The 2025-26 National Basketball Association (NBA) has six games on the schedule for Monday, including a nationally-televised game between the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers at 7:30 p.m. ET on Peacock.
Let’s build our bankroll with our best NBA picks & predictions for Monday, January 12th.
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Monday’s Best NBA Picks & Predictions
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All bets are for 1 unit
Utah Jazz (+500) at Cleveland Cavaliers (-700) | O/U 251.5 (-110/-110)
The Jazz (13-25) and the Cavaliers (22-18) meet at Rocket Arena in Cleveland at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Jazz have posted a 4-13 record on the road, while the Cavs are 14-9 at home.
Cleveland swept the season series in 2024-25, including a 124-113 victory on December 23rd at Rocket Arena, although Utah ended up with the cover as 14-point underdogs. The Cavs are 6-1 straight up (SU) in the past seven meetings, while going 3-1 against the spread (ATS) in the past four in the series and 6-2 ATS in the previous eight installments. The over has cashed in four of the past five in the series, too.
Utah is coming off a dismal 150-95 blowout against the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night, coming nowhere near covering as a 5.5-point underdog as the over (240.5) cashed. The Jazz are just 1-6 SU in the past seven games, though they were 4-1 ATS in the five previous games before the debacle against the Hornets. The over is 3-1 in the past four games, and Utah has conceded at least 123 points in four of the past five games, and 114+ points in 17 straight outings.
Utah’s defense is horrendous, ranking 30th in the NBA, allowing 127.3 points per game (PPG). Teams are shooting 49.2% from the field against them, which ranks 29th. The Jazz are also 28th in the league against the three, with teams hitting 37.3% of their shots from long distance against them.
The Cavaliers have alternated wins and losses in each of the past five games, going 5-2 SU in seven outings, but they’re just 1-4 ATS in the past five games. The over cashed in both games of a back-to-back with the Timberwolves over the weekend, but the under has a 5-3 edge in the past eight games since December 27th. This season, Cleveland is just 12-28 ATS, too.
Let’s take the Jazz with the points, although they’ll obviously need a much better effort than when they were boat-raced by the Hornets at home. Cleveland just can’t be trusted to cover big numbers. We’ll go low on the total, as 251 is just way too many points.
Picks: Jazz +13.5 (-108) & Under 251.5 Points (-110)
Boston Celtics (-225) at Indiana Pacers (+188) | O/U 223.5 (-110/-110)
The Celtics (24-14) hit the road to battle the Pacers (8-31) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis at 7:30 p.m. ET on Peacock. The Celtics have been the model of consistency, going 12-7 both at home and on the road. The Pacers are just 6-15 on their home hardwood.
Boston has won each of the first two meetings, winning 103-95 in Boston as Indiana covered as 9.5-point underdogs and 140-122 as a similar 4.5-point favorite at Indiana the day after Christmas, as the over (230.5) cashed. Indiana is 5-2 ATS in the past seven in this series, and 7-3 ATS across the past 10 meetings, including a four-game sweep by the C’s in a playoff series in 2024.
The Celtics are looking to rebound after a 100-95 loss at home against the San Antonio Spurs, failing to cover as a 1-point underdog. They’re 0-3 ATS in the past three games. The Celtics have hit the under in three of the past four games, six of the past eight outings and 10 of the past 14 contests.
The Pacers walloped the visiting Miami Heat 123-99 as a 6.5-point underdog on Saturday, winning back-to-back games for the first time since early December. The Pacers have won two in a row on three different occasions, but they’ve yet to win three in a row at any point this season. Indiana has covered three in a row, with the under cashing in all three and five of the past six games.
We’re still going to trust the Celtics laying the points, as they’ve pushed the Pacers around this season. And, based on the trends on both sides, let’s roll with the under.
Picks: Celtics -6 (-110) & Under 223.5 Points (-110)
Charlotte Hornets (+156) at L.A. Clippers (-186) | O/U 223.5 (-106/-114)
The Hornets (14-25) and Clippers (15-23) meet at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, at 10:30 p.m. ET.
Charlotte is steaming in after flattening the Jazz 150-95 on Saturday night in Utah. They were up 47 points at halftime. Charlotte produced its largest margin of victory on the road in franchise history, and its second-most lopsided win ever.
The Hornets are getting healthier, too, as Grant Williams (knee surgery) returned for the first time since November 2024, while Ryan Kalkbrenner (sprained left elbow) returned after a 10-game absence in Utah.
However, the Hornets have lost 15 consecutive meetings against the Clippers since their last victory in the series on November 18th, 2017 - a 102-87 win. Since relocating from New Orleans back to Charlotte as the Hornets, L.A. has won 21 out of 22 meetings.
The Clippers scratched out a 98-92 win in Detroit on Saturday. They have won and covered three of the past four games. Since December 20th, the Clippers are 9-2 SU and 8-3 ATS. The over has a 4-3 edge in the past seven outings, too.
Based on the red-hot recent play of the Clippers, we’ll side with them, although the Hornets will certainly make bettors sweat. They’re not a pushover any longer. We’ll roll with the under, which is 4-1 in the past five games for Charlotte.
Picks: Clippers -4.5 (-110) & Under 223.5 Points (-114)
Joe Williams is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Joe, check out his archive and follow him @winwithjoe