Top NBA Betting Picks of the Week – January 9th

The Boston Celtics and the Toronto Raptors are gradually pulling away from the rest of the Eastern Conference, with third-place Cleveland 5 ½ games back of Boston and 2 ½ back of Toronto. Philadelphia has put together a four-game winning streak to get back to .500 and the fringe of the playoff conversation. In the West, Golden State has vaulted past the tumbling Houston Rockets (losers of seven of 10) into first. Minnesota and Oklahoma City have both won seven of their last 10 to take the fourth and fifth slots in the conference standings. Dallas had a couple of hot weeks but have now dropped three straight, all against fairly pedestrian competition, and look more like that lottery team once again. Let’s take a look at some NBA betting picks for you in the Association for this week.

Top NBA Betting Picks of the Week – January 9th

A slight shake-up at the top of this week’s rankings: https://t.co/8IbgtbEY0n pic.twitter.com/x0hDXVwxzG

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) January 8, 2018

Wednesday, January 10

L.A. Clippers at Golden State (10:30pm ET, ESPN)

The Clippers took a 15-point loss against Golden State last week and have dropped two of three, with their other loss coming at home against Oklahoma State. They did rebound on Monday night with 108-107 home win over the Atlanta Hawks behind a late three-ball from C.J. Williams, but beating the Hawks with a buzzer-beater isn’t going to make the Clippers into a contender anytime soon. Blake Griffin (concussion) and Milos Teodosic (plantar fascia) both missed Monday’s game and remain questionable for Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Warriors have Stephen Curry back at top form, as he put up 32 points and had nine assists in the Warriors’ fifth consecutive win, a 10-point waxing of the Denver Nuggets. Even with Griffin, the Clippers will be hard pressed to hang with Golden State. NBA Betting Prediction: Golden State 122, L.A. Clippers 111

Thursday, January 11

Boston at Philadelphia (3:00pm ET, NBA TV)

The Boston Celtics have won six in a row, including wins over Houston, Cleveland and Minnesota. Their latest win was an 87-85 clunker over Brooklyn, with Jayson Tatum throwing down a jam and nailing a three on a pair of possessions late in the fourth quarter. The ability to win games when things aren’t going your way is a sign of a contender in this league, and the Celtics pulled it off. They head down Interstate 95 to take on the Philadelphia 76ers in a rare midweek matinee, and Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are cooking in the City of Brotherly Love. They routed Detroit on Friday night, 114-78, and the young duo almost outscored the PIstons all by themselves in the first half. However, the Celtics have the edge in quickness in the backcourt and could use that to get Embiid in foul trouble. Boston looks like that team that went on a huge run early in the season. NBA Betting Prediction: Boston 108, Philadelphia 101

Friday, January 12

New York at Minnesota (8:00pm ET, MSG / FSN)

The New York Knicks had lost seven of eight until they picked up a 100-96 win in Dallas on Sunday night, behind 29 points from Kristaps Porzingis. Jarrett Jack broke a tie with 31.2 seconds left in regulation, giving the Knicks just their fourth road win in 17 tries so far this season. They withstood a rally by Dallas from a 13-point deficit in the fourth period — as Dennis Smith Jr. sat on the Dallas bench. The Knicks head north to take on a West contender in Minnesota, who has won two in a row — including a 127-99 shellacking of Cleveland on Monday night that was the Timberwolves’ first home win over Cleveland in 12 years. Andrew Wiggins put up 25 points in just three periods, and Jimmy Butler scored 21 while shutting down LeBron — who had a -39 rating for the game. That sort of intensity on both ends could make for a long night for the Knicks. NBA Betting Prediction: Minnesota 108, New York 98