This year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day brings heightened importance and focus on the social justice movement across the world. But it also means all-day NBA basketball to bet on, which includes one of the hottest betting trends going—Fear the (first-half) Deer facing off against the new-look Brooklyn Nets.
We break down the basketball odds for that and more with our best free NBA picks and predictions for Monday, January 18.
NBA Picks for Today
San Antonio Spurs vs Portland Trail Blazers
Monday’s schedule Martin Luther King Jr. Day features a matinee matchup between two Western Conference foes playing very good basketball, as the San Antonio Spurs visit the Portland Trail Blazers. The Spurs have won five of their last seven games to climb into first place in the Southwest Division, while the Blazers have won six of seven to sit in second in the Northwest.
Unfortunately, for the Blazers, they will be without star guard CJ McCollum for the next little while. McCollum has looked like Portland’s best player throughout the early part of this season, but is awaiting results on an MRI on his left foot, which is currently diagnosed as a sprain.
That means other Blazers will have to step up and support Damian Lillard in McCollum’s absence, and one of those guys could be veteran Carmelo Anthony. The 10-time All-Star is averaging 12 points on 38.9 percent shooting, but he has actually been better from long range, hitting 42.9 percent of his 3-point attempts. He was currently attempting 4.2 shots per game from deep, and you know that number will go up without McCollum.
Additionally, the Spurs are one of the worst perimeter defense teams in the NBA. San Antonio ranks 29th in opponent 3-point percentage, allowing teams to shoot 39.6 percent from long range. Bet Melo to go Over his modest Made Threes total in this one.
PREDICTION: Carmelo Anthony Over 1.5 Made Threes (-135)
Dallas Mavericks vs Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors have built some momentum after a mini two-game sweep of the Charlotte Hornets and they'll try to build on that solid play when they host MVP favorite Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks on Monday.
One of the factors contributing to the Raptors' recent success has been the switch to a smaller lineup over the past few games. Slim center Chris Boucher has seen more minutes, but it has also meant that Kyle Lowry has done more rebounding.
The Raps star point guard has a rebounding total of 5.5 for this matchup and has only gone below that number one time over the last nine games and is averaging 7.2 boards per contest over that span. Lowry and the Raps face a Mavericks team that ranks 24th in opponent’s total rebounding per game.
This number is too tempting to pass up: bet the Raptors’ tenacious point guard to stay active on the glass in this game.
PREDICTION: Kyle Lowry Over 5.5 Rebounds (-110)
Milwaukee Bucks vs Brooklyn Nets
The James Harden era in Brooklyn started with a bang. The newly acquired former MVP recorded a triple-double in his Nets debut, while Kevin Durant added an easy 42 points Saturday against the Orlando Magic. But things get a little tougher when reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks come to town.
That also means it is the return of one of our favorite NBA betting trends in the early going of this season: Fear the (first-half) Deer. While the Bucks have been an inconsistent bet this season at just 6-7 ATS, the first half of games have been a different story.
Milwaukee is 10-3 against the first-half number this season, which includes 9-1 in the last 10 games. And there’s a good reason why—the Bucks have been an offensive machine this season.
Milwaukee ranks first in offensive rating and second in offensive efficiency, scoring offense and shooting percentage. That has shown the most in the first half, where the Bucks' 61.6 points and +8.9 first-half margin are tops in the NBA.
While the Nets are a decent first-half team in their own right, they rank 22nd in opponent scoring and this matchup will be a much bigger test for the new-look Nets, who are likely to still be without Kyrie Irving. Bet the Bucks to continue their first-half dominance.
PREDICTION: Bucks -0.5 First Half (-115)
Top NBA Consensus for Today
Want to know who today's biggest NBA betting and consensus bets are right now? Check out our top NBA consensus picks.
Yesterday's picks: 1-2 (-1.09 units)
Season record to date: 40-30-1 (+7.21 units)
NBA Betting Card for January 18
- Carmelo Anthony Over 1.5 Made Threes (-135)
- Kyle Lowry Over 5.5 Rebounds (-110)
- Bucks -0.5 First Half (-115)
NBA Parlays
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Use our NBA parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
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