The National Basketball Association (NBA) has a total of six games on the schedule, including a doubleheader on NBC and Peacock. The first nationally-televised game features the Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves at 8:00 p.m. ET, while the Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings meet at 11:00 p.m. ET in the nightcap. Let’s build our bankroll with our best NBA picks & predictions for Tuesday, January 6th.
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Tuesday’s Best NBA Picks & Predictions
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All bets are for 1 unit
Los Angeles Lakers (-240) at New Orleans Pelicans (+198) | O/U 243.5 (-112/-108)
The Lakers (22-11) and Pelicans (8-29) meet at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans at 8:00 p.m. ET. The Lakers are 12-5 on the road this season, while the Pelicans are just 6-16 on their home court.
Los Angeles has won eight in a row in this series, while going 5-2-1 against the spread (ATS). That includes a 133-121 victory at Crypto.com Arena in the first meeting this season, although the Pelicans were able to cover as 15.5-point underdogs as the over (228.5) cashed.
The Lakers kicked off the new year with a sweep of a back-to-back set against the Memphis Grizzlies, splitting ATS and over/under in those two games. That includes a 120-114 win and cover as 3.5-point favorites as the under (240.5) cashed last time out on Sunday. Luka Doncic went off, as he usually does, going for 36 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, while LeBron James and Jake LaRavia went for 26 points apiece. James was good for the double-double with 10 assists. Deandre Ayton was also good for 15 points with eight boards and three blocks.
The Pelicans enter on a seven-game slide, and they’re just 1-6 ATS in that span, including a 125-106 beatdown from the Miami Heat as the under (259.5) comfortably cashed. The sportsbooks have been bumping up the totals super high for New Orleans lately, as it has allowed 122+ points in five in a row, but the under has cashed in the past two games.
Rui Hachimura (illness) and Austin Reaves (calf) are out, and Gabe Vincent (back) is doubtful. For the Pelicans, Saddiq Bey (hip) and Dejounte Murray (Achilles) remain sidelined, while Herbert Jones (ankle) is questionable.
Let’s back the Lakers to get the job done by at least three buckets, and we’ll go under on the super-high total.
Picks: Pelicans +6 (-115) & Under 243.5 Points (-108)
Dallas Mavericks (-210) at Sacramento Kings (+176) | O/U 232.5 (-112/-108)
The Mavericks (13-23) and the Kings (8-28) meet in the 11:00 p.m. ET game on NBC and Peacock. This is going to be a ratings crusher.
Dallas heads into the game with a 3-12 mark on the road, while Sacramento is 5-12 at home. The Mavericks have three players recovering from various surgeries, and P.J. Washington is doubtful to play due to a sprained right ankle. For the Kings, Domantas Sabonis continues to recover from a partial meniscus tear, and Keegan Murray is sidelined due to a sprained left ankle.
Dallas posted a 110-104 victory in Houston as a 10.5-point underdog as the under (227.5) cashed, snapping a four-game losing and non-cover streak. The under is 3-1 in the past four games, too. Dallas has allowed at least 123 points in four of the past six outings, and 119+ points in six of the past eight outings.
For Sacramento, it is skidding, losing five in a row, while also going 0-5 ATS. However, its last win was Dec. 27 in a 113-107 game against Dallas at Golden 1 Center as a 1.5-point underdog as the under (235.5) cashed. Sacramento has won four of the past five meetings in this series, while going 3-1-1 ATS in the span. The Kings are a healthy 6-3 straight up (SU) in the past nine in the series, while going 6-3-1 ATS in the past 10 installments in the series.
It takes a little bit of a leap of faith, but back the home side to get the job done straight up for a tidy little payday, and we’ll go low on the total.
Picks: Mavericks Moneyline (+176) & Under 232.5 Points (-108)
Joe Williams is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Joe, check out his archive and follow him @winwithjoe