The 2025-26 National Basketball Association (NBA) has eight total games on the schedule today, including three games televised on Peacock. We’re going to focus on the later window of games, so you have plenty of time to get those bets in.
The Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers meet at 8:30 p.m. ET on Peacock, but that game is off the board, so we’ll roll with the Golden State Warriors and L.A. Clippers, who square off at 10:00 p.m. ET at Intuit Dome, also on Peacock, as well as the Utah Jazz vs. the Portland Trail Blazers at 10:00 p.m. ET from the Moda Center.
Let’s build our bankroll with our best NBA picks & predictions for Monday, January 5th.
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Monday’s Best NBA Picks & Predictions
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All bets are for 1 unit
Charlotte Hornets (+810) at Oklahoma City Thunder (-1350) | O/U 234.5 (-114/-106)
The Hornets (12-23) wrap up a three-game road trip against the Thunder (30-6), who have tumbled back down to Earth after a red-hot start to the season.
Charlotte is looking to exact a little revenge after a 109-96 loss on its home court back on November 15th, although the Hornets did cover as 17-point underdogs as the under (224) cashed.
The Hornets took down Chicago in the second stop on the trip on Saturday, cashing as a 2.5-point underdog, and they’ve covered both stops on the road so far. The under (241) against the Bulls halted a three-game run to the over. In the past seven games, Charlotte is a respectable 5-2 against the spread (ATS), while going 9-3-1 ATS across the past 13 outings. On the road, the Hornets have covered four in a row and six of the past seven, while the under is 8-2 in the past 10 games away from home.
For the Thunder, they dropped a 108-105 game in Phoenix on Sunday, losing outright as a 10-point favorite as the under (229.5) cashed. Since losing in the NBA Cup semi-finals against the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City is in a bit of a tailspin, going just 6-5 straight up (SU) in the past 11 games, while posting a 3-6 ATS mark in the past nine outings. The under has hit in three in a row, too.
We’re going to back the Hornets catching the points, and go low on the total.
Picks: Hornets +16 (-110) & Under 234.5 Points (-106)
Golden State Warriors (-118) at L.A. Clippers (+100) | O/U 225.5 (-108/-112)
Moving to the West Coast window at 10:00 p.m. ET, the Warriors (19-17) and Clippers (12-22) tangle just south of LAX. These teams have met once this season - an ugly 98-79 win by the Warriors in San Francisco, covering as 1.5-point underdogs as the under (224) obviously hit. That halted a seven-game win streak in the series by the Clippers. The under is actually 4-1 in the past five meetings.
The Warriors are relatively healthy, with Seth Curry (back) as the only notable player on the injury report, while the Clippers have Bogdan Bogdanovic (hamstring) and Derrick Jones Jr. (knee) listed as out.
Golden State is playing some decent basketball again, as it gets healthier. The Dubs topped the Utah Jazz 123-114 over the weekend, although they failed to cover as 12.5-point favorites as the under (248.5) cashed. Golden State has won three of the past four games and six of the previous eight outings straight up, while holding a 4-3 ATS edge in the past seven outings. The over is 4-2 in the past six games.
For the Clippers, they’re still licking their wounds after a 146-115 beatdown by the Boston Celtics on Saturday in a game L.A. was inexplicably favored by 1.5 points. That did halt a 6-0 ATS run for the Clippers. The over has a 4-2 advantage in the past six games.
We’ll side with the Warriors to get the job done on the road, while going high on the total despite the ugliness we saw in the first meeting.
Picks: Warriors -1.5 (-108) & Over 225.5 Points (-110)
Utah Jazz (+190) at Portland Trail Blazers (-230) | O/U 242.5 (-110/-110)
The Jazz (12-22) and Trail Blazers (16-20) tangle on the West Coast, and Utah will be vying for a rare road win, while Portland tries to improve on a subpar 7-9 record at home.
Portland won a 136-134 regulation shootout in Salt Lake City in the first meeting, but Utah covered as a three-point underdog. That’s been par for the course for Utah in this series lately, as the Jazz have rattled off seven consecutive covers against the Trail Blazers.
Utah has dropped three in a row outright, and it has split 3-3 ATS in the past six games, while the under is 3-1 in the previous four outings.
Portland is back in Rip City for the first time since December 29th, after a pretty decent road trip which saw them go 2-1 SU/ATS, losing to Oklahoma City, but winning in New Orleans and San Antonio. The under cashed in all three outings on the trip, and the total has gone low in seven of the past nine games.
While trends sometimes can be misleading, it’s hard to ignore a 7-0 ATS run against an opponent. We’ll take the points with Utah, and we’ll go low on the total, as 242 is just a lot of points.
Picks: Jazz +6 (-110) & Under 242.5 Points (-110)
Joe Williams is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Joe, check out his archive and follow him @winwithjoe