Happy New Year! We get a fresh slate, and I absolutely need it betting on the NBA. Let’s start 2023 on a winning streak.
Be aware of injuries for today’s lines. Since I write these picks in the early afternoon, the full injury reports aren’t out — so check the news before games tip and bets are made.
Categories:
Layups: 2-Unit Plays
Two-Pointers: 1-Unit Plays
Three-Pointers: 0.75-Unit Plays
Half-Court Shot: 0.5-Unit Plays
Last Week: 1-4 (-3.96 units)
Season Record: 18-19-1 (-6.7 units)
Two-Pointers
Domantas Sabonis Over 20.5 Points (-120): Doma has been a star in Sacramento since he arrived, and he’s coming off a game that saw him go 0-2 from three and score under 20 points. He’s scored over the 20-point mark in six of his last eight games and now faces a Jazz team that’s 24th in defensive rating over their last five games. This should be a solid spot for Doma, especially if the Kings are shorthanded and his usage goes up. It’ll be close, but I expect him to get to 21 tonight.
Three-Pointers
Kings +3.5 @ Jazz (-110): *Only bet if Kevin Huerter plays* It seems like the Jazz have slowly been coming back down to earth. The hot start that shocked the NBA has now seen Utah lose four in a row and six of their last 10. In the last four games that they have been favored, they’re 1-3 ATS.
Sacramento, on the other hand, has been doing a decent job of lighting the beam. They’ve beaten the Nuggets and this same Jazz team over the past week, and are 10-7 as road ‘dogs. As long as they’re healthy tonight, the Kings should be able to cover this spread and have a decent shot to win.
Wizards +8 @ Bucks (-110): *Only bet if Bradley Beal plays* I don’t fully understand why this line swung so wildly in favor of the Bucks. I get that Giannis and Jrue Holiday were both out on New Year’s Day when the Wiz slapped the Bucks in a 118-95 win. But the Wizards also were without Bradley Beal and shot 26% from three.
The market expects a huge game from the Bucks here, but Washington has won its last five games. The Wizards are in the top 10 in scoring and have the BEST net rating in the league over that stretch. While the Bucks will be at full strength, this Wizards team — if Beal plays — will have a good chance to cover this number.