NBA Best Bets: Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds to Consider on DraftKings Sportsbook for January 8

We had a nice 3-1 card on Wednesday in Best Bets, improving the season record to 13-6 with article plays. Friday has a big card with plenty of injury news sure to influence some plays as the day goes on, but I have a couple short favorites and a total that I’m on early.

Follow along on Twitter for what we hope to be another great season, as some plays jump out late due to news, particularly in the player prop market — @julianedlow. Here’s what jumps out to me on DraftKings Sportsbook.

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Oklahoma City Thunder at New York Knicks: NYK -2 (-114)

We backed the Knicks +7.5 on Wednesday, and after starting the game in a massive hole, they won outright. I started that write up by saying: The Knicks are ... kind of good? And it would still appear so. New York is now on a 5-1 run not only against the spread, but straight up, winning all five of those games as underdogs. This is the first time this season the Knicks will be favorites, but they’re at home and facing a pretty lackluster OKC offense. Austin Rivers has added another scorer to this team, and whatever the Knicks have found in this six-game stretch, it’s working. I don’t think OKC is the squad to end the streak.

Brooklyn Nets at Memphis Grizzlies: BKN -1.5 (-113)

Once Kyrie was ruled out on Thursday, I was “fortunate” enough to grab my largest position of the NBA season on the Sixers -120 moneyline. Of course, the Nets absolutely stomped Philly, even without Kyrie and KD. Brooklyn’s defense is clicking, and Caris LeVert and Joe Harris are capable of handling the scoring, especially against a bad team. Memphis is also on the second night of a back-to-back, losing to the Cavs without Collin Sexton last night. Obviously, without Ja Morant, this team really struggles to score. It also struggles defending bigs, so look for Jarrett Allen and DeAndre Jordan to get a lot around the rim.

Washington Wizards at Boston Celtics: OVER 234 (-112)

The Wizards play just zero defense, allowing their opponents to score just shy of 123 points per game — the worst mark in the NBA. The Celtics have been middle of the pack, giving up 111.7, but they have a bit of an issue for this game (and the next week). Robert Williams tested positive for COVID-19, and both Tristan Thompson and Grant Williams have been ruled out for contact tracing. That’s nearly 60 minutes of frontcourt play per game, and all three are defensive-minded players. This one already set up pretty nicely for a track meet, but with the C’s being forced into some small ball, it seems like the perfect over spot, even on a sizeable number.

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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is jedlow) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.

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