The National Basketball Association (NBA) has nine games on the schedule, including the San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers tipping off at 2:00 p.m. ET at Accor Arena in Paris, France. That game can be viewed or streamed on NBA TV.
There is also the traditional doubleheader on TNT/truTV/Max, with the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks squaring off at 7:30 p.m. ET and the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers meeting at 10:00 p.m. ET.
Let’s build a bankroll as we continue into the New Year with our best NBA picks for Thursday, January 23rd.
Thursday’s Best NBA Picks
NBA odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All picks are for 1 unit
Sacramento Kings (+250) at Denver Nuggets (-320) | O/U 239.5 (-110/-110)
The Kings (23-20) and the Nuggets (27-16) lock horns at Ball Arena in Mile High City. Sacramento is looking for revenge after suffering a 130-129 setback against Denver on December 16th at Golden 1 Center, as the Nuggets covered a 1.5-point underdog as the over (237.5) connected.
In that win, Nikola Jokic picked up 20 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists for the triple-double in 38 minutes on 8-of-19 from the field, including 1-of-6 from the three-point line. He also added two steals and a blocked shot. Russell Westbrook just missed a triple-double, going for 18 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds with three steals, while Michael Porter Jr. went for 11 points and 10 boards.
For the Kings, Domantas Sabonis was good for 28 points, 14 rebounds and six assists with three steals on 12-of-20 from the field, including 1-of-3 from the three-point line. Malik Monk also contributed a double-double with 25 points, 10 assists and six rebounds with a steal and three blocked shots. Keon Ellis had 12 points and a ridiculous four swats.
Denver has a slight 6-4 edge in the past 10 meetings, with Sacramento winning three of the past five, while also holding a 3-2 against the spread (ATS) mark. The over is also 3-2 in the past five in this series, so let’s look at recent trends for these teams instead to target our pick.
The Nuggets are coming off a 144-109 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers as an 11.5-point favorite, winning and covering three in a row. Denver is also 7-1 straight up (SU)/ATS in the past eight outings, while the over is on a 3-1 run in the past four contests.
For the Kings, they’ve also won three in a row, although they failed to cover in a 123-117 win over the Golden State Warriors last time out on Wednesday. The over (232) cashed in that outing, too. Sacramento is just 1-3-1 ATS in the past five games, while the over is on a 4-1 run for the Kings.
Let’s side with the Nuggets on their home hardwood, while going a little more aggressively on the over.
Picks: Nuggets -7.5 (-112) & Over 240.5 Points (-110)
Boston Celtics (-250) at Los Angeles Lakers (+172) | O/U 221 (-110/-110)
The Celtics (31-13) and the Lakers (23-18) lock horns at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday night. If you’ve watched basketball since the 1980s you know how special it is every time these teams meet up. From Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parrish, etc. for the Celtics, and Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, etc. for the Lakers, this was the matchup back in the day. Beat L.A. chants in the old, steamy Boston Garden on the parquet floor, to Showtime at the old Inglewood Forum, it was must-see TV.
Fast forward to 2025. This is their first meeting of this current season. Last season, the road team picked up victories and covers on the other team’s floor. The road team is also 4-0 ATS in the past four meetings in this series, with the over cashing in three of those outings. The total has gone high at a 5-2 clip in their past seven meetings.
Boston picked up a 117-113 overtime win against the L.A. Clippers at Intuit Dome on Wednesday, but it didn’t come close to covering as a 12.5-point favorite. The Celtics have managed just a 2-5 ATS mark in the past seven games, while the under has cashed at a 7-3 clip in the previous 10 outings.
Los Angeles blasted the Washington Wizards 111-88 as a 13.5-point favorite in Tuesday’s game as the under (228) cashed. The Lakers are 3-1 in the past four games, but they’re just 2-4 ATS in the past six outings. At home, the Lakers have won three in a row, while going 2-1 ATS. The under has cashed in four of the past six games at home for the Lakers, too.
Let’s back the Celtics laying the points and the under, which has dominated for both sides lately. And just for fun, Celtics guard Jaylen Brown has hit at least one three-pointer in the past five games while hitting two triples in two of the past three outings. He is near even-money to hit two or more three-pointers (-110). That’s worth a play if you want to enhance your same-game parlay (SGP).
Picks: Celtics -5 (-118) & Under 221 Points (-110)
