Top NBA Odds, Picks & Predictions: Saturday (1/6)
There are just four games on the slate for the National Basketball Association on Saturday, as it won’t be up against the NFL on Saturday night. In fact, none of the games are televised nationally. That’s OK, as we still have some good potential wagers.
Let’s get started with today’s NBA best bets.
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Saturday’s Best NBA Bets
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All wagers are for 1 unit
Boston Celtics (-210) @ Indiana Pacers (+180) | O/U 248 (-110/-110)
The Celtics (27-7) barely broke a sweat against Utah Jazz on Friday night at TD Garden, winning 126-97 to cover a 14-point spread as the Under (241.5) cashed. Boston has scored 120 or more points in nine consecutive games, and that streak is likely to continue in a game against the free-wheeling Pacers (20-15).
The C’s have been pretty successful in back-to-back situations, winning three in a row outright on no rest, while going 3-2 ATS in the second end in five games this season. The teams have split straight up and against the number in the first two meetings, with Indiana coming away with a 122-112 win as a 4.5-point underdog in the most recent meeting in at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Dec. 4.
The Pacers won 150-116 in Friday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks, and they have the luxury of not having to travel after the back-to-back. That’s a huge difference, as the C’s didn’t arrive into Indianapolis until 1:42 a.m. ET, and that means the team likely didn’t get into the hotel until well after 3 a.m. ET. Indiana has won and covered six in a row, and with a good night of sleep, it should make it seven in a row in both categories.
Bets: Pacers +5.5 (-112)
Milwaukee Bucks (-235) @ Houston Rockets (+194) | O/U 238.5 (-110/-110)
The Bucks (25-10) make the second stop in a Texas two-step in Space City on Saturday against the Rockets (17-16). After disappointing back-to-back losses in a home-and-home with the Pacers, the Bucks rebounded for a 125-121 win in San Antonio on Thursday against the Spurs. Still, the Bucks are 0-3 ATS in the past three outings, so this play comes with risk. Milwaukee hasn’t failed to cover four or more games in a row since an 0-5 ATS skid from Nov. 6-13.
These teams met in Cream City back on Dec. 17, with the Bucks coming away with a 128-119 win over the Rockets as 7-point favorites at Fiserv Forum as the Over (231) connected.
The Rockets are coming off a 122-95 licking from the Timberwolves on Friday, and now they get another championship-caliber team on no rest. Houston has dropped four of the past six games overall, while going just 2-4 ATS in the span. Houston is 2-4 ATS in the past six games at home, too. On no rest, the Rockets have managed to go just 1-2 SU/ATS in the past three tries when playing on no rest. Even though we got bit by the Bucks on Thursday, and the wounds are fresh, we’ll play Milwaukee again on Saturday.
Bet: Bucks -6 (-110)
Four-Team Cross-Sport Parlay
With another light slate in the NBA, we’ll do to a four-team cross-sport parlay again, similar to Thursday’s offering. Let’s roll with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi -1.5 (-115) at Incarnate Word and Cal State Northridge (+112) on the moneyline vs. Hawaii. A four-leg parlay pays +1332. If you just want the NBA two-leg parlay, that pays +261.
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Cameron Lynch is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Cameron, check out his archive and follow him @captron26.