Next Sunday will be all about the Super Bowl; this Sunday, it's about the NBA. Ten games are on the schedule, starting with Milwaukee and Boston at 3:30 p.m. ET and ending with Oklahoma City and Denver at 9:30 p.m. EST. To help you bet on the day's slate, we share with you our top NBA picks & predictions.
Nationally televised games tend to grab the attention of people more so than games that just get regional coverage, so we'll focus on those games.
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Sunday’s Best NBA Picks & Predictions
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics
It has not been a good year for the Milwaukee Bucks (18-28, 9-16 on the road), and that's with or without Giannis Antetokounmpo in the lineup. But to compound their issues, Kevin Porter Jr. and Taurean Prince are also out, which makes facing a tough team like Boston even harder.
As for Boston, the Celtics have remained one of the best teams in the league despite losing a player of Jayson Tatum's caliber. They've won four of their last six, while the Bucks have lost their last four.
Milwaukee beat the Celtics 116-100 earlier in the season, on a night the Celtics shot extraordinarily poorly from the floor while shooting exceptionally well themselves. With how the Bucks have been playing recently, don't count on that happening again. Boston is the healthier and better team. They'll take care of business against a depleted Bucks team.
Pick: Boston -13.5 (-110)
Los Angeles Lakers vs. New York Knicks
The Knicks have bounced back from a four-game losing streak by winning their last five games, including victories over the Raptors in Toronto and the 76ers in Philadelphia. As for the Lakers, they bounced back from a 30-point loss to the Cavaliers on Wednesday with a 141-111 beatdown of the Wizards on Friday.
The Lakers have one issue - they can't count on Luka Doncic to win every game for them. He needs some help from the rest of the starting five. The other four scored as much as he did against the Cavaliers in that epic loss. Against the Wizards, however, he received some help.
If Austin Reaves plays, the Moneyline becomes a great bet. But if he doesn't, it still has value, but bettors will just need to cross their fingers and hope the rest of the Lakers show up.
Pick: Lakers Moneyline (+150)
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Denver Nuggets
Denver has been playing well despite dealing with a long list of injuries, including not having Nikola Jokic for an extended period of time. But Jokic made his return on Friday night and helped the Nuggets take down the Clippers, 122-109. Cameron Johnson and Aaron Gordon are out for this game.
Oklahoma City leads the Nuggets by five for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. But the Thunder have struggled of late, losing three of their last four games. Jalen Williams and Nikola Topic are out with Alex Caruso and Ajay Mitchell listed as game-time decisions.
The Thunder have proven themselves to be a tremendous team with depth, winning games despite dealing with injuries all season. But a healthy Nuggets team will be too much for them. With Jokic and Jamal Murray expected to play, Denver will take down Oklahoma City.
Pick: Nuggets Moneyline (+154)
