NBA Picks & Parlay of the Weekend | January 27

Before the NFL celebrates its Championship Sunday, the NBA is going to own the sports world on Saturday night. There are some great matchups on tap, which inspired us to put together a three-leg parlay on FanDuel. In other words, it’s go big or go home. Check out the three picks we have in this parlay.

Knicks -5 | -114 at FanDuel

There’s no team in the NBA hotter right now than the Knicks, who ironically host the Heat on Saturday afternoon. They’ve won five in a row and 11 of their last 13 games while going 10-3 against the spread during that stretch. The trade for OG Anunoby has worked to perfection while Jalen Brunson has played like a man possessed lately, scoring at least 30 points in five of his last six games. Brunson will likely stay hot after his all-star snub, which is another reason it makes sense to back the Knicks in this game.

The other reason is that Miami has gone ice-cold with five straight losses. The Heat is barely hanging onto the top spot in the Southeast Division and struggling for answers. In those five losses, the Heat is 0-5 against the spread, losing four of those five games by at least nine points and losing three games as the favorite. Miami is hoping the trade for Terry Rozier can jumpstart things, but facing a red-hot Knicks team is not a good time to be adjusting to a new point guard.

Clippers +6 | -114 at FanDuel

While the Celtics are tough to beat at home, six points is a lot to cover against a high-level team like the Clippers. In fact, they lost their first home game of the season to the Nuggets last Friday despite being a seven-point favorite. Even at home, the Celtics are vulnerable against quality opponents. Even if Boston can eke out a win, we’re not confident that the Celtics will cover.

Keep in mind the Clippers head to Boston winners of six of their last seven games, going 5-2 against the spread during that span. Even with Paul George listed as a game-time decision, James Harden and Kawhi Leonard provide enough offensive firepower to keep pace with the Celtics in a high-scoring game. Again, the Celtics might be able to pull out a win, but this game should come down to the last possession, allowing the Clippers to beat the spread.

Warriors -1.5 | -110 at FanDuel

Even with both teams enduring a disappointing season, the star power on the court makes this an attractive matchup. Fittingly, the Lakers head into this game with a .500 record because they can’t seem to find any traction this season. At 6-15, the Lakers are one of the worst road teams in the NBA this season. That doesn’t inspire much confidence in a game in which they are only slight underdogs.

In fairness, Golden State is a modest 12-12 at home this season. However, the Warriors have played hard in their first two games since the tragic passing of assistant coach Dejan Milojevic. They beat the Hawks convincingly at home and went toe to toe with the Kings in a one-point loss on Thursday. With the Lakers coming to town, the Warriors should get up for the game, which is a little more winnable than Thursday’s game with Sacramento. That has us thinking that Golden State should be able to cover a small spread.