Yesterday was a great day to ring in the new year. We went 3-0 on our NBA picks and got to watch the college football playoffs. Both Alabama and Georgia dominated their opponents, making the championship game an SEC championship rematch game that I am looking forward to. Today the New Year’s Six bowls start. I will certainly be betting on those games.
While the days with these big bowl games make it easy to forget about the NBA, there is plenty of betting value in the Association today that bettors will want to take advantage of. Let us look into the best NBA picks going into the first day of 2022.
View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet >>
Denver Nuggets Moneyline -250 at DraftKings Sportsbook
Denver covering six points in this game is a great pick and has more betting value in this matchup. The Moneyline is more consistent, though, as Houston has not won back-to-back games this year. They are 0-5 on both the front and back end of back-to-back games. Houston is one of the worst teams in the league, and they have only won 10 games this year. Denver is the more talented team.
Golden State Warriors Moneyline +180 at DraftKings Sportsbook
The Warriors are a big underdog in this game. Whenever the Warriors are an underdog, bettors need to take the value. They will not win them all, but the Warriors are the best team in the NBA right now. Utah is a talented team and has a chance to win this game, but the Warriors are 27-7 for a reason. This bet is all about the value. The Warriors typically are heavy favorites, and it is rare to get them with these odds. When betting on sports with long seasons, always take the betting value. This game is a perfect example of that.
Kevin Durant Over 28.5 +100 at DraftKings Sportsbook
Kevin Durant is one of the best scorers in the league. He averages 30 points per game and has not missed a beat coming off his injury. In the first game back from injury, Durant scored 33 points. Defensively, the Clippers struggled to stop the Nets the last time these teams played. They gave up 124 points to the Nets, and that was without Durant. With Hardin and Durant playing in this game, the Clippers will be overwhelmed and give additional opportunities to Durant to score. This game is a perfect matchup for Durant to cash the over.
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Cameron Lynch is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Cameron, check out his archive and follow him @captron26.