Top NBA Betting Picks of the Week – January 2nd

Don’t look now, but the Dallas Mavericks have vaulted out of the basement in the Western Conference, putting together a four-game winning streak that features wins over Toronto, Oklahoma City and Indiana. The Lakers are the new residents of the cellar, thanks to a seven-game slide. The Golden State Warriors have taken the top spot in the West thanks to a recent four-game losing streak by the Houston Rockets. The Oklahoma City Thunder may have found their mojo, winning seven of their last ten to move into fourth in the conference. In the East, Boston has moved back into the top spot, with five more wins than Toronto, and the Cleveland Cavaliers have lost three in a row. Let’s take a look at your best NBA betting picks in the Association for the first week of the new year.

Top NBA Betting Picks of the Week – January 2nd

NBA Power Rankings Week 11: Trouble brewing for LeBron and the Cavs? https://t.co/Wc8DAWv8hq pic.twitter.com/GMOFQfCfjz

— Dime on UPROXX (@DimeUPROXX) January 2, 2018

Tuesday, January 2

Portland at Cleveland (7:00pm ET, NBA TV)

Portland followed up their disappointing loss at lowly Atlanta with an overtime win in Chicago on Monday night, as C.J. McCollum put up 32 points — including 25 after halftime. His basket in the last minute of overtime gave the Trail Blazers they needed to seal the win. Portland showed considerable balance in the game, getting 22 from Evan Turner and 24 from Al-Farouq Aminu, season highs for both players. However, the Trail Blazers will still be without their top scorer, Damian Lilliard, who will miss his sixth game against Cleveland. The Cavaliers are on a skid of their own, taking losses at Golden State, Sacramento and Utah, and they look for a fresh start when they get back home to Quicken Loans Arena. Point guard Isaiah Thomas, finally back from his hip injury, will make his season debut for the Cavaliers. I see that return giving the Cavaliers a big boost — and the lack of Lilliard will keep Portland from being able to keep up with Cleveland. NBA Betting Prediction: Cleveland 110, Portland 105

Wednesday, January 3

Oklahoma City at L.A. Lakers (10:30pm ET, ESPN)

The Oklahoma City Thunder saw their seven-game winning streak come to an end with home loses to Milwaukee and Dallas. The boost in offense that the Thunder have experienced as they have built chemistry among Carmelo Anthony, Paul George and Russell Westbrook has come with some disappointments on the defensive end, a mix that they need to continue to figure out. They head west to take on the Lakers on Wednesday night — a team in free fall, having dropped seven in a row. Rookie Kyle Kuzma (thigh) may miss the game against Oklahoma City, and Lonzo Ball (shoulder) is also likely to miss the game and get evaluated again for this weekend’s action. I don’t see things going well for one of the league’s youngest teams with the Thunder arriving. NBA Betting Prediction: Oklahoma City 120, L.A. Lakers 111

Friday, January 5

Detroit at Philadelphia (7:00pm ET, FSDE+ / CSN)

The Detroit Pistons sit at fourth place in the Eastern Conference, but they just came off an impressive 93-79 whipping of the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night, behind 14 points and 21 boards from Andre Drummond. That was impressive in two ways — no one had held the Spurs to that low of a point total this year, and that represented a nice turnaround from a 13-point loss at Orlando. They visit a Philadelphia team on Friday night that has slid to tenth in the East but have won two in a row and three of four on their recent road swing, winning at Denver and Phoenix (on Sunday). Joel Embiid appeared to hurt his hand in the win over Phoenix, but an X-ray showed it to be just a sprain, and he is not expected to miss any time. The Sixers continue to show inconsistency, as they blew an 18-point lead in Phoenix but then ran away with the game behind 27 points from Dario Saric to win by 13. I see the Pistons delivering a lesson with their defense on Friday night. NBA Betting Prediction: Detroit 99, Philadephia 93