NBA Best Bets Today: Predictions for Kevin Durant, Pacers-Celtics, Julius Randle and More
By Peter Dewey
![Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant. Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_2497,h_1404,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/426/01fs2mxjf47rypxfms7s.jpg)
There may not be anything as exciting as Klay Thompson’s return to the lineup was last night, but there are still plenty of games worth taking a look at when betting on tonight's slate.
Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets will face a short-handed Portland Trail Blazers squad, and Lance Stephenson is looking to continue his impressive return to the league when the Indiana Pacers face the Boston Celtics.
Fresh off a 3-1 night in the NBA, we’re back with some more NBA Best Bets for Monday night.
Wolves -7 vs Houston ✅
— Peter Dewey (@peterdewey2) January 10, 2022
Klay Thompson O 11.5 Points ✅
Scottie Barnes U 13.5 Points ✅
Raptors-Pels O 223 ❌
Good start to this week in the NBA! https://t.co/m4KwHaxyLZ
We’re backing a pair of Eastern Conference teams in tonight’s slate, plus
All odds courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook.
NBA Best Bets Record to Date
- NBA Best Bets Record: 83-89-2
NBA Best Bets Today
- Indiana Pacers +7 vs. Boston Celtics (-110)
- Philadelphia 76ers -10.5 vs. Houston Rockets (-110)
- Julius Randle OVER 9.5 Rebounds (-125)
- Kevin Durant OVER 27.5 Points (-115)
Indiana Pacers vs. Boston Celtics: Pacers +7 (-110)
The Pacers have struggled to win games this season, but they are an elite team as an underdog, going 12-6 against the spread and covering in four of their last five games as underdogs.
Boston, on the other hand, has covered just once in its last six games as a favorite.
If Malcolm Brogdon (Achilles, questionable) is back for Indiana tonight, this line is going to move at WynnBET, so I am going to jump on it early and hope that Brogdon does return.
Lance Stephenson has been a revelation for Indiana, and the Pacers can expose Boston’s smaller frontcourt with Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis. It’s not the prettiest play, but the Pacers should be able to hang around tonight.
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Houston Rockets: Sixers -10.5 (-110)
This is the ultimate spot to fade the Rockets, even though they are at home.
Philly blew out Houston 133-113 last Monday, and the Rockets are coming off an 18-point loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night.
Houston has been horrible against the spread on back-to-backs this season, going just 1-5-1, and it has been blown out several times over the past few weeks.
When the Rockets lose, they tend to get blown out, losing 23 games by double-digits, including 11 of their last 12 losses.
The Sixers have moved into the top 10 in the league in offensive rating, and that should spell trouble for a Houston team that is 26th in offensive rating and 30th in defensive rating this season.
It’s a lot of points to lay, but the Sixers are the side to be on in this game.
Julius Randle OVER 9.5 Rebounds (-125)
Julius Randle is averaging 10.1 rebounds per game for the New York Knicks this season, but this prop has been money over his last eight games.
Randle has picked up double-digit boards in five of his last eight games, averaging 11.6 rebounds per game over that stretch.
The San Antonio Spurs are already short-handed in this one, and they rank 19th in the NBA in rebounding percentage this season while the Knicks are 12th. I like Randle to stay strong on the glass in this one.
Kevin Durant OVER 27.5 Points (-115)
The Nets were elite in the small sample of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden playing together last season, averaging 119.6 points per 100 possessions.
Tonight, Brooklyn faces the Blazers, who are No. 29 in the NBA in defensive rating. Durant has cleared this number in nine of his last 10 games, and the court should open up even more for him with Irving now back for road games.
It’s not a crazy value, but I’m trusting the best scorer in the NBA to get it done tonight.