NBA Expert Picks and Best Bets | January 31

The last day of January is upon us, which means we are in the heart of the NBA season. Games are coming in fast and furious, including a great lineup on Wednesday night. If you’re having any trouble finding value in Wednesday’s games, don’t worry because we decided to share our three favorite picks for the day.

Kings ML | -106 at FanDuel

With the tight odds FanDuel has for this game, the spread is meaningless, so we’ll just take Sacramento’s moneyline. Based on their current form, Sacramento is the best pick for this game. The Kings stumbled on the road earlier this month, but they’ve won three in a row on their current road trip. They are also getting some truly monstrous performances from Damontas Sabonis, who has a triple-double in six of his last 13 games. Even if he doesn't have his best game, Sabonis will at least help to neutralize the advantage the Heat usually have with Bam Adebayo.

Speaking of the Heat, they are in the midst of a seven-game losing streak. Trading for Terry Rozier hasn’t had the desired effect, as he’s been held to 10 points or less in three of his first four games in Miami. Obviously, the Heat are too good for this losing streak to last much longer. But at the same time, the Kings are too good not to take advantage of a team that’s struggling and can’t seem to get out of its own way.

Spurs +5.5 | -110 at BetMGM

It might be too soon to say that San Antonio has turned a corner. But the Spurs have won three of their last six games, which isn’t something we could have said a month or two ago. Victor Wembanyama is getting double-doubles almost every night while also averaging over three blocks per game. Also, since the start of January, the Spurs are 11-4 against the spread. That's enough to take a chance on San Antonio as a home underdog against an Orlando team that’s just barely over .500.

The Magic has seen things collapse during the month of January. They are just 3-8 in their last 11 games despite a respectable 5-6 record against the spread during that stretch. It’s also worth mentioning that the Spurs beat the Magic in San Antonio earlier this month. The Spurs are in a better place while the Magic is in a worse place compared to when that game took place, which is why it’s smart to lean toward San Antonio on Wednesday. 

Bucks -9.5 | -110 at BetRivers

After losing in Denver the other night, it’s clear the Bucks are still adjusting to life under Doc Rivers. But that makes now a good time to play a team like the Trail Blazers. The talent gap between these teams is far more than 10 points. Admittedly, Milwaukee has been terrible at covering double-digit spreads this season. But the Bucks should be motivated with a new coach, which should lead to an easy win over Portland. 

Monday’s shocking win over the Sixers aside, the Trail Blazers are still a mess, going 5-11 in January thus far. Keep in mind Milwaukee won’t be sitting key players the way Philly did. As long as the Bucks are playing at full strength, Portland won’t be able to match Milwaukee’s firepower. This spread could easily be 15-plus points, so we’ll happily back the Bucks to cover 10 points in Portland.