Free NBA Betting Picks - Today's Best Bets, Expert Predictions, Odds (1/13/22)

It's a Friday night slate full of injuries and a whole bunch of uncertainty surrounding which players will be active, which makes it incredibly difficult to handicap games in the morning before we have more clarity on injury designations. I am certainly not making excuses, but it certainly has stung recently when LeBron James and then Trae Young were both ruled out later in the day after I had already bet on their teams earlier. I would advise you to proceed with caution today and most of my picks are trending towards teams and situations that seem less likely to change during the day, though we know that anything can happen in the wild West that is the NBA on a daily basis.

I'm only picking sides and totals in this article three days a week, so consider subscribing to my sports betting substack here as I put out some DFS stuff and props on most evenings from Monday through Friday, too. Props have been hot lately, too!

In this article, I'll be providing my favorite picks against the spread, game totals, parlays, and teasers for NBA games that tip-off at 7:00 PM EST on Friday, January 13th. Let's take a look at the games that I am targeting with wagers tonight in the NBA!

Thunder Dan's NBA Best Bets

• 2022-2023 Overall Record: 85-101-1
• Against the Spread: 40-49-1
• Game/Team Totals: 11-23
• Moneyline Parlay: 12-19
• Teasers: 21-9

NBA Betting Picks: Against the Spread

Atlanta Hawks (-2.5) @ Indiana Pacers (238.5 total)

The Hawks may have burned me the other night, but I am going right back. Trae Young should return to the lineup and now Atlanta is just missing their starting center Clint Capela, which isn't all that big of a deal considering how well Onyeka Okongwu has played in his absence.

But Indiana has a big problem. They're going to be without their star point guard Tyrese Haliburton for at least a few weeks. And while Andrew Nembhard and TJ McConnell will do their best to fill in for him, I think we have to ding the Pacers in a big way here. Myles Turner is questionable tonight, too, and Indiana just doesn't seem like they have enough punch without Haliburton (and potentially Turner) to contend with a solid Atlanta team.

This spread is one of the few small ones we are getting tonight, and I don't mind laying the extra half-point more than a bucket here.

The Pick: Hawks -2.5  (-110)

New York Knicks (-4.5) @ Washington Wizards (222.5 total)

I apologize for not getting this out earlier today, otherwise, you could have had the Knicks at -3.5, but Vegas was very slow to release game totals and I really went back and forth on a few spots with some tough calls.

My only reservation here is that the Knicks have had a hard time closing out teams lately. But on paper, this looks like a game they could win and even dominate. Consider that New York finally has their starting five back intact with the return of R.J. Barrett and that the Wizards will down at least Bradley Beal and possibly more as Kristaps Porzingis, Daniel Gafford, and Monte Morris are all questionable for this game.

The Knicks are a tough team to peg, but when healthy they're a better-than-average squad that firmly rests right below the elite teams in the East but well above the bottom feeders. Washington simply hasn't been able to compete with those better teams very often this year with how much time Bradley Beal has missed. I'm on the Knicks to win this one and let's hope they pull away at the end, instead of letting the Wizards hang around.

The Pick: Knicks -4.5 (-110)

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Oklahoma City Thunder (+4.5) @ Chicago Bulls (234 total)

Do you know which team has the best record ATS this season? That's right, it's the OKC Thunder! And while this is their second game in two nights, they're riding high right now after knocking off the Sixers in Philadelphia last night in impressive fashion 133-114.

The Thunder beat this Bulls team earlier this year in overtime and Chicago will be without their best player DeMar DeRozan again tonight. DDR missed Wednesday's game against the Wizards and the Bulls were unable to beat Washington despite the Wiz not having their two best players Kristaps Porzingis and Bradley Beal.

I really don't understand this line, and perhaps OKC could pull a fast one and rest SGA or something. But if they don't, then they could easily win this game outright let alone cover the spread.

The Pick: Thunder +4.5 (-110)

NBA Betting Picks: Game and Team Totals

NO TOTALS TONIGHT

NBA Betting Picks: Parlays and Teasers

MONEYLINE PARLAY

NOP + SAC + GSW + NYK = (+262 DK)

FAVORITE UNDERDOG TEASER (buying 4.5 points)

PHX +9.5, OKC +9, DEN +2 = (+150 DK)

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