NBA Expert Picks and Best Bets | January 10

While the NFL playoffs begin this weekend, the NBA still gets all of the attention from sports fans during the middle of the week. The NBA doesn’t have a huge selection of games on Wednesday, but there is nothing wrong with some of the matchups. If you need some basketball betting advice, we picked out our three favorite bets on the NBA’s Wednesday schedule.

Pacers -7.5 | -114 at FanDuel

There is bound to be a lot of intrigue surrounding the Pacers in this game after losing Tyrese Haliburton to an injury on Monday. Not only was Haliburton playing at an all-star level but his injury comes in the middle of Indiana’s best stretch of the season. The Pacers have won seven of their last eight games, going 7-1 against the spread in those games. That stretch has included a win over the Celtics and two over the Bucks. Even without Haliburton, it’s hard to imagine the Pacers suddenly stalling offensively, especially against a pitiful Washington team.

The Wizards are just 6-30 on the season despite being a respectable 18-18 against the spread. More importantly, they’ve lost five in a row and eight of their last nine games, going 3-6 against the spread in those nine games. If Haliburton were healthy, this spread would certainly be double digits. Since it’s lower, it’ll be harder for the Wizards to beat the spread. While some may look at Indiana as vulnerable in this game, playing Washington is fortuitous and shouldn’t stop Indiana from being able to cover.

Heat +4 | -110 at BetMGM

This is certainly a tricky time for the Heat. Starters Jimmy Butler and Caleb Martin are currently on the shelf while Kyle Lowry is also battling an injury. However, the tandem of Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo is among the best in basketball and both players have stepped up with Butler out. It’s also hard not to like Miami’s depth with players like Duncan Robinson and Jaime Jacquez playing bigger roles when needed. That makes us think it’d be a mistake to overlook Miami at home, where they’ve won three in a row.

On the other side, the Thunder has lost three in a row against the spread. This is also Oklahoma City’s last game of a four-game road trip, so fatigue could be a factor. To be fair, the Thunder is tied for the best road record in the NBA and also has the second-best ATS record in the NBA. However, OKC is just 3-4 against the spread as a road favorite. Against a Miami team with star power from the likes of Herro and Adebayo, the Heat are a good underdog pick.

Under 215.5 | -114 at BetRivers

Until they hit the over on Monday, the Bulls had a run of eight straight games staying under the point total. That game with the Hornets only hit the over because it went to overtime. That says a lot about the types of games the Bulls have been playing lately. In Chicago’s last nine games, both teams have reached 110 points just twice with one team failing to hit 100 points in five of the nine games.

Meanwhile, only three teams have hit the over fewer times this season than the Rockets. Houston only has three players who average more than 15 points per game and is missing some of the team’s complementary scorers for this game. Given Chicago’s recent track record in this area and Houston’s consistent failure to hit the over, this has the makings of an ugly, low-scoring affair.