Best NBA Picks and Parlays Today, 1/19

With 13 games scheduled across the NBA tonight, bettors have a buffet-like menu of options to choose from. This makes Wednesday’s slate a great one for constructing parlays and taking a shot at some increased payouts. Basketball Insiders takes a look at the best NBA picks and parlays for the January 19th NBA betting slate. Odds for the picks can be found at Bovada Sportsbook.

Best NBA Picks and Parlays Today, 1/19

Wednesday’s Featured ATS NBA Pick: Thunder +7 (-110)

It was rather surprising to see the NBA betting spread open at a full six points for tonight’s matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs. It is even more shocking to note that the line has since moved even further in the Spurs’ favor. Aside from this game taking place on their home floor, the gap between these two teams simply is not that great.

The Thunder have been one of the most feisty teams as an ATS underdog recently and all season long. A 28-14-1 ATS mark on the season ranks second only to Cleveland for the best record against the number. Oklahoma City is as healthy as they have been in some time and have played multiple quality opponents extremely tough over the past week. The Thunder’s last five results include back-to-back four-point losses to Denver and Washington, a road win over Brooklyn, a five-point home loss to Cleveland and a two-point loss on the road against Dallas on Monday.

OKC’s young star, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, has been on fire of late. The return of Luguentz Dort to the lineup cannot be overstated. The Thunder now have a reliable second-scoring option behind SGA. The young supporting cast around them including rookie Josh Giddey continues to play hard. While the Spurs have also gotten healthier over the past few days after seeing several players sidelined in virus protocols, laying such a massive number with this team is far from appealing.

Featured O/U NBA Pick: Rockets-Jazz Under 231 (-115)

The opening total of 235 for tonight’s game between the Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz has plummeted to a consensus line of 231. The difference in Utah’s play on the defensive end with center Rudy Gobert on the floor compared to without him is night and day. In addition to this being Gobert’s third game back, the Jazz will also be playing without Donovan Mitchell. This set up a positive outlook for Utah defensively. The absence of their top scorer also figures to negatively impact the offense to a certain extent.

That being said, it should be noted that the opposing Rockets are the worst team in the NBA on the defensive end. Houston ranks dead last in points allowed per game (116.7) and defensive efficiency (112.7 points allowed per 100 possessions). The Rockets also average the third-most possessions per game of any team. However, Houston’s fast pace of play and horrendous defense are likely to be negated somewhat by the Jazz side of the equation in tonight’s matchup. 

One final point to keep in mind is that the over/under for Utah’s game against the L.A. Lakers on Monday was set at 231. The Lakers average an even faster pace of play than the Rockets and are also a bad defensive team. After that under wound up as a rocking-chair winner (196 total points scored), it makes sense to pursue a similar route for tonight’s game.

Featured NBA Player Prop: Day’Ron Sharpe Under 7.5 Rebounds (-115)

While rookie Brooklyn Nets big man Day’Ron Sharpe has seen an uptick in playing time recently, there’s certainly an argument to be made that his rebounding prop total has gotten a bit carried away. Despite seeing no fewer than 20 minutes in each of the last five games, Sharpe has only surpassed the NBA player props line of 7.5 boards once. Furthermore, while center Nicolas Claxton is set to remain sidelined tonight, the Nets will welcome back veteran James Johnson from a stint on IR. His return could presumably eat into Sharpe’s playing time.

While Sharpe has made solid contributions on the glass in limited opportunities this season, he would need to essentially double his per-game average of 4.3 for the over on this prop to hit. While the opponent Washington Wizards have not been one of the best teams in terms of total rebounds per game, their frontcourt is certainly set to get a boost as Thomas Bryant’s playing time continues to increase. At the end of the day, Sharpe will be hard-pressed to have enough opportunity to exceed the NBA player props line. Bettors should feel confident in back the under.

NBA Picks and Parlays

Featured Picks Parlay

1. Thunder +7 (-110)
2. Rockets-Jazz Under 231 (-115)
3. Day’Ron Sharpe Under 7.5 Rebounds (-115)

Parlay Odds: +567

Bet $10 to Win $56.73 at Bovada

The result of combining Wednesday’s three featured picks discussed above is a parlay with healthy +567 odds. Bettors should be careful to monitor any possible line moves that should occur for the picks between the time of writing and tip-off of each game.

Player Props Parlay

1. Day’Ron Sharpe Under 7.5 Rebounds (-115)
2. Jayson Tatum Under 4.5 Assists (-115)
3. Caris LeVert Under 21.5 Points (-115)

Parlay Odds: +553

Bet $10 to Win $55.35 at Bovada

Along with our featured player prop of taking under 7.5 rebounds for Day’Ron Sharpe, bettors can also find solid edges on two other under plays. While Jayson Tatum is tied for the eighth-most points per game of any player, there is reason to believe he will fall short of 4.5 assists tonight. In addition, Caris LeVert’s scoring prop of 21.5 points for tonight is over three points higher than his per-game average on the season. By combining the three NBA player props together, we churn out a parlay with solid +553. For more analysis and insight on each of these prop bets, click here.

Moneyline Parlay

1. 76ers (-800)
2. Heat (-455)
3. Jazz (-1000)
4. Nuggets (-370)
5. Kings (-280)

Parlay Odds: +160

Bet $10 to Win $16.02 at Bovada

With so many games on the schedule tonight, there is no reason for bettors to assume any unnecessary risk when constructing an NBA moneyline parlay. Four of the five teams selected above are laying over $3.50 on the moneyline as favorites tonight. It would be a major upset if any were to lose their respective matchup outright. The only team that isn’t is Sacramento. However, the Kings are still sizeable betting favorites given that they host the lowly Detroit Pistons and will have a rest advantage to boot. Thus, we have a fairly conservative five-team parlay with +160 offering a decent return.