulls (21-24) and the Lakers (23-23) lock horns for the second and final time this season. Chicago picked up a 124-109 win in the Windy City on Dec. 20 in the first meeting, winning outright as a 3.5-point underdog as the Over (225) cashed.
The Over is a common theme when these teams get together, hitting in each of the past five meetings while going an impressive 8-1 in the previous nine installments in the series.
Chicago is looking to bounce back after a 115-113 loss at Phoenix on Monday, although the Bulls did cover. In fact, the Bulls have cashed in three in a row, and six of the past nine games. On the road, Chicago is 3-2 ATS in the previous five outings, too, while going 5-2 ATS in the past seven against Western Conference teams, including the first meeting with the Lakers.
Los Angeles is coming off a 127-116 loss against the roommate Clippers on Tuesday night, failing to cover a 9.5-point spread in what was technically a ‘road’ game at Crypto.com Arena. In the home locker room at Crypto, Los Angeles is 3-1 SU/ATS in the past four games. The Over is also on a 3-0 run for the Lake Show, averaging 120.7 PPG while allowing 122.3 PPG.
The focus in this one will be the total, as both teams have been pretty solid against the spread, and with just 4.5 points available, I feel this one could go either way. However, the total of 229 points seems rather low, given the recent averages for the Lakers. While the Bulls have cashed the Under in three of the past four games, the Over is 5-3 in the past eight games overall.
Bet: Over 229 (-110)
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Cameron Lynch is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Cameron, check out his archive and follow him @captron26.