NBA Expert Picks and Best Bets | January 3

This time of year, the NBA owns the sports calendar, at least during the middle of the week. That probably explains the attractive NBA schedule on Wednesday, providing some great basketball betting opportunities. If you’re looking for a little help and guidance, we picked out our three favorite NBA bets on Wednesday’s schedule.

Cavaliers -9, -110 at FanDuel

Despite losing back-to-back games, the Cavs have still won five of their last eight games, so they’re still in good shape at the moment. Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland have been lighting up the scoreboard all season and are among the most underrated backcourts in the NBA. They know that they need wins and can’t afford to overlook any opponent. That means they won’t take facing the Wizards for granted and will be able to blow out an inferior team.

Washington’s 6-26 record this season has been overshadowed by Detroit’s long losing streak. While they have some offensive firepower and have gotten good play from Tyus Jones, Kyle Kuzma can’t do it all and Jordan Poole hasn’t been as good as the Wizards have needed. They won’t be able to keep up once the Cleveland backcourt gets going, allowing the Cavs to pull away and win this game by double figures.

Bucks -3.5 | -110 at BetMGM

Well, the Bucks suffered a disappointing loss to the Pacers on Monday, but that doesn’t mean the result will repeat itself in a rematch on Wednesday. Beating a quality team like the Bucks twice in a span of three days isn’t easy, even with Indiana coming home after a road victory. The Bucks have still won nine of their last 11 games and don’t have a big spread to cover on Wednesday night. Milwaukee should be a little more prepared for Tyrese Haliburton and Indiana’s high-tempo offense, which should lead to a different result. 

Keep in mind the Pacers needed an extraordinary performance from their bench on Monday with the starters struggling. It’s hard to envision that scenario playing out again. With Giannis and Damian Lillard, Milwaukee will still have arguably the two best players on the court. The Bucks will also have a bad taste in their mouths and looking for some immediate redemption. With the way the Pacers play defense, they could be vulnerable to a lopsided loss on their home court in this game.

Under 240.5 | -112 at BetRivers

The Pistons have hit the over in five consecutive games, which is why the point total for Wednesday’s game has been inflated past 240 total points. That’s asking a lot from both teams regardless of how poorly the Pistons can be defensively. After all, Detroit doesn’t have many high-volume scorers beyond Cade Cunningham and Began Bogdanovic. The Pistons could easily be slowed down by a Utah team that’s allowed 112 points or less in four of its last six games, including just 90 points in Monday’s win over the Mavs.

Equally important, the Jazz isn’t a high-scoring team either. Utah averages just under 114 points per game and has been held under 120 points in five of its last nine games. Presumably, the Jazz will be able to beat the lowly Pistons at home in this game. But if Utah isn’t a lock to score at least 120 points, there’s no way the total will be able to approach 240 points, much less exceed that number.