SI Gambling’s Corey Parson breaks down his Thursday NBA wagers and shares his best bets, target lines, props and more.
There's only four games on the NBA slate tonight and just like yesterday this will be a tough slate to navigate. The Lakers and Clippers are both on the road tonight in games vs Eastern Conference teams, while our National Television games feature four teams from the Western Conference. Since it is a short slate I will give my opinions on all four games.
Want even more betting plays and alerts in real-time? The Vegas Whispers sharp information, shared here only at Sports Illustrated, are red-hot on all released plays.
Sign up for SI Fantasy PRO and receive real-time updates for all Vegas Whispers information!
Join now and instantly become part of an exclusive PREMIUM SI PRO Betting Discord chat community!
NBA Betting Plays - Thursday, January 28th
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Houston Rockets (-5) Total: 229
The Trail Blazers and the Rockets have both been disappointing to start the season. Houston has dealt with COVID issues and the James Harden trade, and the Trail Blazers are beat up yet again due to injuries. To their credit, Houston has played better as of late; winners of their last three games and they have covered the number in all of them.
The Trail Blazers have lost three straight games ATS, with one straight up loss versus the Knicks during the stretch. Houston opened up as a two-point favorite in this contest, news of the Blazers injuries has public bettors backing the Rockets pushing the number all the up to 5. I'm not comfortable laying points with this Rockets team, coupled with the fact that the Blazers are 4-2 ATS on the road this season, I'm going to fade the public and catch the points with Portland.
The Pick: Trail Blazers +5
BET PORTLAND vs. HOUSTON at DRAFTKINGS SPORTSBOOK
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Miami Heat (-4.5) Total 213.5
The Miami Heat could have Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Goran Dragic, and Duncan Robinson all back on the court tonight, and boy do they need them. The Heat have lost four games in a row and are currently five games under .500. The Clippers, however, are the team in trouble this evening with both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George out for Los Angeles.
Public bettors are down on Miami right now. Even with the Clippers missing two of their main players, over 60% of spread tickets are backing the Clippers. This now makes them a trendy underdog, and you know what we do with trendy underdogs - we fade them. If the Miami Heat do not get Jimmy Butler confirmed back tonight do not lay the number with them. Instead, bet the under which has dropped three points from the opening line.
The Pick: Heat -4.5
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Detroit Pistons (+7) Total: 213.5
The Lakers are looking to get back on track after suffering their first road loss of the season last night in Philadelphia. Antony Davis has already been ruled out for the Lakers but that should not make you want to back the hapless Pistons. LeBron James is questionable so we'll want to know his status before wagering on this game. If James plays, I'm betting the Lakers on the spread in the first half. If James is out, I'm betting the under.
The Pick: Lakers 1st Half -3.5
Golden State Warriors vs. Phoenix Suns (-1.5) Total: 219
Tonight closes with the Warriors in Phoenix to take on a Suns team that will be without Devin Booker. Golden State is coming off a pair of victories vs the Timberwolves, while the Suns have won once in their last seven games. This game opened up with the Suns as a 1-point home underdog, but public money pushed the Suns to a 1-point home favorite. Even without Booker, I smell a rat. The only reason Phoenix would be the favorite in this game would be because they are going to win, but I can't in good faith lay the number with the Suns. The total on the other hand has come down six points from the opening number. The Warriors have gone over the total in five of their last six games, and that's good enough for me to go over the adjusted number.
The Pick: Over 219
Overall Record: 20-20 ATS
BET THESE GAMES AND PROPS AT DRAFTKINGS SPORTSBOOK AND GET A DEPOSIT BONUS UP TO $1,000