ESPN’s fantasy basketball and basketball betting tips cheat sheet is your pregame destination for basketball betting predictions and our best intelligence and data to help you make smart fantasy and betting decisions. January 15 NBA odds are provided by Caesars Sportsbook and fantasy tips are based on ESPN 10-team leagues.
Unconditional love. Our dogs give us unconditional love, and the home underdogs have given us unconditional love in catching more than five points this season (58.9% coverage rate, +13.5 point money line). Neither the Pistons (12-34 this season) nor the Spurs (13-30, 1-7 since New Year’s) are “comfortable bets,” but be careful to blindly fade them with any power.
Project units, Back ‘dogs. Any metric you use will spit out an underwhelming prediction when it comes to the total points for the Kings-Spurs game. The underdogs are 13-6-2 this season in games with a projected total of at least 240 points. Embrace some potential chaos in this spot with the highest score.
Following the breadcrumbs. Look at enough numbers and you’re often talking about both sides of any bet. Any bets other than this early Knicks-Pistons game, that is. Try these trends on for size. 12 of Pistons last 18 games are over, three of their last four against teams under 8. They are 9-3-1 in Knicks last 14 games and overs. The Knicks are 9-1 this season when outscored by more than four points. Shesh: Want to isolate a bet or collect SGP? Sportscenter’s Phil Murphy notes that third quarter overs are a crazy 16-3-1 in Detroit home games. Pick a thread to pull…they all end up in the same place.
— Jim McCormick and Kyle Sopp
Night game
Philadelphia 76ers at Los Angeles Lakers
9:30 p.m. ET, Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles
Line:76 people (-3)
Money line. 76ers (-165), Lakers (+140)
That’s all. 234 points
BPI projected total. 233.4 points
BPI Win%: 76ers (70.6%)
Interrogative. Patrick Beverley
Excluded. Anthony Davis, Lonnie Walker IV, Austin Reeves
Note: BPI figures are calculated on players who are ruled out, but assume doubtful players will play
Dismantling the rest of the slate
New York Knicks at Detroit Pistons
1 p.m. ET, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Line:Pistons (-7.5)
Money line. Knicks (-320), Pistons (+250)
That’s all. 226 points
BPI projected total. 229.7 points
BPI Win%: Knicks (76.7%)
Interrogative. Isaiah Stewart
Excluded. Corey Joseph, Jalen Duren
Note: BPI figures are calculated on players who are ruled out, but assume doubtful players will play
Fantasy broadcaster: Killian Hayes (Available in 67.4% of leagues) is a staple in this stretch, as he remains available in more than two-thirds of leagues. He really should be listed universally at this point. In his six games since 2023, Hayes has averaged 15.5 PPG, 7.8 APG, 2.5 RPG, 2.3 SPG and 2.0 3PG. — Andre Snellings
Best bet: Jalen Brunson at over 25.5 points. Brunson has put the fireblower in action for the entire year of 2023. The last few games I’ve been waiting for him to come back down to earth and he just keeps getting bigger. Brunson is averaging 33.3 PPG in six games since the turn of the calendar and has five straight over 25.5 points. He faces a Pistons team that has allowed the second-most points to opposing guards this season. — Hoarseness
Houston Rockets at LA Clippers
3 pm ET, Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Line:Clippers (-9.5)
Money line. Clippers (-455), Rockets (+345)
That’s all. 221 points
BPI projected total. 224.4 points
BPI Win%: Clippers (76.7%)
Interrogative. Luke Kennard, Paul George
Excluded. Kevin Porter Jr
Note: BPI figures are calculated on players who are ruled out, but assume doubtful players will play
Golden State Warriors at Chicago Bulls
3:30 p.m. ET, United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Line:Warriors (-4.5)
Money line. Warriors (-190), Bulls (+158)
That’s all. 239 points
BPI projected total. 232.2 points
BPI Win%: Warriors (60.9%)
Interrogative. Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan
Excluded. James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga, Jamaichal Green
Note: BPI figures are calculated on players who are ruled out, but assume doubtful players will play
Fantastic Broadcaster: Anthony Lamb (Available in 98.8% of leagues) caught fire when Andrew Wiggins and Stephen Curry were out and hasn’t slowed significantly since their return. Lamb has scored in double figures in four of his last five games, averaging 16.2 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.8 3PG and 2.6 APG in 27.0 MPG over that stretch. Lamb was cut to 24 minutes in his last game and will presumably miss time with the starter back, but he still had 14 points, 5 boards, 3 3 3-pointers, 2 steals and 1 block in those 24 minutes. candidate for viable broadcaster on Sunday. — Hoarseness
Oklahoma City Thunder at Brooklyn Nets
6 pm ET, Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
Line:Nets (-4,5)
Money line. Nets (-190), Thunder (+158)
That’s all. 229.5 points
BPI projected total. 229.4 points
BPI Win%: Networks (74.3%)
Excluded. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Alexey Pokusevsky, Kevin Durant
Note: BPI figures are calculated on players who are ruled out, but assume doubtful players will play
Sacramento Kings at San Antonio Spurs
7 p.m. ET, AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
Line:Kings (-7)
Money line. Kings (-285), Spurs (+228)
That’s all. 245 points
BPI projected total. 241.7 points
BPI Win%: Kings (70.4%)
Interrogative. Kevin Huerter
Excluded. Devin Vassell
Note: BPI figures are calculated on players who are ruled out, but assume doubtful players will play
Fantastic Streamer: Malik Monk (available in 89.0% of leagues) is a streaker who seems to be on a strong streak. He has scored in double figures three times in his last three games, averaging 13.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 3.3 APG and 2.0 3PG in 20.7 MPG off the bench. He’s got a season high of 33 points set at the end of 2023 and could have a big game on any given day. — Hoarseness
Best bet: De’Aaron Fox at 6.5 assists. Fox tends to either have a few assists or flirt with double figures with a small midrange. In his last nine games, Fox is 9-of-13 assists in five games and 5-6 in the other four. He has nine assists in three of his last four games and will face a Spurs team on Sunday tied for the seventh-most assists allowed to opposing guards. —Snellings
Orlando Magic at Denver Nuggets
8 pm ET, Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado
Line:Nuggets (-10.5)
Money line. Nuggets (-550), Magic (+400)
That’s all. 234.5 points
BPI projected total. 231.5 points
BPI Win%: Nuggets (81.1%)
Interrogative. Jalen Suggs
Excluded. Jonathan Isaac, Chuma Okeke
Note: BPI figures are calculated on players who are ruled out, but assume doubtful players will play
Dallas Mavericks at Portland Trail Blazers
9 pm ET, Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Line:Blazers (-6)
Money line. Blazers (-225), Mavericks (+185)
That’s all. 224.5 points
BPI projected total. 233.8 points
BPI Win%: Blazers (65%)
Excluded. Justise Winslow, Nasir Little, Josh Green, Dorian Finney-Smith, Maxie Kleber
Note: BPI figures are calculated on players who are ruled out, but assume doubtful players will play
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