NBA Daily Bests Bets for Tuesday Jan. 6
Summary
The San Antonio Spurs, second in the West, face the Memphis Grizzlies, who are on a four-game skid. The Spurs may be without Victor Wembanyama, but with Memphis missing key players and Ja Morant questionable, the prediction favors the Grizzlies to cover the +6 spread despite likely losing.
In other games, the Minnesota Timberwolves are predicted to cover -6 against the Miami Heat. The Los Angeles Lakers, led by LeBron James and Luka Dončić, are favored by -6 over the struggling New Orleans Pelicans. Finally, the Dallas Mavericks versus Sacramento Kings matchup is expected to stay under a 232.5 total.
San Antonio Spurs vs Memphis Grizzlies 8:00 p.m. EST
| Spread | ML | Total | |
| Spurs | -6 (-110) | -220 | O239.5 (-110) |
| Grizzlies | +6 (-110) | +186 | U239.5 (-110) |
San Antonio Spurs (25-10)
The Spurs will likely be without All-Star Victor Wembanyama as he deals with a knee injury. San Antonio is coming off a loss but is 7-3 in the last ten and sits second in the West. While the Spurs have been scoring an average of 121 points in the last ten, they are also giving up nearly 120 PPG. The Spurs are 12-5 on the road.
Memphis Grizzlies (15-20)
The Grizzlies have already lost twice to the Spurs by seven points this season and have lost four straight overall. Memphis still has key players out, including Zach Edey, Cedric Coward, Ty Jerome, and potentially Ja Morant (questionable) in this matchup. If Morant sits, winning here will be even tougher.
Recent Betting Trends
Spurs are 14-19 to the OVER while the Grizzlies are 14-21.
Memphis is 15-20 ATS this season.
San Antonio is 18-16-2 ATS this year.
Grizzlies are 5-15 ATS this season as underdogs
Prediction
Even if Wemby doesn’t play, the Spurs are the better team in this matchup. With the Grizzlies having several players out, their chances aren’t good here, but they keep it close. BEST BET: Grizzlies +6
Miami Heat vs Minnesota Timberwolves 8:00 p.m. EST
| Spread | ML | Total | |
| Heat | +6 (-110) | +200 | O237.5 (-110) |
| T-wolves | -6 (-110) | -240 | U237.5 (-110) |
Miami Heat (20-16)
The Heat are coming off an easy win against the Pelicans 125-106, where Norman Powell led the way with 34 points, while Kel’el Ware had 12 rebounds was a game high. Miami is 7-10 on the road and could have Tyler Herro back on Tuesday; he will likely be a game-time decision.
Minnesota Timberwolves (23-13)
The Wolves have won two straight and have averaged 130 points in those games. Anthony Edwards has scored 30+ in the last three games. Minnesota is 12-6 on home court and is 8th in defensive rebounds.
Recent Betting Trends
Minnesota is 15-21 ATS this season.
Miami is 21-15 ATS this year.
Both teams are 17-19 with the OVER.
Prediction
The two just played a few days ago in Miami as the Timberwolves won 125-115. Now at home, Minnesota should be able to handle the heat again, but we’ll side with the total here, as both teams have been shooting well recently. Miami has been averaging 121 PPG in the last ten, while the Timberwolves are averaging 119. BEST BET: Minnesota -6
Los Angeles Lakers vs New Orleans Pelicans 8:00 p.m. EST
| Spread | ML | Total | |
| Lakers | -6 (-110) | -245 | O243.5 (-110) |
| Pelicans | +6 (-110) | +203 | U243.5 (-110) |
Los Angeles Lakers (22-11)
The Lakers have won two straight but have been playing .500 basketball over the last ten games, but defensively have allowed 120 points per game while scoring just 115.
Luka Doncic leads the NBA in scoring (33.7) and is also adding 8.1 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game. LeBron James is heating up, scoring 31 and 26 points in his last two games.
New Orleans Pelicans (8-29)
The Pelicans continue to struggle as they look to end a four-game losing streak against the Lakers. New Orleans is a pathetic 4-22 in conference play this season, tied for the fewest victories in the league. Over the last ten games, Trey Murphy III is averaging 20.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists, while Jeremiah Fears is scoring 21 points per game.
Recent Betting Trends
The Lakers are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games.
LA is 8-0 SU in the last 8 games vs Pelicans.
New Orleans is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games.
6 of the last 9 meetings have seen the total go OVER.
Prediction
The Pelicans are a mess, while the Lakers have two of the best players on the planet. Expect a high-scoring game in this one with the Lakers not only covering, but the total going over. BEST BET: Lakers -6
Dallas Mavericks vs Sacramento Kings 11:00 p.m. EST
| Spread | ML | Total | |
| Mavs | -5.5 (-105) | -205 | O232.5 (-110) |
| Kings | +5.5 (-115) | +177 | U232.5 (-110) |
Dallas Mavericks (13-23)
Dallas ended a four-game skid Saturday by upsetting the Rockets, 110-104, and now begins a 3-game road trip in Sacramento. Cooper Flagg is scoring 18.9 points per game and averaging 6.4 rebounds in the last ten games, while PJ Washington leads the team in rebounding (7.4).
Sacramento Kings (8-28)
The Kings have lost five in a row and continue to be one of the worst scoring teams (110.3) and defending teams (122.3). DeMar DeRozan is averaging 18.3 points and 3.8 assists for the Kings. Russell Westbrook is averaging 21.0 points over the last 10 games.
Prediction
The Kings have won four straight meetings against the Mavs, including their last win on Dec. 27th. In that game, the teams combined for 30 three-pointers in that game. That game saw 220 total points, and this one should be a higher-scoring game. BEST BET: UNDER 232.5
