The weekend is just around the corner and the NBA will help you get there quicker. Tonight’s slate features a tasty 8-game buffet, headlined by the Oklahoma City Thunder facing off against the Minnesota Timberwolves in yet another rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals. Tipoff is scheduled for 9:30 pm ET on PRIME for national audiences. Featured in the earlier window, the Miami Heat face off with the Chicago Bulls in the Windy City. You can find our NBA picks for all of today’s matchups, along with EVERY GAME this season. But for now, here are our expert NBA best bets for each of today’s 8 games on Thursday, January 29.
Bucks vs Wizards NBA best bet: Under 223.5 (-110)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Milwaukee’s offense is efficient but methodical, while Washington’s scoring tends to be spiky rather than sustained. The under thrives in games where possessions aren’t wholly predictable and offense alternates between rhythm scores and long droughts. That’s exactly what this matchup projects to be. Add in the trade rumors concerning The Greek Freak as the trade deadline approaches, and there is even more volatility in play. The distractions surrounding the Deer are ample reason to find them out of sync in this spot. It is for that reason that Milwaukee is only trusted to spot a possession here when logic would suggest they should be a bigger favorite. This is a spot where we don’t know what we are getting on either side of the court when either team has the ball in hand. That makes the under the best bet.
Find our Bucks vs Wizards prediction
Kings vs 76ers NBA best bet: Kings +12 (-110)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Philadelphia is heavily favored but that invites scrutiny because dominant favorites can be overpriced when it comes to the outcome margin when public perception colors pricing. The Kings influence pricing because Sacramento is a poor team overall. However, there are subtle edges that suggest the Kings can keep this closer, particularly in the second stanza of games where the 76ers have shown a lull. Over their last 10 games, Philly has gone just 4-6 ATS and 4-6 SU, indicating sporadic inconsistency even when favored. Nothing speaks more into the Sixers’ volatility than when they were absolutely demolished by the Charlotte Hornets earlier this week, in a game where Philadelphia looked like the Washington Generals while the Hornets looked like the Harlem Globetrotters. Sacramento in terms of positioning in the pecking order is closer to Charlotte, but the Kings are also a plucky team that can surprise many when they are overlooked against a streaky favorite like the 76ers. This is the perfect spot to back Sacarmento.
Check out our full Kings vs Sixers prediction
Heat vs Bulls NBA best bet: Bulls -1 (-110)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.
This is a spot tailor made for the home team. These teams have mirror opposite records in the home/away splits. Chicago is 15-10 SU in the United Center, Miami is 10-15 SU away from home. The total sits at 240.5, which suggests this is going to be a free-flowing contest with a lot of scoring. This is also a game of possessions that will likely be settled at the final tick. Ask yourself this: Would you rather back Chicago to essentially win at home or take Miami to do so in a hostile setting? If we are looking at this from a value perspective, the former makes far more sense. This is a matter of getting the better team in the better spot at the best price. The fact that Chicago is favored here and we only need them to essentially win, tells us which way to go.
Rockets vs Hawks NBA best bet: Hawks +135 ML
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing.
This is a let-down spot for Houston. Last night, the Rockets fell at home against arch-rival San Antonio in a 111-99 loss. San Antonio has emerged as a frontrunner for the Western Conference credentials, and naturally, to lose a game in such fashion against their biggest foe makes Houston prone to be flat-footed here. This presents a perfect situational spot to back the Hawks who are a modest +3.5 underdog at the time of writing. Atlanta meanwhile, is starting to heat up. The Birds have won their last 4 contests overall and enter into this match on the heels of an impressive 117-106 win in Boston last night against the Celtics. Add in that the Hawks are a team known for causing disruption and if they are able to do that against a Rockets team that is vulnerable, they win here too. We’re playing it that way.
Hornets vs Mavericks NBA best bet: Over 227.5 (-110)
Odds available at Kalshi Sports at time of publishing.
Charlotte and Dallas both leak points on structural principles rather than this pricing deception. Both teams remain ranked in lower tiers defensively, but that’s precisely why the over looks appealing. Inefficiencies in defense often lead to more scoring and makes 228 a beatable number, if either team has an average night offensively speaking. However, both teams have also been known to score in bursts as much as disappear entirely. If the total was leaning towards 240, we’d be looking at the under because of offensive consistency. However, because this is a game rooted in defensive posture where both teams also show a lack of structure, the over makes sense on this occasion. Finally, Charlotte in particular has been on a tear as of recent, and if they continue dominate on both sides of the court, they can clear this number by winning at margin, as well. There are multiple paths for the over to cash.
Nets vs Nuggets NBA best bet: Nuggets -7.5 (-110)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbookat time of publishing.
The key isn’t just talent discrepancy — it’s efficiency footprint. Denver has been a model of efficient offense and rim pressure, while also protecting the paint on defense. By contrast, Brooklyn’s offense has been inconsistent and heavily reliant on their defense bowing their neck. The problem is Denver has the phyiscality and creativity to breakthrough while Brooklyn has no Plan B here. Brooklyn’s struggles are structural: they don’t consistently win the rebound battle, which is a bad look against Denver who can punish that. The Nuggets offer value here as the favorite because Denver doesn’t even need to dominate against an inferior foe. All the Nuggets have to do is exploit structural advantages and build sustainable separation across quarters. Denver’s internal metrics show a better offensive rebound rate, which leads to more second-chance points and overall control of tempo. The confluence of these factors set up the Nuggets to run away here.
Read our full Nets vs Nuggets prediction
Pistons vs Suns NBA best bet: Suns +4.5 (-110)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing.
This is all about the number and how it relates to the total. Let’s dig in. The oddsmakers are calling for a defensive-oriented affair. Both teams play a robust and physical brand of basketball which mitigates offense; the total line confirms this expectation. The total sits at 215, which means points come at a premium and possession are precious. In such a scenario, grabbing the points is the optimal move. Can Phoenix win outright? Of course they can, but given the style of play, this is a contest that can easily be settled in the final minutes through fouling and free throw attempts. Once again, having every point in your back pocket in such a scenario is the winning strategy. We’re not here to pick the winner, we are here to pick the option which has the best chance to cash. In this case, Phoenix plus the points is the prudent play.
Read our full Pistons vs Suns prediction
Thunder vs Timberwolves NBA best bet: Timberwolves +6 (-110)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing.
The PRIME spotlight game features the Thunder and Timberwolves squaring off in a rematch of the Western Conference Finals from the 2024-25 playoffs. OKC as we recall, dominated that series, and marched on to win its first ever NBA Championship. However, these two teams have already squared off twice in November and December. The home team has gone 2-0 SU in these two matches. Naturally, that makes Minnesota the appealing option here. But we are not asking Minnesota to win. We are asking for them to be competitive enough to cover, which there is no reason to suspect that they cannot. The Thunder remain the team to beat in the National Basketball Association and that reputation is inflating the number here, even now. The Timberwolves could be worth a look as an outright on the Money Line at +185 for those that are looking for a bigger score, but taking the points in a game that they can win outright has even more upside.
Check out our full Thunder vs Timberwolves prediction for this PRIMEtime NBA showdown
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