Top NBA Betting Picks for Saturday, January 16
The NBA continues to roll on despite the need to postpone games. They built the schedule in such a way to be able to fit the postponed games in, but the rising case count is concerning. On the court, we continue to be blessed with strong basketball, with a number of players taking unexpected leaps this season. We will get to watch a few of them tonight.
Here are the top NBA betting plays for Saturday, January 16, provided by BettingPros experts Raju Byfield and Isaiah Sirois (Main game odds courtesy BettingPros Consensus; lock and prop odds sites may vary):
Submit your NBA picks to land on our expert leaderboard >>
Betting Locks of the Day
Byfield: Hornets +7.5 (-120 at FD Sportsbook)
Once again, there is no reason for the Raptors to be listed as -7.5 favorites against any team in the NBA. They were able to pick up the W against the Hornets the last time out but predictably failed to cover the monster -8.5 spread. The juice here suggests that this number could plummet by game time, so if the Hornets are a team you feel comfortable placing action on, lock them in to cover before the number drops to +7 to as low as +5.5. Toronto is the ‘home team’ for this contest, but as we all know, Tampa Bay is a long way from Toronto. There is no homecourt advantage, which means this line should be between +3 to +4.5, not +7.5. Take advantage while you can.
Best Team Prop of the Day
Byfield: Pistons First Quarter over 26.5 points (-120 at FD Sportsbook)
The Detroit Pistons are set to have a strong first quarter against a Miami Heat team surrendering the third-most first quarter points per game at 30.8 per contest. This total was set on the lower side due to the Pistons scoring just 25.9 first quarter points per contest. Detroit has really struggled in the opening frame of their recent contest, but as the juice suggests, Miami is the perfect team to ‘get right’ against. This remains a gamble, so keep it to a one unit play at FanDuel.
Best Player Prop of the Day
Byfield: Lonnie Walker over 12.5 points (-128 at FD Sportsbook)
I was expecting to see something in the 13.5 to 14.5 range due to Walker getting hurt. He was able to play through the injury and still posted 16 points with DeMar DeRozan back in the lineup, making it clear that he will have a large enough role to chase while Derrick White remains sidelined. He may not give us back to back 24+ point outings anymore, but 12.5 should be an easy hit if Walker is active. The juice suggests that this number could change before game time, so lock it in at FanDuel before that happens.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | iHeartRadio